AMERICAN PIONEERS 12 step fundamentalists

In 1995, the Greater Toronto Area Intergroup (G.T.A.I.) of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) removed the "Muckers" Group from their list of approved A.A. groups because their particular approach to Twelve Step recovery.¹ Furthermore, A.A. ejected two members from elected positions in a Toronto-based treatment center for advocating the "Mucker" creed.²In 2011, the G.T.A.I removed two A.A. agnostic groups, "We Agnostics" and "Beyond Belief". Both Groups were eliminated from the G.T.A.I. Meeting Directory and ceased to be recognized as legitimate A.A. Groups.

In this paper, I argue that these two incidents reflect fundamentalist reactions within A.A. to an increasing presence of secular recovery ideology and methodology emerging in the culture of Alcoholics Anonymous. I propose that these fundamentalist responses are boundary maintenance of A.A.'s canonized beliefs and practices that are vital to the identity and recovery of A.A. members. By using an anthropology of fundamentalism, I will show that A.A. fundamentalism reflects an antirelativist stance intolerant of ambiguous boundaries and seeks exclusivity by labeling anything different as "other". Furthermore, by identifying the roles fundamentalists play in A.A. controversies, I will show that three varieties of Fundamentalisms will emerge: 1) Organizational-Ritual Fundamentalism, 2) Socio-Cultural Fundamentalism and 3) Theological-Supernaturalistic Fundamentalism.³

The original Members of Alcoholics Anonymous defined their ideological and behavioural distinctiveness by establishing specific borders that differentiate A.A. from other organizations. But, as the fellowship grew and factions within the A.A. culture evolved, the creedal and ritual prescriptions that outlined A.A.'s original boundaries became more ambiguous. For this paper, I will use Talcott Parsons' concept of Fundamentalism, which is explained as a resistance to changes to an organization's boundary values and any attempt by various factions within the social system to demand wider and more general boundaries would be met with opposition and labeled as abandoning the fundamental tenets of organization. This is what Parsons would define as Fundamentalism.⁴ Studies in Christian Fundamentalism have revealed that boundary values are related to the background characteristics of a particular sect or group and that these boundary values have different meanings to different factions with the social system.⁵ By clarifying these background characteristics, I will reveal specific boundary markers to indicate where the particular Fundamentalist lines are drawn within A.A.

The organization of Alcoholics Anonymous was born in 1939 with the publication of its own book entitled, Alcoholics Anonymous—the story of how one hundred men and women had recovered from alcoholism. The main purpose of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous is to show those who suffer from alcoholism precisely how to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.⁶ With the publication of their "Big Book"—the A.A. membership's moniker for their Twelve Step recovery textbook-the original group of one hundred recovered alcoholics grew to over 8,000 members and by the close of 1941 A.A. had become a national instituiton.⁷ The common solution, which is described in the first 164 pages of the Big Book, contains the A.A. recovery program and has remained intact and unchanged throughout the second, third and fourth editions due to its recovery success rate among suffering alcoholics.⁸ Success rates reported by A.A. members in the 1940's claimed 50% of those who came into the rooms of A.A. achieved immediate and sustained sobriety; 25% sobered up after a few relapses and those who kept coming back to A.A. showed improvement.⁹

The 1940's were tumultuous times for A.A., creating various schisms within the fellowship over membership, leadership and money, all of which threatened to dismantle the organization. How could these exponentially growing numbers of alcoholics be expected to come together and stay unified? Just as A.A. discovered principles by which the suffering alcoholic could recover, A.A. also realized that it needed to create a set of tenets by which groups and the organization as a whole could unify. Thus the fellowship ratified the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1950 at the first International A.A. Conference in Cleveland.¹⁰ In 1953, A.A. published the book, "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" (12 & 12). Both the Big Book of A.A. and the 12 and 12 formed the canon of A.A. literature.

The Big Book clearly demarcates A.A.'s ideological boundaries. Key subjects include: what is alcoholism and who is an alcoholic, where and how to find a Higher Power, the role of fellowship, the role of sponsorship, and the purpose of A.A. Group meetings. The Twelve Traditions establishes clear behavioural boundaries for relations within and outside the A.A. fellowship, including boundaries over membership, group activities, primary purpose, affiliations, money and authority.

In a 1996 Maclean's article entitled, "The Muckers say A.A. has lost its course", the Muckers were described as having a "zealous approach to recovery from addiction that excludes anything but the twelve step method."¹¹ The more traditional members of A.A. were critical of the Muckers, describing their recovery approach as too narrow and arrogant because the Muckers claim their way was the only "right way" to recover.

