Health workers have warned that they risk serious consequences, even death

Street cleaners lately have been stumbling on scores of empty bottles of a popular mouthwash, which is nearly 30 per cent pure alcohol.

And in the space of a few weeks, supermarkets and pharmacists have seen mouth wash sales suddenly go through the roof.

“This particular mouthwash has eucalyptus oil in it, which is an essential oil, and it doesn’t take much eucalyptus oil to cause damage, it can cause fits, it can even cause death.” A health worker said in response to the question, “How dangerous is it to drink?”

Public health advocate, Doctor John Boffa, says it’s hardly surprising that drinkers are looking for alcoholic substitutes. “A 500ml bottle, which is what’s being sold in the supermarkets, you’re talking about 15 standard drinks. So it’s a very large volume of alcohol. It’s enough to get to an intoxication level of 0.05 three times over.”

Government health authorities are looking into the growing problem.

Recovering alcoholics should take this a warning that mouth wash may get them drunk.

Adapted from a transcript of radio show ‘AM’ of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) May 2nd 2007.

First Year Sobriety: When All That Changes Is Everything

Sgt. Bill S., used a one word summary to describe the basic principle (as he saw it) behind each of the 12 Steps, when he was giving talks to military personnel about alcoholism at Lackland in San Antonio, Texas, during the 1950’s and later on in California.

In the following, quoted from Sgt. Bill S., ‘On the Military Firing Line in the Alcoholism Treatment Program’, Chapter 18, "Recovery through the Twelve Steps"

The twelve steps lead people through a necessary therapeutic sequence involving;

1. insight,
2. surrender,
3. positive goals,
4. introspection,
5. confession,
6. submission
7. humility,
8. amendment,
9. restitution,
10. reorganization,
11. spirituality, and
12. love

The 12-Steps and principles are therefore;

1. INSIGHT: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. SURRENDER: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. POSITIVE GOALS: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. INTROSPECTION: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. CONFESSION: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. SUBMISSION: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. HUMILITY: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. AMENDMENT: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. RESTITUTION: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. REORGANIZATION: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. SPIRITUALITY: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. LOVE: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

On the Military Firing Line in the Alcoholism Treatment Program: The Air Force Sergeant Who Beat Alcoholism and Taught Others to Do the Same. By Sgt. Bill S., Glenn Chesnut.

Brief-TSF addresses the first 3 Steps and principles.

"Today most commercial flying is done on a radio beam. A directional beam is produced to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he keeps on this beam he knows that he is safe, even if he cannot see around him for fog, or get his bearings in any other way.

As soon as he gets off the beam in any direction he is in danger, and he immediately tries to get back on to the beam once more.

Those who believe in the All-ness of a Higher Power, have a spiritual beam upon which to navigate on the voyage of life. As long as you have peace of mind and some sense of the Presence of God you are on the beam, and you are safe, even if outer things seem to be confused or even very dark; but as soon as you get off the beam you are in danger.

You are off the beam the moment you are angry or resentful or jealous or frightened or depressed; and when such a condition arises you should immediately get back on the beam by turning quietly to God in thought, claiming His Presence, claiming that His Love and Intelligence are with you, and that the promises in the Bible are true today.

If you do this you are back on the beam, even if outer conditions and your own feelings do not change immediately. You are back on the beam and you will reach port in safety.

Keep on the beam and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

By Emmet Fox.

Serenity: A Companion For Twelve Step Recovery

OPEN MEETINGS: As the term suggests, meetings of this type are open to members and their families and to anyone interested in solving a personal problem or helping someone else to solve such a problem.

Most open meetings follow a more or less set pattern, although distinctive variations have developed in some areas. A chairperson describes the program briefly for the benefit of newcomers in the audience and calls speakers who relate their personal histories and may give their personal interpretation of the program

At the end of the meeting there is usually a period for local announcements, and a treasurer passes the hat to defray costs of the meeting hall, literature, and incidental expenses. Only members are allowed to make donations. The meeting adjourns, usually followed by informal chatting over coffee or other light refreshments.

CLOSED MEETINGS: These meetings are limited to members. They provide an opportunity for members to share with one another on problems related to their problems, patterns and attempts to achieve stable sobriety. They also permit detailed discussion of various elements in the recovery program.

Guests at open meetings are reminded that any opinions or interpretations they may hear are solely those of the speaker involved. All members are free to interpret the recovery program in their own terms, but none can speak for the local group or for that fellowship as a whole.

Bill W. a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous answers questions about alcoholism in a discussion in 1960.

Question; Bill, could you explain what you mean by “mental obsession”? What is this?

Bill W.: Well, as I understand it, we are all born with a certain amount of freedom of choice. The degree of this varies from person to person, and from area to area in our lives.

In the case of neurotic people, our instincts take on certain patterns and directions, sometimes so compulsive they cannot be broken by any ordinary effort of the will.

