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Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

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Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#51
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess it depends what you define as "not ok". I mean, why is smoking 4-5 times a week not ok? Why is shooting up heroin 4-5 times a week not ok? In the end, we're simply willfully poisoning ourselves. For some reason we, as a society, have decided that it's OK to poison ourselves with certain substances (caffeine, cigarette smoke) but not others (heroin, methamphetamines). We've made this socially acceptable. So if…

> caffeine There's little evidence that drinking coffee or tea is bad for you overall. In contrast, anything beyond very moderate alcohol consumption is almost certainly bad for you.

Ingesting too large amounts of caffeine is almost certainly bad for you. It's a stimulant that increases your blood pressure and heart rate. You don't want to overdo that. It's also diuretic, if you substitute water for coffee (which some people do) it can actually lead to dehydration.

But yes, I agree to your larger point that coffee is less dangerous than alcohol.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#52

For something supposedly so good on it's own, religion really does try it's best to target vulnerable people. Naive children, desperate people, people who have lost someone, people sick with addiction (referencing the submitting to the higher power step). Whatever helps during trying times I guess. It just seems to me if religion was so great on its own, it would be approached in a calm rational manner targeted at ma…

That's a pretty broad brush to paint all of religion with.

There are plenty of rational arguments for Christianity for those willing to do due diligence:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/countering-a-dist...

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#53
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Five glasses x 250ml x 12.5%ABV is 15.5 units. I’ve always found it easier to visualize drink quantities relative to a standard bottle, 750ml for most wine and spirits. So that 250ml serving is 1/3 of a bottle per glass.

Yep - its pretty commonly accepted that a bottle of wine is ~3 glasses.

No it's not? A typical bottle should be about 5 glasses + or - one depending on how you pour.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#54
post #11

After years and years of struggling with alcoholism and AA, I got sober with naltrexone using the "Sinclair Method". I followed the treatment plan for a few weeks and at the end quitting drinking was easy and obvious. That was just over ten years ago and I haven't had a drink or gone to any meetings since. I'm only one person and I'm fully aware that the plural of anecdote isn't data. However, the experience was so d…

Can you detail this more?

You really naltrexone when you drink, and only when you drink. They also advise drinking somewhat frequently at the start so your brain can quickly break the connection between alcohol and having a really good time. Once it is broken you do need to continue using naltrexone every time you want a drink or over time you will go back to being addicted. But it is generic and not expensive to get.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#55
post #51
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> caffeine There's little evidence that drinking coffee or tea is bad for you overall. In contrast, anything beyond very moderate alcohol consumption is almost certainly bad for you.

Ingesting too large amounts of caffeine is almost certainly bad for you. It's a stimulant that increases your blood pressure and heart rate. You don't want to overdo that. It's also diuretic, if you substitute water for coffee (which some people do) it can actually lead to dehydration. But yes, I agree to your larger point that coffee is less dangerous than alcohol.

>It's a stimulant that increases your blood pressure and heart rate.

Does it do that to a significant extent to regular users, though? I thought the stimulant effects mostly went away once you build up a tolerance.

Similarly, there is little diuretic effect for regular coffee drinkers:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140402-are-coffee-and-tea-...

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#56
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess it depends what you define as "not ok". I mean, why is smoking 4-5 times a week not ok? Why is shooting up heroin 4-5 times a week not ok? In the end, we're simply willfully poisoning ourselves. For some reason we, as a society, have decided that it's OK to poison ourselves with certain substances (caffeine, cigarette smoke) but not others (heroin, methamphetamines). We've made this socially acceptable. So if…

> caffeine There's little evidence that drinking coffee or tea is bad for you overall. In contrast, anything beyond very moderate alcohol consumption is almost certainly bad for you.

Good point, caffeine was not a good example. Cigarettes (or smoking in general, whatever it is) and alcohol are really the primary "legal poisons" we allow, I guess. At least in most of the world. With alcohol actually almost encouraged in most parts.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#57
post #52

For something supposedly so good on it's own, religion really does try it's best to target vulnerable people. Naive children, desperate people, people who have lost someone, people sick with addiction (referencing the submitting to the higher power step). Whatever helps during trying times I guess. It just seems to me if religion was so great on its own, it would be approached in a calm rational manner targeted at ma…

That's a pretty broad brush to paint all of religion with. There are plenty of rational arguments for Christianity for those willing to do due diligence: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/countering-a-dist...

Doesn't look like you've provided any in that link?

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#58
post #52

For something supposedly so good on it's own, religion really does try it's best to target vulnerable people. Naive children, desperate people, people who have lost someone, people sick with addiction (referencing the submitting to the higher power step). Whatever helps during trying times I guess. It just seems to me if religion was so great on its own, it would be approached in a calm rational manner targeted at ma…

That's a pretty broad brush to paint all of religion with. There are plenty of rational arguments for Christianity for those willing to do due diligence: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/countering-a-dist...

Do you have an example of those types of arguments? The linked article doesn't actually go into any of then and just referenced books I couldn't find. I'm very curious about this subject because in high school I took theology classes and the monks taught about the logical arguments but the arguments were always a little lackluster (the teacher's knew this going into it). The teacher's point during that section was that it would always require faith.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#59

Most people with substance abuse problems “grow out of it” with no outside help at all. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/arti... Just from personal experience partying with lots of drugs and drinking in the rave scene when I was in my 20s and djing and promoting, the vast vast majority of people just got tired of it one day and quit — or it interferes with their jobs or their families and they…

My issue is I'm extremely productive on weed. I hate alcohol, but weed makes my life, and everyone elses lives better(I run a consumer website). During my month off weed, I pretty much only wanted to relax and play video games. It seems to benefit, which makes it addicting.

If you genuinely don't have negative consequences, a repetitive behavior isn't really considered an addiction. Otherwise drinking water would be an addiction. Or any hobby.

Re: Sobriety startups shaking up the 12-step model

#60
If you consider addiction as a psychological and physical dependence on a chemical what healthcare professional would design a program like AA? Seven of the 12 steps involve God. It also reinforces the 'moral failure' stigma attached to the person. You drink too much for a reason, not because you are a bad person. It's likely due to genetic and environmental factors. ohh and you can die from withdrawal (unlike most other addictions).

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443....

https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/smf-121_en.pdf

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/the-surpr...

https://www.inspiremalibu.com/blog/alcohol-addiction/7-thing...

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