My interviews with Mucker informants, reveal that they are Big Book Fundamentalists. Many Muckers claim that they almost died in the rooms of A.A. because they could not stay sober on "watered-down" A.A. meetings, treatment or group therapy. But, many recovered, achieving spiritual, mental and physical well-being as result of being "mucked" through the Big Book. Mucker methodology centers on a type of Organizational-Ritual Fundamentalism, known as "booking, or being booked", which demands literal adherence to the Twelve Step instructions as outlined in the first 103 pages of the Big Book. Working in dyads, Muckers have the newcomer read aloud from the first 103 pages of the Big Book. As the newcomer reads, the Mucker will tell the newcomer to circle and/or highlight specific words or phrases. Also, in a kind of textual exegesis, the Mucker will interpret passages and instruct the newcomer to make specific notes directly into their Big Book margins, hence the term, "mucking the Big Book". The "mucking process" takes approximately 30 to 40 hours by which the newcomer will experience a spiritual awakening powerful enough to eliminate the newcomer's desire to drink alcohol and thus, recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. The newcomer then, to maintain their newfound ability to resist the urge to drink alcohol, must instruct other newcomers in the "mucker" methodology.

Muckers affirm that they are "real alcoholics" and believe for the "real alcoholic" to recover, they must experience an awakened God-consciousness by vigorously working the Twelve Steps in a short period of time. Three boundaries are clearly demarcated by the Muckers: 1) alcoholic identity, 2) recovery by spiritual conversion, and 3) the length of time it takes to recover.

Identification as an alcoholic is a key component to the A.A. recovery program. The Big Book clearly defines an alcoholic as someone who, 1) honestly wants to stop drinking but cannot stay permanently abstinent and, 2) someone who, when sober, starts to drink, cannot control the amount consumed.¹² Furthermore, the "real" alcoholic is beyond human aid and is left with only two options: One, to surrender to the idea that nothing can be done and that death or insanity is inevitable; or two, accept and seek spiritual help.¹³ Muckers vehemently defend the Big Book's definition of an alcoholic, stating anyone who claims to have a drinking problem is not necessarily an alcoholic. Muckers reiterate that the "hard" drinker, is not an alcoholic; although the hard drinker may appear to drink like an alcoholic, given sufficient reason, such drinkers can stop or moderate on human power. As real alcoholics, Muckers define the hard-drinker as "other" than real alcoholics, labeling them as "dangerous". Muckers clearly draw a line in the sand that "hard drinkers" are not welcome in A.A. On the other hand, mainstream A.A. is far more inclusive, citing Tradition Three: "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."¹⁴ An online article entitled, "Beware: Hard Drinkers & Fakers Inside!" amplifies the Mucker's concerns: "They offer opinions (instead of Book-based facts) and their opinions will kill us (real alcoholics) if we listen to them and follow their advice instead of the Book's. They do not have to adhere to the "rules" (as we must) in order to live. Their strain of the disease is not necessarily fatal-as is ours-if we do not follow the rules precisely."¹⁵ The Mucker's Socio-Cultural Fundamentalism clearly opposed mixing hard drinkers with real alcoholics in the rooms of A.A.

Muckers identify the alcohol treatment centre industry as another area of controversy. Muckers accuse the treatment centres with flooding the rooms of A.A. with "hard drinkers"-drinkers who can stay sober on secular approaches such as, "don't drink and go to meetings" and practicing avoidance strategies, such as compiling a "trigger" list of people, places and things that initiate the urge to drink. Furthermore, Muckers also accuse the hard drinkers of turning A.A. meetings into "group therapy without a therapist". A 1995 article by "The New Yorker" clarifies this accusation: "Inheritors of the Big Book sponsorship tradition find themselves a minority perspective within the rapidly growing recovery culture. Generally, Big Book sponsors are unhappy with the prevailing presentation of the Twelve Steps. Some see the recovery culture as: proliferating victim groups, a sort of endless Oprah Winfrey show that claims the A.A. Twelve Step method as its inspiration, but in which the real meaning of the Twelfth Step is lost amid an incessant whine about the injured self."¹⁶ Muckers are at odds with the treatment centres and their professional counselors and pharmacotherapists, advocating their secular addiction behavioural models and chronic relapse prevention programs whereby the alcoholic is always recovering never recovered. These centres advocate long term treatment measured in months and years.¹⁷ The Mucker's Theological-Supernaturalistic Fundamentalism adheres to the notion that only a spiritual intervention, not secular treatment or professional therapy, can solve the alcoholic's dilemma.