The alcoholic’s compulsion to drink is like that. As a smoker, for example, I have a deeply ingrained habit - I’m almost an addict. But I do not think this habit is an actual obsession. Doubtless it could be broken by an act of my own will. If badly enough hurt, I could in all probability give up tobacco. Should smoking repeatedly land me in Bellevue Hospital, I doubt if I would make the trip many times before quitting.

But with my alcoholism, well that was something else again. No amount of desire to stop, no amount of punishment, could enable me to quit. What was once a habit of drinking became an obsession of drinking - a genuine lunacy.

From; A Conversation with Bill W.

DRA has offered me what I had lost or been unable to find in my sobriety. It offers me believable hope and steps to apply to both my chemical dependency and my psychiatric illnesses. It also offers me a way to heal the emotional and psychic damage that I experienced as a result of my dual disorders. This is just as true for me today as it was when DRA first began to develop.

In 1973 I made a decision to seek professional help for my chemical dependency. I had started drinking and using drugs when I was 13. By the time I was 18, I was using every day. I drank, swallowed, snorted and shot as many drugs as I could try, and rarely met a drug that I did not like.

Gradually, I began to experience problems in every area of my life. There were times when I desperately wanted to stop. I was unable to stop or control my use. I didn’t know how. Eventually, I accepted the truth - that I needed the help of other people.

The plan was for me to go to a psychiatric program for evaluation and referral on to a treatment program. The problem was that they were trying to determine if I was chemically dependent, or if I was experiencing a psychiatric illness. They did not seem to consider the possibility that I was affected by both disorders. They neglected to recommend psychiatric follow-up as a part of their treatment referral.

I accepted the diagnosis and treatment because I desperately wanted to recover. It would be many more years before I would learn that my accurate diagnosis is both major depression and attention deficit disorder. At that time I followed my doctors’ recommendations.

I completed an inpatient treatment program and went on to live in a halfway house for additional support in my early recovery. I became active in practicing the 12 Steps. Later I went on to work in the field of chemical services, and enjoyed both my recovery and my work.

I eventually began experiencing symptoms of my psychiatric illness. For several years I didn’t recognize them as being psychiatric symptoms, nor did the doctors that I saw for my ‘health problems’. But they finally began causing problems and consequences in most areas of my life.

I was quick to become defensive and blame people and situations. As time went on, it became quite clear that something was seriously wrong with me. I eventually sought psychiatric help, and was diagnosed manic depressive, and began being treated with psychiatric medication. Instead of getting better, I grew worse, and began experiencing additional symptoms that made it impossible for me to keep working. I began to experience visual disturbances that were similar to the after-effects of LSD, that became chronic and continuous. I also experienced auditory hallucinations that came in the form of hearing music or a voice.

Numerous medical tests were conducted, but didn’t provide any clear explanations or directions for appropriate treatment. I became convinced that suicide was more attractive than the possibility of living a diminished quality of life - especially if the symptoms I was experiencing would grow steadily worse.

I made a suicide plan, wrote out goodbye letters; I had the means and a location picked out where I wouldn’t be interrupted. I was calm, and at peace with my decision.

My plan was interrupted because my vision became so disturbed that I was unable to drive my car to the designated location. I sat up all that night, sincerely hoping that by morning I would be able to drive my car and carry out my plan.

During the night, I experienced a change within me. I hadn’t wanted to change; I was not trying to change. It simply took place. The feelings of fear, shame, guilt, and hopelessness faded out. The desire to die and be in the company of accepting loved ones faded.

Instead, I became filled with believable hope. I felt a sense of positive energy and motivation. I came to know that on the inside I was still the perfect person that I was when I was born. I came to know that I still have creative abilities. I came to know that I was a part of something, though I did not know what that something was, at that time. Morning came. The changes that I had experienced during the night were still a part of me. I felt that something new and fresh was happening already.

I arrived in Kansas City and arranged for medical care. The neurologist and psychiatrists who helped me still do not fully understand my symptoms of chronic visual disturbance or periods of auditory hallucinations. Perhaps shooting LSD and other psychedelic drugs caused some damage, and as I grow older, the damage is catching up with me. While they have no clear answers or cures, my doctors can help me manage the symptoms with appropriate medications.

My next task was to locate a 12-Step program for people who experienced dual disorders. I was unable to locate any such group. The only reasonable next step would be to start one. I arranged to use a room in the church that my parents attend, and on June 27, 1989, the first meeting was held that was to gradually evolve into DRA.

The growth of DRA was slow, but we were guided by a vision of a program - one that is based on the Principles of the 12 Steps, the personal experiences of men and women in dual recovery, and the principle of freedom and choice. Eventually, the blueprint and the meeting format that included the 12 Steps were written and published. Gradually, people in other states began requesting information about DRA and began forming their own groups.

