We've Come a Long Way!

Rev Leo Booth
Unity minister, published author and conference speaker

It wasn’t too long ago that alcoholics and drug-addicts were the ‘lepers’ of society. They lived in the shadows, often seen as irresponsible sinners by church people, depraved and debauched, unredeemable.

That’s the way things were in the United States some fifty years ago. True, AA was beginning to impact society, groups were springing up in the main cities, especially on the east coast but for most alcoholics, little was available.

Famous actors and politicians took refuge in Sanitariums and Health Homes, where the main emphasis was ‘drying’ people out and providing a healthy diet. But treatment as we know it today...not really!

This month we celebrate National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month, promoting treatment and recovery. Today we know that alcoholics, if they choose, can embrace recovery...and they are embracing it by the thousands.

What changed in the past fifty years? Well, the work of AA really began to pay off and the “miracle” of one alcoholic talking to another alcoholic began to work, especially if one or both of them had some ‘time’ in recovery. People were staying sober. Today, close to two million alcoholics are staying sober in the ranks of AA.

During this time AA began to influence medical care; let’s face it, many doctors and clergy were joining the ranks of AA...plus other health care professionals. The concept of “drying out” wasn’t seen to be enough; a healthy diet wasn’t enough...the alcoholic needed a “spiritual” program along with the above. Gentle encouragement replaced condemnation. The ‘lepers’ were coming home.

Other things, besides AA, played a role. Therapy, alongside medication, was becoming popular. The area of “feelings” and “emotions” was being researched, talking about how we felt was seen as being important, the concept of group work (as opposed to individual counseling) became beneficial. The whole area of Mental Health in our society, and in the western world, was slowly being transformed...and this affected the work being done with alcoholics and drug addicts.

God, prayer and the church have always played a role in the treatment of a behavior that for years was seen as sinful, immoral, irresponsible and debauched. Many church goers, who saw the destructiveness and horror of alcoholism and drug-addiction, became abstinent, tea-totalers, non-drinkers in the hope of setting an example. Let’s not forget the enthusiasm for Prohibition before its obvious failure.

And God, prayer and church still played a role in treating most alcoholics...but it was becoming more spiritual. Less religious. Less denominational. Less emphasis on conversion and more ‘making amends’ for the pain caused by drinking and the drug use.

Families became involved. Indeed, many physicians began speaking about alcoholism as a “family disease,” meaning not just that alcoholism seemed to be generational but the alcoholic behavior directly affected the spouses and children within the family.

In the 1980’s and early 90’s there were exciting conferences all over the country addressing family issues and what it meant to be “a child of an alcoholic.” Words like Mascot, Hero, Victim and Lost-child became part of the ‘recovery story’, affecting other areas of psychology and Mental Health.

And where are we today? Well, it is my belief that treatment has never been better than it is today, encouraging every walk of life! Certainly in the Los Angeles area AA and NA is comprehensive and thriving. For those able to go into treatment there are a variety of models: professional, adolescent, long-term and also gender based. Some are denominationally Christian...but most teach a spiritual foundation based around all religions and more.

The area of Prevention Programs are evident in many schools and colleges, where young people are educated on the symptoms of alcoholism and drug use before problems can arise...based on the powerful concept that knowledge is health!

In the last ten years we have seen the birth of powerful Relapse Programs that have given a person love, hope and support...moving away from the idea of judgment or condemnation. If AA is correct in describing the disease as “cunning, baffling and powerful.” we also know it is patient; waiting in the wings for the unguarded relapse behavior!

And then there are the interventionists. We have always had interventionists, but in recent years the professionalism and structure of a healing intervention has been developed and fine-tuned, becoming even a popular television show!

And so the story continues. For many years I’ve been saying “My name is Leo Booth...and I’m an alcoholic” without fear. No shame. Proud that I’ve been able to use and develop the treatment I received in order to help those who are still struggling. As Spiritual Director of many treatment centers in the country I experience the variety of therapeutic models with an emphasis upon individual and group care; always with a powerful spiritual foundation. And so the journey continues.

Yes, we have come along way.