Similar to other strong textual traditions, such as Christianity, the central issue for the Muckers is doctrinal, which leads to categorical, formulaic thinking.¹⁸ The Mucker's Organization-Ritual Fundamentalism cleaves to the hegemony of the Big Book-their weapon of ideological conquest. In an uncompromising, antirelativist mind-set, Muckers are defenders of the book, vigorously protecting A.A.'s boundaries with their battle cry, "If it isn't in the Big Book, then it isn't A.A." Ironically, it wasn't the Muckers Big Book Fundamentalist approach to alcoholism that lead to their expulsion from the A.A. meeting directory. The Mucker Groups were delisted because their meetings were about recovery from "any and all addictions". The Muckers had breached two of A.A.'s Traditions: Tradition Four: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole; and Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.¹⁹ By their inclusivity to carrying their message to other types of addicts, the Muckers had widened one of A.A.'s sacred identity boundaries-A.A.'s singular focus: alcoholics working with other alcoholics. It was this infraction that aroused the antipathy of other A.A. Groups, thus compelling the G.T.A.I. to evoke their own Socio-Cultural Fundamentalism and protect its borders from integration with "other" addicts-A.A. was for alcoholics only! Thus, both factions represented different kinds fundamentalisms that polarized when specific boundaries within the A.A. social system were transgressed.

In a more recent A.A. controversy (June 2011), the Greater Toronto Area Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (GTAI), voted to remove two A.A. Groups, "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" from the meeting directory which lists more than 300 weekly A.A. groups.²⁰ On March 27, 2012, I attended the monthly GTAI General Meeting where a motion to re-list the two agnostic groups in the meeting directory was defeated by a vote of 59 "against" to 19 "for", reinforcing A.A. Group conscience that the two groups, "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" were not legitimate A.A.

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states that A.A. is not a religious organization.²¹ Members are encouraged to stress the spiritual aspect openly, emphasizing that if the prospect were an agnostic or atheist, they can choose any conception they like, provided it makes sense to that individual. The important thing is that the prospect is "willing to believe in a Power greater than themselves and that they live by spiritual principles."²² Members have attested they have discovered an inner resource that they identify as a Power greater than themselves and that this awareness of this sixth sense is the essence of a spiritual experience which the more religious members of A.A. call "God-consciousness."²³

Members of "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" commented about other A.A. meetings: "I've tried AA meetings and I couldn't get past the influence of right-wing Christianity;" and "Last night I went to a meeting and it was like a sermon again."²⁴ As a result, the two groups, "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" revised A.A.'s Traditional Twelve Steps²⁵ without God and replaced them with a secular interpretation of the Twelve Steps which they published to their own website.²⁶ An ensuing schism developed in the G.T.A.I. The result-both agnostic groups were delisted from the meeting directory. The issue is Tradition Four of A.A. which states: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.²⁷ Had "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" Groups simply kept their secular notions to the Group, the matter never would have reached the Intergroup Level, but they crossed an important organizational-ritual boundary and affected other A.A. groups, and A.A. as a whole, because they revised A.A.'s canonized Twelve Steps of recovery and publicly announced their secular views on their website, aatorontoagnostics.org.²⁸ One member, who voted against re-listing the two groups said, "...the teaching and practice of the Twelve Steps is the sole purpose of an A.A. group. It does not say 'from a set of Twelve Steps we choose to design ourselves'. The Twelve Steps of A.A. are the Twelve Steps. If they don't like our program, perhaps they could develop their own as others have done. A.A. will be a model for them and they could adapt our principles to suit their needs."²⁹ A.A. has allowed hundreds of other Twelve Step based groups to emulate the A.A. program of recovery, but they cannot call themselves Alcoholics Anonymous because they practice programs other than the sanctioned A.A. program as set out in its conference approved literature.

