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The Doctors Opinion - Doc

Feb 8, 2023, The Doctors Opinion - Discussion Leader is Doc

Snippets from participants (summarized unless " " are noted)

• "I especially appreciated Doc's sharing on the evolution of medical knowledge and facts over the decades. Although we know more today about bacteria, viruses, the brain and neuroplasticity today, "We still know but a little.", I believe we are all hear to learn!"
• "My biggest takeaway was how progressive and pioneering the doc option is. Doc said it best, that modern practitioners don't have this much tolerance, understanding and compassion for the human condition. I'm paraphrasing but that was the biggest theme I felt. "
• "One take away I took was the powerful statement where it answers the criticism to anyone who thinks that the doctors are being "somewhat sentimental", that they "should stand with us on the firing line", where the destruction, the broken families, and hurt children. It really hammers home how important this is and how deadly a disease it is. Of course, that leads to the other take. Where the doctor attributed alcoholism to that of an allergy. Sure, not a completely accurate analogy, but it makes a lot of sense that alcohol affects alcoholics differently than normies."
• "The context he introduced with was invaluable and so interesting for us to start with. Setting the cultural and professional tone at the time of its writings was really good. "
• "The entire doctor's opinion chapter is a sales pitch. It's entire purpose is to use the angle of medical professional to sell potential newcomers on the idea of getting sober.
• The concept of "selling" the program is Comical when you consider how historically inaccurate it is. Dr silkworth absolutely did not allow Bill W to go talk to his patients in Town's Hospital.Instead, in order to get Bill W to leave him alone, he begrudgingly agreed to allow Bill to speak to some of the indigent (those living below the poverty line who could not afford to pay) patients that the were forced by the state to treat. And the fact that this letter isn't actually a letter but an article from a Paper...? It's just down right dishonesty. However there are some really fundamentally important things in the doctor's opinion. The paragraph about "men and women drink essentially because they like the effects produced by alcohol" is an explanation of the overwhelming presence of this disease that (in my experience) spans across most Addictions (drugs, alcohol, gambling, online gaming, sex & self harm are just the ones I've personally encountered)."
• "Doctors Opinion in a nutshell... Dr Silkworth (endearingly called Silky) ldetails, we've got a 2 fold disease. The phenomena of craving (physical allergy) and the mental obsession.

Someone could go out of the book and explain exactly and precisely what happens with the breakdown of Ethel alcohol in the bloodstream regarding taxing the liver and pancreas, as well as how it ultimately turns into a simple carbohydrate SUGAR. 

Many alcoholics are interested in hearing it scientifically, but the real proof IMO that we're alcoholic is that when we start drinking, we normally don't quit and when we say we quit, we usually go right back to it without good reasoning.

Even though doctors of that day thought we were hopeless, Dr Silkworth goes on a limb for Bill and Smitty (Dr Bob) that we finally have a legitimate chance fighting this disease. He also goes on to mention that we must have a "complete psychic change", which I personally define as complete change of mind or living my life.

Putting all that together, it's basically one (or a few) alcoholics working with another. Identifying with the the disease, allergy, mental obsession, physical already, war stories, F'ed up shit we've all done or YET to do if we don't quit and stay quit. It's simply to identify and show the Newcomer we're pretty much all similar so they can feel comparable staying for a meeting whether it's in brick and mortar, the parking lot, a zoom meeting, etc

More identifying if necessary, but ultimately step 1 when we admit we have a problem and shit is fucked up."

Part 2 - Feb 14, 2023, The Doctors Opinion - Discussion Leader is Doc (How did the economic crisis affect these two men?)

Snippets from participants (summarized unless " " are noted)

• I understand why the book is outdated language. But " the progressive nature of him trying to understand alcoholics with the humanitarian compassionate approach".  I can relate to each kind of people. Opens my mind and I can get past the wording.
• Anything that can help keep people sober is worth pursuing.
• It was a small group of people that were really passionate about carrying the message to others.
• The rest of the book became very important to me that I could be dependent on my own and to find my own reasources.
• The moral psychology is introduced here in this chapter.  It is one of the most important parts of the book.
• Made me think about what else had happened about a decade before.  When the war ended. All of the sudden  you have veterans coming back with PTSD which at that time wasn't well known.  I also like how the chapter talks about little hints about different types of mental illnesses.    They had to make it one big nail because that is what they had to work with at the time.  They were still way ahead of their time.
• I can appreciate both of these people.  I think one of the most important things in the doctor reading is that both of these men are onto something that could work for them.  The basic principals are there. What I've found is that trying to develop programs that are giving back to others.  All of these things require some money.  The important part of these readings is that both of these people found something and wanted to give  back. 
• One of the things that is interesting to me is that they are not mentioning prohibition at the time.  You would have thought that after 13  years of no alcohol legally. All of the sudden the flood gates open and you can drink again.  The floodgates open and I can imagine people are going crazy with now that they can drink legally again. I wonder if this had an influence on it.
• All of the sudden AA comes along and there's this new thing that can help people.
• The phenomenon of craving is something that I can adhere to. It took me a long time to accept that I had the allergy of craving also.
• Bill Wilson has a thing on Amazon prime.  It is about 1 1/2 hours long.
• During this time, drinking was a novelty. If you had money, you could drink.
• Bill practiced this. He put all his life into AA and for that I am grateful.  I like the history and to know how it happened.  We had so much turmoil during this time.