The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Please when looking into getting help with a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, counselor, make sure they are educated, have experience with "alcoholism", it is not going to do anybody any good if you see someone, and they give you or your alcoholic a prescription for drugs and then say go home and try your best! Then on top of the alcohol there is drugs now! Please take your time to get the right person for help with this disease. Because he/she has a white coat on and MD behind their name doesnt mean they know everything.....og
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Don't Worry About Growing Old, It Is A Privilege For Some Of Us.....
I couldn't agree more OG - I've had so much well meaning but misguided advice from my counsellor. Everything she said was valid in helping to save a relationship but she consistently overlooked the harmful effects that continuing to live with and tolerate alcoholic behaviour was having on myself and AH. I thank MIP, Alanon and my dearest friends for my sanity and I thank our counsellor for her time! Next time my first question will be 'what experience and success have you had in counselling relationships affected by alcohol? If I'm not impressed by the answer to that question I'll look elsewhere.
Thanks OG - this was the subject that I needed to see today!
There are good therapists and not good therapists. I was actually seeing someone who was in AA and she kept pushing me to be further than I was ready to be and telling me to stop feeling what I was feeling .. I would literally start to cry in her office and she told me to stop .. LOL .. I started to realize that she wasn't the therapist for me. It made me feel badly for crying when I was sad as if there was something wrong with me.
The therapist I have isn't versed in addiction .. however he is in trauma and that has made a HUGE difference in my life. He validates me .. lets me cry when I need to and just validates what I'm feeling. Points out crazy behavior of my stbax and says umm .. that's not healthy .. LOL!! He does have knowledge in addiction he will say honestly it's not his specialty .. he has helped me with past childhood stuff in ways that no other therapist has reached me.
Hugs S :)
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Faith minus vulnerability and mystery equals extremism. If you've got all the answers, then don't call what you do "faith". - Brene Brown
"Whatever truth you own doesn't own you" - Gary John Bishop
My therapist is not an AA member but she is a LONG LONG term alanon member with husband and son as her qualifiers. She showed me her copy of her big book in her office our first session (5 years ago) and that book was all tore up and used and bookmarked. I was like "ok...this is good."