A.A.'s Organizational-Ritual Fundamentalist stance towards the two Agnostic Groups was a move to prevent any destabilization of A.A. core identity as a spiritual program. A.A.'s ontological security, that is, their security of being-their confidence and trust that the world of A.A. safe and sound was challenged by the emergence of another paradigm-the textual publication of a new secular Twelve Step program. A.A. identity has been developed and maintained by its canon of literature-The Big Book and the 12 and 12-which has provided a textual framework for consistent thought and feeling of biographical continuity that A.A. members use to sustain narratives of self and answer questions about doing, acting and being.³⁰ Alcoholics Anonymous is a figured world whereby its members must learn A.A.'s identity and cultural system. Several modes of learning include A.A. literature, sponsor relations and telling one's personal story. In a study of identity formation in Alcoholics Anonymous Group³¹, it was observed that newcomers to A.A. learn to appropriate their identity by listening to others tell their stories and then construct and tell their own personal story in the A.A. fashion of, "what they were like, what happened and what they are like today."³² Telling one's story can be interactive in A.A. meetings. When "inappropriate" narratives are expressed, such as: using vulgar language, references to other addictions, use of non-conference approved literature, mentioning other Twelve Step fellowships-older members will challenge them, reinforcing a stereotypical set of A.A. motifs, tropes and concepts. The newcomer, by recalling what is deemed inappropriate and continuous reinforcement of what is appropriate by older members, the newcomer acquires their identity in the figured world of A.A.³³ When the "We Agnostics" and the "Beyond Belief" groups publicly published their own secular version of the Twelve Steps, the ontological security of the general A.A. membership was threatened, triggering an Organizational-Ritual response by the G.T.A.I. to eliminate the attempt by the two agnostic groups to widen the theological-supernaturalist boundaries of A.A.

In conclusion, how can this study of A.A. fundamentalism be used in a wider context of Christianity? By using a Parsonian approach to fundamentalism, the anthropologist can develop metrics to determine denomination-specific boundary values and by examining cross-sect controversies, understand how fundamentalism plays a vital role in the maintenance and evolution of a particular Tradition. This can help the anthropologist understand why such controversies emerge and predict how a specific denomination, sect or faction may change or remain static within the Tradition or influence other sects and denominations. For example, an analysis of the Mucker controversy showed that Traditional A.A. and the Muckers were in agreement on Theological-Supernaturalist values, i.e. "a spiritual program of action", but demonstrated fundamental differences on Organization-Ritual and Socio-Cultural boundary values. The Muckers Big Book Fundamentalism resisted wider Organizational-Ritual boundaries, such as, A.A.'s tolerance of "meeting making" as a viable recovery approach. Yet, Traditional A.A. exhibited tolerance for the Mucker groups regardless of their fundamental views on recovery methodology, because they met A.A.'s membership criteria. However, when specific Socio-Cultural boundary values were crossed, such as the influx of "hard-drinkers", the Muckers demonstrated a high degree of vocal intolerance to their inclusion in the fellowship, whereas Traditional A.A. challenged the membership status of Mucker Groups when their tactics for working with any and all addictions threatened the primary purpose and identity of A.A. With respect to the "Beyond Belief" and "We Agnostic" Groups, fundamental differences occurred on Theological-Surpernaturalist boundary values, with the agnostic groups demanding wider borders to include secular recovery perspectives. But, A.A. defended its "theological" borders and ousted the agnostic influence for crossing non-negotiable Organizational-Ritual boundaries. By using Parsons' anthropology of Fundamentalism, we find that Fundamentalism is a complex and multi-faceted dynamic that cannot be simplified into a catchall pejorative label of factional intolerance and backwardness within a Tradition. We find instead, that there are varieties of Fundamentalisms within a specific Tradition and by applying a better anthropology of fundamentalism, anthropologists could eliminate ambiguous assumptions and discover important social and attitudinal characteristics that determine the course and evolution of a Tradition.

