It’s doubtful TDA will ever be popular enough to be parodied by Mad Magazine, so I decided to take this news story as the opportunity to do my own cover art with Alfred E Neuman and his apropos catch phrase.

The Time article states, “A new study suggests that the opposite actually tends to be true. In fact, those who never drink are at significantly higher risk for not only depression but also anxiety disorders, compared with those who consume alcohol regularly.

What, me worry? I know for a fact that my recovery plan- proactively taking care of stress and problems, living without regrets- has made my once dark and miserable life now a thing to celebrate and a joy to experience. Even though Alfred and I have probably about as much in common as we do with the Norwegians of the study, I still feel the urge to rebut the resulting conclusion.

Beyond what the article offers about some abstainers do so because they are physically ill or have (like me) substance abuse issues, I would add restrictive social and religious mores to the things that might raise the risk of depression. Personally I would take it one step further and say that while maybe those that use alcohol to “lubricate social interaction” and make friends have a lower risk of depression, they are also the least likely to come to grips with their spirituality or attain contentment.

Those of us in recovery may run a greater risk for depression, but the rewards of recovery are in my opinion well worth it!

What is the point that someone gets really serious about recovery and has a good chance of making it stick. Some say hitting rock bottom is critical; in this case whether it be health, wealth, or incarceration issues- substance abuse is just no longer physically possible. There is another point which is much harder to identify, some people do find this elusive state, seek treatment and enter recovery before they hit rock bottom… they become resigned to never, ever drinking again.  They are content with abstinence, the beast is appeased.  Those that hit rock bottom sometimes bounce back without ever coming to grips with abstinence and relapse.  Contentment is the line drawn in the sand; if you don’t cross it, failure is inevitable.

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Twice this topic has come up fro me this weekend- no better time to blog.  So in my book content abstinence is the key, it is just unfortunate that many people have to bounce up and down off rock bottom several times before ever realizing their fate.  Searching for a photo I had a hard time thinking contentment without visualizing a cat.  Do a photo search; you’ll see I’m not unique in this line of thought… so came about my little analogy.

Some cats will go to any length and contortion to drink from the sink.

Some have found the sink to be a much more peaceful place, content to use as a place for sleep.

Then there’s cat’s that wants to do both, sleep and drink, no matter what he is eventually just going to end up wide awake and ALL WET. 

A well deserved hat tip to TDA reader David who referred me to the latest New York Times Proof post by Paul Clark, a contributing editor for Imbibe Magazine and blogger of The Cocktail Chronicles.

Radical Recovery. That’s the term Lillian and Murdoch MacDonald use in their book, Phoenix in a Bottle, for their recovery from alcoholism. Why is it radical? It’s radical because despite all the commonly accepted beliefs that society has been fed about alcoholism, these two people found a way up and out of it and they feel no need to abstain from the occasional libation. Among the beliefs they have discarded are the following:’

Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.

Alcoholism is an incurable, progressive and fatal disease.

The only way to recover from alcoholism is through abstinence.

All alcoholics are egocentric, ruthless and care only for themselves.

If you’re lucky and you confess all your character defects and all the rotten things you’ve done in your life, you may have a spiritual awakening which will grant you a daily reprieve from alcoholism. However, it is always there, waiting in the wings to once again take control of your life and lay it to waste.

I’ve been dancing around this issue for awhile now for several reasons; not the least of which was the vitriol directed at me when I admitted to a drinking episode several weeks ago. But the time has come for me to take a stand and I’m finally ready to do it.

In the past few weeks, I, too, have discarded all the beliefs listed above. It’s been a painful, sometimes excruciating, but ultimately liberating process. I’ve ridden the jagged edge of every belief I ever swallowed – hook, line and sinker – without ever asking msyelf if it was true for me.

I’ve raged and cried and yes, I’ve even gotten good and drunk a couple of times, but I’ve continued to ruthlessly examine every single concept I once held as true. As I’ve done so, I’ve released myself from guilt that never belonged to me; I’ve found honor and respect for the hard journey I’ve been on and I’ve stepped into the full essence of what it means to be me, Angela, here on this planet at this time. In the process, I’ve experienced drinking as an enjoyable accompaniment to life – as something I can choose to do without fear of slipping into full blown alcoholism. I finally get what they mean when they say that the power we need lies within. It’s always been there, but it had to be excavated – slowly, painstakingly and with great tenderness.

And yes, it’s an ongoing process, but I feel I’m through the bulk of it and am ready to begin sharing it – without fear of retribution – without regret. Because it just might be possible that someone else out there could use a fresh message around this problem. And if one person could be saved years of needless suffering, well, that would be good enough for me.

My goal is no longer abstinence from alcohol. I am joining Lillian and Murdoch in being satisfied with nothing less than Radical Recovery.