Re: The Second American Civil War

Kennita Watson (kwatson@netcom.com)
Mon, 30 Dec 1996 10:47:49 -0800


>Considering that I've been involved in actively working to get a number
>of freinds and colleagues in Seattle sober, I would be the last person
>to say to hell with them.

Good for you! How is it going? What would you say are the things you've
tried that work best? Which work least well? How well do the people
involved know you, and do you think your techniques would work on people
that knew you less well or not at all?

>But also because of my experience, I can tell
>you that substance abuse is merely a symptom of other problems,
>typically having to do with childhood trauma.

Mostly I'm suggesting that framing them as "screwed up", as in

>If they weren't screwed up to begin with,
>substance abuse would not be a problem.

may be an obstacle to what you're trying to do. In my experience,
people detect such attitudes and get defensive. Note that I ascribe
to the idea that our language affects our thoughts (and vice-versa);
I suppose it's one of the reasons I'm not big on sarcasm.

Cheers,
Kennita

Kennita Watson | The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,
kwatson@netcom.com| but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do
| members of the same family grow up under the same roof.
| -- Richard Bach, _Illusions_