Notes

1. Alcoholics Anonymous. 59-60
2. Working in dyads, Muckers have the newcomer read aloud from the first 103 pages of the Big Book. As the newcomer reads, the Mucker will tell the newcomer to circle and/or highlight specific words or phrases. Also, in a kind of textual exegesis, the Mucker will interpret passages and instruct the newcomer to make specific notes directly into their Big Book margins, hence the term, "mucking the Big Book". The "mucking process" takes approximately 30 to 40 hours by which the newcomer will experience a spiritual awakening powerful enough to eliminate the newcomer's desire to drink alcohol and thus, recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. The newcomer then, to maintain their newfound ability to resist the urge to drink alcohol, must instruct other newcomers in the "mucker" methodology.
3. Ethridge and Feagin, “Varieties of ‘Fundamentalism’: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis of Two Protestant Denominations.” 42
4. Ibid. 39
5. Ibid. 47
6. Alcoholics Anonymous. xiii
7. Ibid. xviii
8. Ibid. xi
9. Ibid. xx
10. Ibid. xix
11. D'Arcy. Macleans Magazine. http://silkworth.net/magazine_newspaper/macleans_oct_21_1996.html
12. Alcoholics Anonymous. 44
13. Ibid. 25
14. Ibid. 562-566
15. Henderson, Floyd. Beware: Hard Drinkers & Fakers Inside! http://www.ppgaadallas.org/aa_articles.htm
16. Andrew Delbanco and Thomas Delbanco, Annals of Addiction, "A.A. AT THE CROSSROADS," The New Yorker, March 20, 1995, p. 50
17. O’Brien, “Evidence-Based Treatments of Addiction.” 3277
18. Nagata, “Beyond Theology: Toward an Anthropology of ‘Fundamentalism’.” 483
19. Alcoholics Anonymous. 562-566
20. Leslie Scrivener. Does religion belong at AA? Fight over 'God' splits Toronto AA groups. Friday, June 3, 2011. thestar.com. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1002750--fight-over-god-splits-toronto-aa-groups?bn=1
21. Alcoholics Anonymous. xx
22. Ibid. 93
23. Ibid. 568
24. Leslie Scrivener. Does religion belong at AA? Fight over 'God' splits Toronto AA groups. Friday, June 3, 2011. thestar.com. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1002750--fight-over-god-splits-toronto-aa-groups?bn=1 
25. Alcoholics Anonymous. 59-60
26. AA Toronto Agnostics: Secular 12 Steps. aatorontoagnostics.org
http://aatorontoagnostics.org/the-12-steps-secular-version/
27. Alcoholics Anonymous. 562-566
28. AA Toronto Agnostics: Secular 12 Steps. aatorontoagnostics.org
http://aatorontoagnostics.org/the-12-steps-secular-version/
29. Greater Toronto Intergroup General Meeting Agenda. Tuesday, March 27, 2012.
30. Kinnvall, “Globalization and Religious Nationalism: Self, Identity, and the Search for Ontological Security.”
31. Holland, Dorothy C. 1998. Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. 66
32. Alcoholics Anonymous. 58
33. Holland, Dorothy C. 1998. Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. 66

Bibliography

AA Toronto Agnostics. http://aatorontoagnostics.org

Alcoholics Anonymous: the Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism. New York City: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, 2001.

Andrew Delbanco and Thomas Delbanco, Annals of Addiction, "A.A. AT THE CROSSROADS," The New Yorker, March 20, 1995, p. 50

D'Arcy, Jenish. BACK TO BASICS FOR ADDICTS: The Muckers say A.A. has lost its course. Macleans Magazine. October 21, 1996. Volume 109, Issue 43. p. 63 http://silkworth.net/magazine_newspaper/macleans_oct_21_1996.html

Ethridge, F. Maurice, and Joe R. Feagin. “Varieties of ‘Fundamentalism’: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis of Two Protestant Denominations.” The Sociological Quarterly 20, no. 1 (January 1, 1979): 37–48.

Henderson, Floyd. Beware: Hard Drinkers & Fakers Inside! 1997 http://www.ppgaadallas.org/aa_articles.htm

Holland, Dorothy C. Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Kinnvall, Catarina. “Globalization and Religious Nationalism: Self, Identity, and the Search for Ontological Security.” Political Psychology 25, no. 5 (October 1, 2004): 741–767.

Nagata, Judith. “Beyond Theology: Toward an Anthropology of ‘Fundamentalism’.” American Anthropologist 103, no. 2. New Series (June 1, 2001): 481–498.

O’Brien, Charles P. “Evidence-Based Treatments of Addiction.” Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences 363, no. 1507 (October 12, 2008): 3277–3286.

Scrivener, Leslie. Does religion belong at AA? Fight over 'God' splits Toronto AA groups. Friday, June 3, 2011. thestar.com. http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1002750--fight-over-god-splits-toronto-aa-groups?bn=1

Cameron Freeman, Student of Social-Cultural Anthropology and Religions

Cameron is currently enrolled at the University of Toronto where he studies Social-Cultural Anthropology and Religions.

According to a 52 year old recovered alcoholic named Jim who helped start the Toronto-based group in early 1995, the Muckers rely on intense study of the 57-year -old book Alcoholics Anonymous, known to A.A. adherents as the Big Book, and the Twelve Step approach outlined in the first 103 pages. Nevertheless, the group has become embroiled in a dispute with A.A. and several other self-help groups that resembles a battle between fundamentalists and mainstream Christians. Among other things, those groups say that the Muckers, so named because they frequently muck up the Big Book by underlining key passages and phrases, have a zealous approach to recovery from addiction that excludes anything but the twelve step method. "There's a huge backlash from the established groups," says James.

Last fall, A.A. representatives in Toronto removed the Muckers from their list of approved groups after discovering that their meetings covered various kinds of addictions, rather than just alcoholism. In May, A.A. ousted two members from elected positions as co-ordinators of treatment center meetings because they had been espousing the Muckers' philosophy. Representatives of A.A. are reluctant to comment on the Muckers or to discuss the relative merits of their approaches. "The Big Book hasn't changed," said Ron, a high-ranking official for eastern and central Ontario. "Its worked for almost sixty years."

