Feeling Bad? Take a Pill!

 One of the things that has kept surprising me over the years is how so many of the basic Alcoholics Anonymous principles and habits and practices surface when I read outside, non AA approved literature.  Some of the stuff is religious and some philosophical and medical and it's new and it's old and sometimes ancient but there are some core truths that I see over and over again.  

Here are a few thoughts about we can duck responsibility for bad behavior from time to time by relying on "outside" influences -  written by a psychiatrist by the name of Gordon Livingston - that struck me the other day:

"A currently more common example of a diagnostic fad is adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).  Disorganized, day-dreaming procrastinators now have a medical explanation for their inattention AND an effective treatment: stimulant drugs.   People uniformly report that their spirits are better and that they can get more done when taking an amphetamine.  To which I can only reply: 'Me, too.'  We have created a plethora of diagnoses that are really just descriptions of certain patterns of behavior.  The term 'disabled' removes not only any sense of responsibility for overcoming one's problems, it damages irrevocably the self-respect that comes with the sense of being a free person on the earth, able to struggle with and overcome adversity."

I need to point out here that Dr. Livingston goes to great lengths to emphasize that there are plenty of people who suffer from real mental or behavioral problems - some of them caused by events in their past and some by their physiological makeup - who need and are helped by medical intervention.  It's dangerous and to no one's credit to urge a paranoid schizophrenic to stop taking his or her medication.  But there is surely some truth in his contention that it's a lot easier to blame other people, places, and things for our problems and decide that pills are the solution.  I mean, I take pills and they've made a huge difference in my life so this isn't an anti-medication screed.

Some more: "It is our determination to overcome fear and discouragement that constitutes the only effective antidote to the sense of powerlessness over unwanted feelings.  Some people are obviously more genetically predisposed to suffer these discomforts than others.  While medication can provide crucial, sometimes life-saving relief, people also have an obligation to alter their behavior in ways that allow them to exert greater control over their lives.   This is why there is a fine line between expressing empathy and solidarity for those who suffer and endorsing a passive dependency."

It seems to me that this is a wordy way to say: "It's not them - it's you."  I have personally found that my moral fiber and peace of mind increase when I soldier through a difficulty without any outside help.  There's a lot of satisfaction in overcoming something by working hard and smart.  It's how most of us got sober, after all - with help from others but also by buckling down and doing the work.