i just had a thought following the discussion about the resistance people are experiencing on the SR site.
You know the expression marketers use about people who tend to be adventurous about trying new products. well i wondered how many people here would catagorise themselves as 'early adopters. I know i have never been comfortable in the mainstream, whether in my politics or my lifestyle and I am secretly delighted (not a secret now) to be a part of what feels like a pioneering group here.
any thoughts?
PS wouldn't it be interesting Evan if you could include a column about where people heard of TSM in your stats.

I think I fit the bill. I was rebellious about AA (never went) and was sure I could find something cutting-edge that truly would work. I went on the HAMS site and found MyWayOut and also a nice couple in California who are, I believe, non12step.com. I had a phone consult with the woman. They are lovely people and will gladly relieve you of about $8,000 for you to come visit them. You check yourself into a hotel near their office and they see you during the day for a week or so. They send you off with naltrexone of Campral and offer phone support for several months. I'm sure they are well-intended. But I started looking into naltrexone and found The Sinclair Method on MyWayOut.org. I just kept looking and looking until I found something that made sense. My m.d., thankfully, has always respected this about me and in fact has been willing not only to listen but sometimes also to learn. He respects my view of our respective roles in my health care and isn't afraid of new ideas. Some day I am going to tell him about this secret I have kept from him. I can't have it in my medical record.

Here's something odd: Many of us find AA to be objectionable because of the "spiritual awakening" aspect. I do as well, but for different reasons. I am a person of faith and object strongly to the way AA tries to usurp the spiritual resources many of us already have in place. In Alanon I bristled at the taking of moral inventory and going over it with a sponsor. I found any needs in that area were better met by my Rector and it was none of their business. I was rather surprised when I was told to start working the steps with a sponsor, and I resisted. That was not well-received. I'm sure I would have been a bigger flop in AA. And I'm quite sure I would still be drinking. Just hiding it better.

Good idea Soulby! I'll do that.

Would someone please explain to me the rationale for family members of alcoholics to take a moral inventory and make amends? Unless the true goal is saving souls, I don't get it.

Signed,

Highly skeptical of AA

What? They do that?

According to THE ORANGE PAPERS (google it, Evan, a must read) -- a scathing critique of AA -- all of the "anonymous" groups (AA, NA, sex, gambling, etc.) all follow the same model: take a moral inventory, turn yourself over to a higher power, and repent. This inexplicably applies to the groups that are aimed at family members of the person with the underlying affliction. The Orange Papers posits that the original founders of AA -- radical Christian Evangelists -- were motivated to save souls and that addiction therapy was totally secondary. This isn't Bill Wilson of the big book, but the guys he studied who preceded him -- Buchanon was the name, I believe. Check out the Orange Papers -- a must read with a lot of valuable information about AA and its roots.

I can relate. I am not good at being a sheep.

lena's comment reflected the way I feel very well, although I did go to AA. Expressing your own opinions and observations at an AA meeting is about the same as expressing an opinion at SR, except at AA, they don't throw you out the door and lock you out forever.

Also, like lena said, I have been a deeply spiritual person all my life and I was not going to let a watered-down pseudo-Christian group usurp my spirituality. And the spiritual aspect has little or nothing to do with a medical condition.

I think for myself. I make decisions by weighing the facts and examining the evidence. I despise dogma of any kind. I believe the vast majority of people embrace dogma because it makes life easier and they don't have to think or make a decision for themselves. Every on of us here examined TSM, checked the facts, and tried it out. We never accepted it blindly. Even while undergoing the treatment we were still weighing the evidence. It wasn't until I gained control over my alcohol consumption (the "cure") that I truly became a believer in TSM.

I don't know if I would categorize myself as an "early adopter". I do look at things with a skeptical eye (TSM included). When whatever I am examining at the moment does not fit the facts, I will drop it and go to something else. This includes such diverse topics as religion, global climate change, and alcoholism treatment. I feel I have thought all of these through to the best of my ability.

Bob

Here's an interesting take on the adopter.
http://www.cio.com/article/187154/What_ ... ly_Adopter.

That would describe most of us: Having studied, we rejected the status quo and determined that TSM was worth doing despite its lack of track record as in numbers outside Finland.

As I understand the term, there's something of a continuum: The innovators (who jump intuitively into the Next Big Thing; the adopters (always alert for the cutting edge), and the masses (who go along with the status quo; it's safe).

Well...I'm definitely not an innovator and wouldn't say I'm an early adopter in most parts of my life. I came to TSM because I had tried and exhausted everything else. My husband (and closest confidante) agreed, and together we felt giving this a try was well worth it. We were right and I'm glad I did, early adopter or not!

By the way, I tried AA for about 3 years. It was the longest stretch of "sobriety" I ever had. But I couldn't take the guilt, and idea of going to groups for the rest of my life and turning myself to a walking AA zombie eventually took their toll: I relapsed and, as we know, the progression had continued so the drinking was worse than ever. I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving AA a try, but for me there's no going back.

Sante

I guess I am an "early adopter" after all!

Bob