Some treatment centers have also rejected the Muckers. Alpha House Inc., a rehabilitation facility treating various addictions, has instructed staff and residents to avoid the Muckers. "The bottom line is that Muckers seem to be obsessed with their way being the only way," stated a memo to employees. On the other hand, the Donwood Institute, a well established, Toronto recovery facility, has allowed the Muckers to hold weekly meetings, which Donwood clients can attend. "Some of them found it quite helpful," says Dennis James, vice-president of the Donwood health recovery program.

The Muckers contend that they are maintaining the original traditions of A.A. They charge that A.A. has drifted away from the Big Book and the 12-step approach that its founders, Bill Wilson, a New York City stockbroker, and Bob Smith, a physician from Ohio, developed in the mid-1930s to cope with their own alcoholism. According to the Muckers, many A.A. groups pay lip service to the sanctity of the Big Book but no longer insist that a recovering alcoholic must use it. "A.A.'s message has become broader and diluted," says John, a 35-year- old alcoholic, drug addict and staunch Mucker. "We stick to the original text."

The cornerstone of the Mucker approach is called "booking," in which a member of the group works one-on-one with a recovering alcoholic or addict. They spend up to three hours a day, usually over a two-to-three-week period, studying the Big Book, line by line and phrase by phrase. Among other things, the recovering addict must admit personal failings and weaknesses and make amends to people he has harmed through his addiction. Some Muckers who belonged to A.A. say they became disenchanted by that organization's move away from its original policy of one-on-one therapy in favour of personal or group study. And some longtime A.A. members confirm the trend. "You just don't see a lot of people going through the book one-on-one anymore," said Gord, who has belonged to A.A. for 35 years.

The Muckers have been booking about 100 people a month, according to Jim, and the fellowship now has about 2,000 members, almost all in the Toronto area. Some recently recovered addicts say they have experienced moments of profound spiritual contentment while being booked. "I had this sense of absolute peace," recalls Tory, a film-maker in his mid-30s who was battling alcoholism and heroin addiction. "I couldn't see anything or hear anything. It was almost like the first few seconds of a drug overdose." Since then, Tory says, he has not been tormented by his old cravings. And for that, he is both relieved and grateful.

In order to get the most from Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested that people:

• Become involved in service. Helping other people can benefit the individual even more than the recipient because it strengthens their recovery.
• Collect the phone numbers of other members. These can be life saving if the individual feels vulnerable and needs to talk to somebody who understands.
• Speak at meetings. In order to get the most from these gathering the individual needs to become involved.
• Read the Big Book. This is the guiding text for the program and contains a great deal of wisdom.
• Stick with the winners. There can be a wide variety of people who attend these meetings and not all of them will be getting better.
• It is important to keep an open mind. Alcoholics Anonymous is probably not going to work for everyone, but it makes sense to give it a fair try.

Scientists have been unable to find an exact cause of ADHD. It is thought to be due to a several different causes. Some of these are listed below:

• It has been found that those with ADHD can have abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex and other parts of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many executive functions involving behavior.
• People with the condition can have abnormalities in the levels of certain neurotransmitters such as noradrenalin and dopamine. These chemicals in the brain can have an influence on behavior.
• There appears to be a strong genetic component to ADHD. Twin studies have provided good evidence that the condition does tend to run in families. If a child has a close relative who suffers from ADHD then they are five times more likely to also have this condition.
• It is not believed that the home environment causes attention deficit disorder, but it is likely to influence the severity of the symptoms.
• If a baby’s brain is damaged during pregnancy this is likely to increase the risk of that baby growing up to develop ADHD.

In the past there has been the suggestion that attention deficit disorder is caused by bad parenting. This theory is not supported by much evidence. The parents of children with the disorder can sometimes exhibit traits that might be considered bad parenting (e.g. they are short tempered and highly stressed), but this is most often due to dealing with their child’s behavior. There also seems to be little evidence to suggest that the condition is caused by diet. Sugar is not believed to be a cause of ADHD, but it may be true that some food additives increase hyperactivity.

Attention Deficit Disorder Explained

Attention deficit disorder is a condition that is usually diagnosed in childhood. It involves problems with inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The child can have one or all of these symptoms. It is classified as a developmental disorder because it can retard the normal development of children. Symptoms will usually become noticeable at around age seven. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder than girls.

