Lost paper.

I thought I had lost this paper when I switched to a new computer and couldn't find it on my old pc that ended up with a new home at my mother's. Sometimes, not often, but once in a Blue Moon (my old Tavern here in Seattle), I get an urge to drink and then call a friend. Right now? No! But I was thinking on a smoke break just a minute ago (I'm attempting to quit that too), I wonder if I would even still like the taste of beer? I thought to myself; Probably not, as I never did drink for taste, just effect!



Causality: Cause for reflection.
Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
University of Phoenix

Causality: Cause for reflection.
Hi, I’m John Doe, and I’m an alcoholic. Familiar word’s of the introduction preceding an A.A. member’s discourse and self disclosure of their illness. Although my name is not John Doe, and I use my childhood nickname in my personal life as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous to remain anonymous, I chose the name John Doe in this introduction to point out the now recognized status of alcoholism as a progressive and degenerative disease. As stated by Science Clarified (2007) in their Alcoholism forum, the disease is progressive in that it only gets worse in increasing stages, never better, even after stopping the drinking behavior, and its conclusion may end in death (¶ 1). Degenerative in that consumption of alcohol not only kills brain cells and destroys the liver, but is now known that it; “affects every cell in the body, especially those of the liver, heart, and brain” (¶ 4). And a disease in that alcoholism is recognized along with substance abuse as an addiction as noted on p. 213 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV) of the APA (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Before continuing further, let me quote from p. 562 of the ‘big book;’ Alcoholics Anonymous, the 10th of our 12 traditions: “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never [to] be drawn into public controversy.” (2001). With that disclaimer to honor the A.A. Traditions, the stated purpose of this paper is not about the 12 step recovery group itself, but an exposition of one of its primary initial teachings to the newcomer, the concept known as: Think through the drink. Also referred to as ‘playing the tape through,’ to get to the conclusion of the song and avoid the song and dance routine that leads to taking that first drink without thinking of its consequences.

I can distinctly remember the rationalization I used for taking my very first drink, a misnomer of that word in that my thinking wasn’t rational, rationalization being more the mental process of making up an excuse for behavior; “a defense mechanism by which [my] true motivation is concealed by explaining [my] actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening [to myself]” WordNet (2006). I was fresh out of Basic Training, at my first USAF Base for additional training, and enjoying myself in the enlisted men’s recreational hall. Legal age in Colorado, where I was stationed, and legal age on the Federal property of the Base is 19 years. I figured that if the U.S. Government thought I was old enough to both serve my Country and be served a drink, then I might as well enjoy myself with a beer. If I was old enough to fight and possibly die for my Country, I was old enough to get drunk! Eight years later I was no longer fighting for my Country, I was, however, fighting a battle with the bottle.

I did not come to be a habitual drinker all at once; habituation is most definitely both classically and operant conditioned and occurred in me by the very processes as put forth by Kowalski and Westen (2005). I reinforced my drinking behavior by repeatedly rewarding myself for hard work by; going to the club (the operant), and having a beer (the reinforcement), after duty (pg. 169). In the end I was not reinforcing my good work ethics in this process though; it was the drinking behavior itself that was being reinforced by the significant time delay (the interstimulus interval), between getting off duty and going to the club (pg. 164). Yet initially I took to drink by “observational learning;” other’s at the club were drinking and having fun, and so I mimicked them, “modeling” my behavior to theirs by playing games while having my own drinks (pg. 187). This lead to another use of rationalization about my continued use and abuse of alcohol, the idea that everyone does it, so why can’t I? Classical conditioning also played a role by my associating fun activities with drinking alcohol, and soon I was drinking alcohol to have fun, a stimulus-stimulus association (pg. 166). What were once vices are now habits, as a song says, and my drinking became associated with another bad habit of addictive behavior; smoking cigarettes. Nicotine and alcohol are twin addictions that were formerly thought of as social ills of an individual problematic nature, yet socially acceptable behavior, and they reinforce each other by stimulating the brain (actually alcohol is a depressant), in different neural pathways. Social views are changing along with the legal viewpoint of these ‘habits,’ and they are now considered to be criminal behavior in certain instances of misuse and abuse.

Having incurred the wrath of the Courts and been given the option of seeking treatment for my aberrant behavior of driving under the influence, I have become aware of the necessity of “rehab” and 12 step programs involved in recovery from addiction and maintaining sobriety. A common phrase of A.A. members to newcomers is; “the best way to avoid getting drunk is to avoid the first drink.” But how to do that as is easier said then done, is by what is called: Thinking through the drink. Using reasoning skills of causality to remember the effects of alcoholic behavior; the ill effects of nausea and hangovers, the relationship problems with family and friends, the further social isolation of only having drinking buddies, the economic problems of unpaid bills and loss of employment or lack of stable employment, combined with legal entanglements, all serve as cause for reflection in taking a moment just long enough to give an impulse or urge to return to drink to subside while convincing myself with true rational thought that the “rewards” are not worth continuing the behavior. In giving myself the time to weigh the pro’s and con’s of taking another drink, I give myself pause for reflection and thought, and enough time to come to the realization that I have alternatives and can call for help and support, reach out to another for affirmation that I am not alone. Merely extinguishing the undesirable behavior, quitting drinking, whether by force of will or conditioning, is not enough in the end. Behaviors and attitudes need to be changed together, new behaviors instituted to replace old habits and new attitudes learned, for effective recovery to take place and sobriety to be maintained.

In summation, and I say summation and not conclusion because the only acceptable conclusion to alcoholism is abstinence, and I can only sum up my rehabilitation and recovery as it has thus far occurred; in summation, my personal experience with alcoholism and recovery is not unique to me alone. Not everyone follows the same path, but the pattern is there and the similarities are recognizable. Thinking through the drink; the process of recognizing the onset of impulses and urges that lead to patterns of thought processes of rationalization for my addictive behavior, then diverting those thought processes to different ones of reasoning and reflection, give myself time to take action and preventive measures to avoid falling back into old habits. Memory of past results from taking that first drink, and knowing that it will lead to another and what that will invariably result in, reasoning in terms of causality, is but one of the tools learned to be used on the road to recovery. The road leads on.




References:
Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition. (2001). New York City: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2005). Psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
rationalization. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rationalization

Science Clarified. (2007). Alcoholism forum. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.scienceclarified.com/A-Al/Alcoholism.html