DRA continues to offer me believable hope, direction to follow, the support of other people, and a way to continue the process of inner healing and growth. For me, dual recovery is ongoing. I have found that over time my symptoms have changed. Today, I continue to apply the Steps and to use the support of other members, for which I am truly grateful.

By Tim H., Founder of D.R.A.

The Twelve Steps And Dual Disorders: A Framework Of Recovery For Those Of Us With Addiction & An Emotional Or Psychiatric Illness

Bill W. a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous answers questions about alcoholism in a discussion in 1960.

Question; Bill, I noticed that in your talk you did not use the word ‘disease.’ Did you intend to make any kind of distinction between disease and sickness?

Bill W: We Aas have never called alcoholism a disease because, technically speaking, it is not a disease entity. For example, there is no such thing as heart disease. Instead there are many separate heart ailments or combinations of them. It is something like that with alcoholism. Therefore, we did not wish to get in wrong with the medical profession by pronouncing alcoholism a disease entity. Hence, we have always called it an illness or a malady - a far safer term for us to use.

From; A Conversation with Bill W.

The Big Book Unplugged: A Young Person’s Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over our emotions - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
   Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
7. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
8. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
9. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
10. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
11. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The Twelve Steps reprinted for adaptation with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.

Contact; Emotions Anonymous

Question; What about slips in general? You must have witnessed a lot of them.

Bill W.: The subject of slips is a very large one. It takes in a lot of territory.

Slips can often be charged to rebellion and some of us surely are more rebellious than others.

Slips can be charged to carelessness, to complacency. Many of us fail to ride out such periods sober.

Slips are due to the illusion that one can be “cured” of alcoholism. Things go fine for two or three years then the member is seen no more. He gets busy putting two cars in the garage and again returns to keeping up with the Joneses. That almost surely spells trouble.

Some of us suffer extreme guilt because of vices or practices that we can’t or won’t let go of.

Too much guilt, too little exertion, too little prayer - well, this combination certainly adds up to slips.

Then some of us are far more alcohol-damaged than others.

Still others encounter a series of calamities and cannot seem to find the spiritual resources with which to meet them, or else in frustration they simply won’t try as hard as they can.

There are those who are physically ill.

Others are subject to more or less continuous exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. These conditions often play a part in slips. Sometimes they seem utterly controlling.

Then there is the sort of acute physical tension [or biological malfunction] which greatly aggravates our emotional reactions. There seems little doubt that the glandular system in many alcoholics is much out of whack, that this condition is responsible for a high degree of physical tension. This tension and its emotional consequences finally become so terrific that some of us are literally driven back into alcohol, or worse still, into becoming sleeping pill addictives. Therefore, we sometimes slip because there is a limit to our endurance.

While sleeping pills are an addictive menace, a relief we cannot use at all, it may be that the actual physical causes of these tensions will one day be located. If this happens, it may be that these defects can be medically corrected without resort to addictive materials. Let us prayerfully hope so.

This condition of physical tensions explains the behavior of many people who try ever so hard to get the AA program, the ones who mystify us because they cannot make the grade. They may well be the subject of unbearable emotional pain.

Of course this does not absolve them from all responsibility. It was their former behavior that doubtless deranged them physically as well as emotionally.

But as I have said, this matter of slips is a very big subject. We can know ourselves only a little, and other people not much at all. Therefore, these observations of mine are largely speculations, speculations in which I trust there is at least a degree of truth.

Bloggers notes; Bill never mentioned ‘denial’ directly in his list of reasons for slips. But denial is usually tied up with many of the reasons he lists.

So in summary the reasons for a slip or bust are;

• rebellion
• carelessness, to complacency
• illusion that one can be “cured”
• guilt because of vices or practices that we can’t or won’t let go of
• too little exertion,
• too little prayer
• more alcohol-damaged than others
• lack of spiritual resources
• frustration
• physically ill
• more or less continuous exhaustion,
• anxiety
• depression
• acute physical tension or biological malfunction
• sleeping pill addictives
• emotional pain.

From; A Conversation with Bill W. 1960.

The practice of rigorous honesty, of opening our hearts and minds, and the willingness to go to any lengths to have a spiritual awakening are essential to our recovery.

Our old ideas and ways of life no longer work for us. Our suffering shows us that we need to let go absolutely. We surrender ourselves to a Power greater than ourselves.

Here are the steps we take which are suggested for recovery:

The Twelve Steps of Marijuana Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over marijuana, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to marijuana addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Do not be discouraged; none of us are saints. Our program is not easy, but it is simple. We strive for progress, not perfection. Our experiences, before and after we entered recovery, teach us three important ideas:

1. That we are marijuana addicts and cannot manage our own lives;
2. That probably no human power can relieve our addiction; and
3. That our Higher Power can and will if sought.

Life With Hope: A Return to Living Through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Marijuana Anonymous