Review by ciecheesemeister -- Ripcord Recovery
1 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "Ripcord Recovery" by T.T. Sawyer.]
[rbc=4]id274447-125[/rbc]
As Sawyer notes, most addicts who participate in recovery programs will relapse. Faith-based programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous attribute such relapses to the addict’s failure to maintain a “fit spiritual condition.” Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous do not address the needs of addicts who prefer their medical care to remain in the secular realm and, in some cases, inspire those who attend their meetings to swap substance addiction for religious addiction.
Sawyer dares to ponder the question: “What if there is more to the physical side… What if the physical, mental and spiritual components of my disease are inextricably interconnected?” **
While modern medical attitudes towards addiction are more sympathetic than they were in years past, as Sawyer states: “Ironically, modern medicine can rebuild a heart to ‘better-than-new’… But giving a person the ability to say no to drugs seems out of medical science’s reach.” *
Sawyer discusses his experiences with antidepressants, the medication darlings of the psychiatric community. His experiences with these medications echo mine: “torturous.”
Sawyer’s words reach me on many levels. As a person with type 2 bipolar disorder which was not properly diagnosed until I was almost forty, I had quite a bit of experience with being prescribed antidepressants, none of which worked, and every time they didn’t work, I was admonished to “stay on them anyway” and accused of not taking them properly. In every case, the “cure” was worse than the disease. Like T.T. Sawyer, I found that antidepressants provided no solution to my psychiatric challenges and, in fact, presented me with a whole new set of problems. Rather than taking on this new set of problems, I rejected these medications.
In my own case, my body’s intolerance of most medications probably prevented me from becoming an addict. I live with low to mid-level widespread chronic pain but cannot tolerate most pain medications. I tend to have an addictive and obsessive personality as well as low self-esteem and a high degree of self-doubt. When I was younger, I was deeply ashamed of my inability to “be normal” although I can “pass for normal” if I don’t reveal much about myself. There is a history of alcoholism on both sides of my family. I have always had strong empathy for people with addiction issues because I know very well that I could have been one of them if alcohol and pain medications didn’t tend to make me feel horrible.
Sawyer’s insatiable cravings for alcohol and opiates combined with his observations following a relative’s stroke inspired him to do research into alternative treatments for brain injury. Seeing the parallels between his relative’s mood and sleep disturbances following the stroke and his own struggles with these issues, Sawyer reasoned that the substances he had used over the years had injured his brain. Sawyer’s research led him to the controversial area of medical marijuana.
As a former pediatric home health nurse, I have seen medical marijuana successfully used in a patient with a rare disorder which caused multiple daily seizures. This patient had, at one point, been prescribed multiple pharmaceutical anti-seizure medications. These medications left him barely alert. He slept most of the time. With the introduction of medical marijuana, he was able to wean off all but two of these medications and was much more alert and responsive than he had been previously.
Sawyer’s approach is not for everyone. Those who have an open mind about alternative medicine including the use of medical marijuana and who are interested in medicine and psychiatry, particularly as it applies to addiction, will want to read this book.
Those who feel that marijuana has no positive benefits or who are opposed to alternative medicine will not appreciate this book.
I give Ripcord Recovery an enthusiastic four out of four stars. It is succinctly written and well-edited. It gets straight to the point and does not dance around the important issue of addiction medicine’s spotty track record in preventing relapse. I was greatly inspired by the information provided in this brief book and hope that it might be useful to those whose lives have been impacted by addiction, whether in themselves or a loved one.
*Sawyer, T.T. Ripcord Recovery (p. 22). Kindle Edition.
** Sawyer, T.T. Ripcord Recovery (p. 31). Kindle Edition.
******
Ripcord Recovery
View: on Bookshelves |
As Sawyer notes, most addicts who participate in recovery programs will relapse. Faith-based programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous attribute such relapses to the addict’s failure to maintain a “fit spiritual condition.” Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous do not address the needs of addicts who prefer their medical care to remain in the secular realm and, in some cases, inspire those who attend their meetings to swap substance addiction for religious addiction.
Sawyer dares to ponder the question: “What if there is more to the physical side… What if the physical, mental and spiritual components of my disease are inextricably interconnected?” **
While modern medical attitudes towards addiction are more sympathetic than they were in years past, as Sawyer states: “Ironically, modern medicine can rebuild a heart to ‘better-than-new’… But giving a person the ability to say no to drugs seems out of medical science’s reach.” *
Sawyer discusses his experiences with antidepressants, the medication darlings of the psychiatric community. His experiences with these medications echo mine: “torturous.”
Sawyer’s words reach me on many levels. As a person with type 2 bipolar disorder which was not properly diagnosed until I was almost forty, I had quite a bit of experience with being prescribed antidepressants, none of which worked, and every time they didn’t work, I was admonished to “stay on them anyway” and accused of not taking them properly. In every case, the “cure” was worse than the disease. Like T.T. Sawyer, I found that antidepressants provided no solution to my psychiatric challenges and, in fact, presented me with a whole new set of problems. Rather than taking on this new set of problems, I rejected these medications.
In my own case, my body’s intolerance of most medications probably prevented me from becoming an addict. I live with low to mid-level widespread chronic pain but cannot tolerate most pain medications. I tend to have an addictive and obsessive personality as well as low self-esteem and a high degree of self-doubt. When I was younger, I was deeply ashamed of my inability to “be normal” although I can “pass for normal” if I don’t reveal much about myself. There is a history of alcoholism on both sides of my family. I have always had strong empathy for people with addiction issues because I know very well that I could have been one of them if alcohol and pain medications didn’t tend to make me feel horrible.
Sawyer’s insatiable cravings for alcohol and opiates combined with his observations following a relative’s stroke inspired him to do research into alternative treatments for brain injury. Seeing the parallels between his relative’s mood and sleep disturbances following the stroke and his own struggles with these issues, Sawyer reasoned that the substances he had used over the years had injured his brain. Sawyer’s research led him to the controversial area of medical marijuana.
As a former pediatric home health nurse, I have seen medical marijuana successfully used in a patient with a rare disorder which caused multiple daily seizures. This patient had, at one point, been prescribed multiple pharmaceutical anti-seizure medications. These medications left him barely alert. He slept most of the time. With the introduction of medical marijuana, he was able to wean off all but two of these medications and was much more alert and responsive than he had been previously.
Sawyer’s approach is not for everyone. Those who have an open mind about alternative medicine including the use of medical marijuana and who are interested in medicine and psychiatry, particularly as it applies to addiction, will want to read this book.
Those who feel that marijuana has no positive benefits or who are opposed to alternative medicine will not appreciate this book.
I give Ripcord Recovery an enthusiastic four out of four stars. It is succinctly written and well-edited. It gets straight to the point and does not dance around the important issue of addiction medicine’s spotty track record in preventing relapse. I was greatly inspired by the information provided in this brief book and hope that it might be useful to those whose lives have been impacted by addiction, whether in themselves or a loved one.
*Sawyer, T.T. Ripcord Recovery (p. 22). Kindle Edition.
** Sawyer, T.T. Ripcord Recovery (p. 31). Kindle Edition.
******
Ripcord Recovery
View: on Bookshelves |
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