The terms attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are used to describe the same condition. Strictly speaking ADD refers to a version of the disorder where the impulsivity and hyperactive behaviors are not present. It has become so common to use ADD to describe all types of the disorder that this distinction is usually ignored by most people. In this article ADD and ADHD are used interchangeably.

Attention Deficit Disorder Can Lead to Addiction There are many reasons why people might fall into addiction. They may be using alcohol or drugs as a means to escape difficulties in their life or as a means to self-medicate a mental or physical health condition. Those who have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder as a child have a tendency to develop an addiction problem as they get older. They may initially find substance abuse to be a rewarding activity, but it will eventually lead them to despair and loss. It is necessary for such people seeking help for their addiction to also receive treatment for their attention deficit disorder. Otherwise, they will struggle to find happiness in recovery.

Those people who are new to recovery often battle with loneliness. They know that it is unwise to have further contact with their drinking or drugging friends so this can devastate their social network. By joining a fellowship it allows the individual to build a new network of friends who share similar goals and aspirations. Belonging to a fellowship where the focus is on addiction recovery keeps the individual motivated to remain sober. Once an individual has been sober for a few months they can forget how bad things were. They become complacent and this is highly dangerous because it could lead to relapse. Regularly hearing about the suffering of addiction can help to keep people on the right path. There can be many challenges in early recovery that are difficult to face alone. A fellowship will not only be able to offer support, but also practical advice. Those how have been in recovery longer will have more experience, and will usually have faced similar problems. The urge to relapse can occur at any time during early recovery. It can overwhelm the individual if they are not prepared for it. If they belong to a fellowship they will be able to turn to this group of people for support. Sometimes just talking to somebody who understands can be enough to prevent a relapse. Now that the individual is free of their addiction they will have a lot of free time on their hands. Boredom can be dangerous for people in recovery because they can start missing the excitement of addiction. Regular fellowship meetings are a good way to spend time. Belonging to a fellowship usually means the opportunity to help other people. Getting involved in service in recovery has been shown to strengthen sobriety.

This type of support comes from family, friends, work colleagues, or peers. This network of people provides important functions such as: A resource for advice and information. If people had to figure everything out for themselves it would make life almost impossible. Instead they rely on other people for information and this will often come from their social support group. Emotional support is important because it helps the individual feel stronger so that they can tackle difficult problems in life. Even if members of the social support network can’t help directly, they can still benefit others by just listening. Social support often involves physical assistance. This could involve anything from lending money to helping to complete a project. Feedback and appraisal allows people to effectively monitor their own behavior with the help of their social network. For example, if the individual makes unwise decisions this might be mentioned by friends and family. Addicts will usually get their social support from other substance abusers. This means that when they get sober they will lose this network of friends. This happens at a time when the individual may need a lot of support because of the challenges of early sobriety. It is therefore advisable that they build a new social support network of people who share similar goals. If they were to continue with their old friends it could easily lead them back to addiction. A fellowship will provide all the same social support functions that were once provided by other addicts.

Those who belong to a fellowship like AA can benefit from a lot of support. Some of these individuals will go to meetings most days and have contact with members outside of the group. There are also those who have hardly any contact with others in recovery, yet still manage to build a successful life away from addiction. While it does seem possible to survive without it, such support it can be highly beneficial. This is particularly true in the early weeks and months of addiction recovery.

Learning to recognize emotions is another skill that many people struggle with. This is a common reason for why people will comfort eat – they mistake feelings of tiredness or boredom with hunger. The individual learns to recognize their emotions by closely examining how they are feeling. There are usually physical sensations in the body that can help people identify the emotion they are currently feeling. For example, when the individual is angry they may feel tension in their abdominal area.

Learning to listen is another important skill for anyone who wants to develop emotional intelligence. Those who are a bit self obsessed will only pretend to be listening to the other person – in reality when they are not talking they may be planning what they will say next. Listening involves being fully focused on the other person’s words. It also means giving this other person the space to say what they want to say. Those individuals who have a tendency to always interrupt the other person should make a commitment to count to 5 after the other person has stopped talking before saying anything at all. This will help to ensure that the other person has sufficient time to say what they want to say.

The ability to deal with conflict is a vital life skill. The fact that humans have competing needs and desires means that at least some conflict is unavoidable. If the individual is unskilled with dealing with such challenges they may find that life is full of arguments and bad feelings. By learning to effectively and confidently deal with conflict the individual ensures a far smoother time in recovery.

There is more to communication than words. It is possible to learn a great deal about other people by their body language – otherwise known as non verbal communication. A failure to understand body language may mean that the individual is missing out on vital information in their communications. It might also mean that they are sending out the wrong signal through their own body language.

