Modern research has shown that pain can be influenced by what a person expects, how the person directs his or her attention, and the type of distracting stimuli that are present. (Weich et al., 2008 p.61) There are ways which people alleviate physical pain. Some take prescriptions and/or drink alcohol; others approach exercise or physical therapy. There is also emotional pain which is alleviated with these approaches as well. I would like to talk about alcoholism. The main topics that I will focus on are the emotional pain acquired from alcoholism and how the program of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) works as a placebo effect.
Alcoholism is defined by the American Medical Association as “a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.” I myself have experienced this disease, which I am relieved they diagnosed as a disease. I have experienced physical and emotional pain as a result of alcoholism. I can remember the insanity of thinking I can successfully drink “this time”, after bouts of defeat. The next day I would wake up to the guilt and remorse, crippling emotional pain and regret. The promises I would make to my family and friends that I will not repeat this tragedy again. There I am the next day, indulged with the bottle. My perceptions of how I seen my addiction what severely different than those around me. I did not feel pain while active in my addiction. As I stated earlier, pain can be influenced by what a person expects. (Weich et al.,2008) After several years of drinking, I knew my expectations, which were none. I was relieved of the feeling of pain. When I would “come to” or become conscious, the pain quickly appeared.
Alcoholics Anonymous had its beginnings in 1935 at Akron, Ohio, as the outcome of a meeting between Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon. Both had been hopeless alcoholics. These two men approached and helped other suffering alcoholics, and the group grew larger becoming a fellowship. The program was based on spiritual principles and way of living. Early in 1939, the fellowship published its basic textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous. The text, written by Bill, explained A.A.’s philosophy and methods, the core of which was the now well-known Twelve Steps of recovery.
Our text, Cognitive Psychology, gives an example of how Ian was experiencing physical pain after coming in contact with a radiator and his forehead. The example states Ian did not realize he was in pain or bleeding until after he looked into the mirror and seen the gash on his forehead. Consequently, one way to decrease pain would be to distract the person’s attention from the source of pain. I believe A.A. did just this for me. Once I actively participated in the program, developed spiritual principles, my attention was diverted from where it once was for many years. What a miracle!
References:
The free dictionary by Far lax (2003-2016) Retrieved on September 9, 2016 from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/alcoholism
Alcoholics Anonymous (2016) by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. Retrieved on September 9, 2016 from http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/historical-data-the-birth-of-aa-and-its-growth-in-the-uscanada
Goldstein, E. Bruce (2015, 2011). Cognitive Psychology, Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience Stramford, CT: Cengage Learning
First and foremost, I’m glad you were able to conquer your demons, as I understand something like alcoholism is an extremely daunting diagnosis, which yields implications that will forever change the course of your life. For many alcoholics, relapse becomes as common as getting clean. To that end, Mark Twain once said something along the lines of, ‘giving up alcohol is the easiest thing in the world. I would know because I’ve done it a thousand times.’ This quote illustrates just how pervasive an addiction can be; however, I have faith in your ability to keep it up, especially after being exposed to related information in the course thus far. As far as the Alcoholics Anonymous being resemblant of a placebo effect, I tend to disagree simply because I feel as though the textbook defined it in a somewhat different context. Personally, I feel as though a placebo must be an actual medication or substance (e.g., a capsule, IV, pill, etc.), or an actual medical procedure. The latter aspect coincides with, for example, performing a surgical procedure without actually manipulating any anatomical structures. Ergo, I believe that the A.A. program is simply a way of addressing the issue of alcoholism by means of offering a support group that is defined by mutual and unanimous empathy. Again, when you’re an alcoholic and you come to terms with this, it is hard to feel like anyone else in the world is struggling to such an extent. I believe that A.A. works for some, but based on what I’ve seen and people I know, it can be a repetitive circumstance. Despite all this, I believe that you are an extremely strong person for being able to conquer this disease. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!
What an interesting topic to write about! Your comparison to A.A. and Ian was unique, as I would have never had thought of A.A. as a source of relief in that specific way. Alcoholism is an addiction, and like addictions the users usually either are in denial of the damage it can do, or that they’re as bad as what is seen through the eyes of an outsider. Some alcoholics I had encountered would claim that they only drink one beer a day, but in truth it was more. Others find an excuse for it stating, “today was a hard day”. From there, they continue the habit and suddenly every day after work is a hard day and the need for alcohol to relieve the stress come into play and becomes a daily routine. What people don’t realize is that drinking your problems away is a form of ‘avoidance’. A way to avoid the problem without actually solving it. By choosing not to tackle the issue those individuals can’t solve the actual cause their problems. I was curious on how alcoholism is diagnosed and one of the sources I found showcased something called a Cage test (Detecting Alcoholism, 1984). Other things doctors could do is screen patients and their drinking habits. I always wondered why they would ask if I drank alcohol and then how often.
References
Ewing, J. A. (1984). Detecting alcoholism: the CAGE questionnaire. Jama,252(14), 1905-1907.
Searidge Alcohol Rehab. (n.d.). Retrieved October 04, 2016, from http://www.searidgealcoholrehab.com/diagnosing-alcoholism.php