Once the individual recognizes that they are suffering from stress they need to deal with this. There are many options for how they can do this. Some people find that relaxation techniques are useful, but talking to other people, exercising, and spending time in nature can also be a great help.

Some people experience stress so frequently that they are unable to even recognize it. This is worrying because it means that the individual could be suffering the consequences of chronic stress without them realizing it. The symptoms of stress can include:

• The individual is unable to think clearly – they can describe this as having a fuzzy brain.
• Frequent episodes of upset stomach.
• Frequent headaches.
• Physical symptoms where there does not appear to be an obvious medical cause.
• Tension in the body.
• Inability to sleep at night.
• Butterflies in the stomach.
• Evidence of an ineffective immune system – for example, the individual always seems to be picking up colds and other infections.
• Loss of appetite or comfort eating
• The individual easily becomes irritable or upset.
• Feelings of anxiety.
• Lack of energy to do things.
• Symptoms of depression.
• Excessive negative thinking.
• Loss of interest in sex.
• The individual feels frustrated.
• They describe feeling antsy much of the time.

Empathy can be defined as the ability to identify and understand another person’s situation. It differs from sympathy in that it involves tying to understand things from the other person’s perspective. Sympathy is more about feeling sorry for the other person, and this can involve little understanding of what this other person is going through. Learning to be more empathetic is a skill. It means that the individual is able to use their imagination so as to understand what it might be like for the other person. In order to be empathetic is vital to not jump to judgments. Even if the behavior of the other person is wrong they may have good justification for their actions. Empathy is a key to good communication because it leads to greater understanding, and the other person really feels that they are being listened to.

It is suggested that emotional intelligence involves a number of different skills including:

• The individual is able to control their impulses, behaviors, and feelings. This is referred to as the ability to self manage.
• Those people who are emotionally intelligent are able to understand the emotions and needs of other people. This is referred to as social awareness.
• The individual is able to recognize their own emotions and understands how this can impact their thoughts and behavior. This ability is known as self awareness.
• The person good skills in regards to relationship management and this means they are able to build healthy relationships and communicate effectively.

In order for the person to be considered emotionally intelligent they need to be able to:

• Recognize and manage their emotions.
• Be able to quickly reduce their own stress levels.
• Will be able to confident resolve any conflicts in a positive manner.
• Will have developed some mastery over non verbal communication.
• The individual is able to use humor when dealing with the difficulties in life.

 A typical problem for people who fall into addiction is that they have difficulties dealing with their emotions. In fact there is a common overlap between substance abuse and Alexithymia – this is a condition where an individual is unable to express their emotions in words. Alexithymia is an ancient Greek term for ‘without words’. This inability of the addict to deal well with their emotions makes life difficult for them so they self medicate with alcohol or drugs. Their lack of emotional intelligence drives them towards addiction, and it is this that helps keep them stuck in this misery. If this person becomes sober they can still struggle unless they develop emotional intelligence.

Giving up an addiction is an important first step, but it is not usually enough to ensure future happiness for the individual. This is because there will usually be a reason for why the person fell into substance abuse in the first place and that reason is likely to be still there. One of the most common motives for turning to alcohol or drugs is an inability to deal with emotions. This occurs because the individual lacks emotional intelligence.

The emotional state of the brain can explain why different individuals do not respond the same way to similar injuries, say scientists. Some recover fully while others remain in constant pain. Brain scan studies showed for the first time how chronic pain emerges as a result of an emotional response to an injury. The process involves interaction between two brain regions, the frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Lead scientist Professor Vania Apakarian, from Northwestern University in Chicago, US, said: ''The injury itself is not enough to explain the ongoing pain. It has to do with the injury combined with the state of the brain.''  The more emotionally the brain reacted to the initial injury, the more likely it was that pain will persist after the injury has healed, he said. Prof Apakarian added: ''It may be that these sections of the brain are more excited to begin with in certain individuals, or there may be genetic and environmental influences that predispose these brain regions to interact at an excitable level.'' The research involved 40 volunteers who had all suffered an episode of back pain lasting one to four months. Four brain scans were carried out on each participant over the course of one year. The results, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, made it possible to predict with 85% accuracy which individuals would go on to develop chronic pain. The nucleus accumbens teaches the rest of the brain how to evaluate and react to the outside world. Prof Apakarian said it may use the initial pain signal to teach other parts of the brain to develop chronic pain. ''Now we hope to develop new therapies for treatment based on this finding,'' he added.