Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > News Items
If you like posts by hostile people, you'll love this guy!
Anonymous:
Thanks for the slight concession - believe me, I only talk about my own experience. As far as AARC is concerned, the majority of kids that I have seen who end up there are end of the line. It wasn't the first place, usually not the second or third. They often come from jail or the psych ward. I know all about the "cultish" treatment center, started and promoted and profitted by frauds like Miller Newton. AARC is not like that. It worked well for me, and I know that I needed immersion in a safe place where I could concentrate on recovery. I needed to be out of the environment I was in.
My parents where psychologists, very knowledgable about addiction and other problems, and certainly would not have participated in a cultish program. I was almost 22, and no dummy, and I could have left any time. I stayed, it worked, and I am happy.
I enjoy the discussions on harmfulness of drugs and the effectiveness of various kinds of treatment. It would be great to take the harsh words and judgement out of the discussion, so it could be more beneficial for every one. There is research to prove any opinion, I would be more interested in personal experiences, before, during and after "treatment".
One more comment regarding AARC: if it had created harm similar to KIDS, the SEED, Straight, etc, then after over 12 years, and hundreds of graduates and their families, where are the lawsuits? I am sure lots of Ambulance chasers would like the chance to line their pockets at AARCs expense if the could find evidence of wrong doing. It happened to all those US based centers.
Hamiltonf:
--- Quote ---On 2004-10-17 13:14:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I agree with most of what the last anon poster says..and maybe prohibition is not a realistic way to go,at least with adults even if smoking up or whatever is generally bad for them...but for god's sake people use your common sense...don't worry about whether some "famous" person who you don't know anything about personally did or did not use drugs at some point in time.
--- End quote ---
It's really interesting to see how Anon changes his tune as, one by one his misconceptions are exposed. But he still does not comprehend that "smoking up" ain't necessarily "generally bad" for you bad for you any more than is a glass of wine with your meal. He still works from mthe false assumption that all drug use is abuse. And I do not need to go to "famous" people as I know many "successful" people personally who have smoked up with no ill effects. Indeed. there are some who would describe the experience as being something that opened doors of perception they otherwise would not have experienced.
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Look to your own life and experience..if you do, how can you possibly not see that substance use especially in the early and mid teens is a recipe for disaster? Even if there are exceptions to the rule, this is the rule
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Substance use (as opposed to abuse (or misuse)) as a recipe for disaster? Perhaps.
Perhaps as Antigen suggests, you take the "USE" of prescription pharmeceuticals as being a recipe for disaster. Now some kid who is taken into care by Child Welfare for out-of control behaviour might just be deemed to be in need of an anxiolytic, for example, diazepam (valium to the uninitiated). Now this helps him sleep but does not treat the root causes of the behaviour. Result: because benzos have a short half-life, over time this kid becomes dependant (you notice I do not use the word addicted). Not only that, because the kid gets little or no education in how the drug works , and still has to deal with the untreated demons that bother him, he learns to fall back on this drug for the escape he needs. When he hits 18 he's cut loose to vie for himself.
As it happens the vast majority of street people you see in Alberta's two major cities were a) in care as children and adolescents and b)were treated with valium and c) when they have attempted to withdraw have suffered brain damage.
Then a more recent drug prescribed for "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" Ritalin. (remember the out of control kid above who never got his underlying problem diagnosed?) Now we have kids being prescribed a stimulant very closely related to, you've got it, dexadrine and methamphetamine. In fact, methamphetamine can be obtained on prescription in the US -- in cases of the most extreme forms of ADHD.
Now a kid who is given Ritalin on a superficial diagnosis by a GP can be A)Correctly diagnosed or B) incorrectly diagnosed. In either case kid may not like how the drug affects him. It has been known for kids who don't like the drug to pretend to take it and pass it off to friends. It has also been known for such kids to rather like what the drug does to them. It doesn't take long for them to find out that bennies make them feel even better and then, hey, Meth! And recent research seems to indicate that people with undiagnosed ADHD find that Meth actually helps them. The problem is that they have way too high a dose and suffer extreme rebound effects.
You will note, gentle reader, that nowhere in my diatribe do I adopt a moralistic condemning attitude nor do I suggest that such users of drugs are to be written off as "losers". In both cases there is a lack of insight, true. But that arises as much as anything from the inability of the institutions and families in the background of these individuals to recognise or accurately diagnose what is going on with these individuals.
In one case I recently dealt with the Valium dependence arose from untreated sexual abuse the child had suffered when she was 5 at the hands of her uncle. In the other, the Methamphetamine dependance had a great deal to do with 2 young men suffering many of the symptoms of ADHD which one set of parents recognized but doctors didn't. When that boy discovered Meth helped him concentrate he first became dependant and gradually became toxic. The other boy was poor and cut off Ritalin when he was old enough to work without getting Welfare or having a pharmacare plan. He was also more likely Bipolar. When helped to understand where he was coming from (without browbeating or preaching) this individual was able to turn around and rebuild his shattered life.
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And what would make the drug-pushing posters here not be able to see it, except denial and self-justification...really shameful behavior"
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Naah, I'm sorry, Antigen and those of us who oppose the mythology and methodology of AARC are not "drug-pushers" What is really shameful behaviour is that you, who did embark on truly criminal behaviour (robberies, beatings, theft, etc.)seek to evade or avoid accepting fully personal responsibility for your actions. That's like the TWINKY defence. Oh! the drugs made me do it! How convenient!
No, You may feel that Dr. Vause's methodology has empowered you to take control of your life, but really, if you still believe that you would be unable to partake of a drug, any drug, in moderaton, without succumbing to excess, then you have not been empowered, but truly disempowered. For the young man I know, who went through coerced treatment, admits to me that, "if I take just one dose (of meth) I KNOW I'll just go straight back to the gutter. Too bad, I suspect that if he had gone the route of the other guy he may well have succeeded in quite a different way.
I could go on with scores of example in my personal knowledge but one thing is certain in the drug war, the "common sense" you talk about , first of all ain't too common, nor does it make any sense.
Antigen:
--- Quote ---On 2004-10-17 17:50:00, Anonymous wrote:
One more comment regarding AARC: if it had created harm similar to KIDS, the SEED, Straight, etc, then after over 12 years, and hundreds of graduates and their families, where are the lawsuits? I am sure lots of Ambulance chasers would like the chance to line their pockets at AARCs expense if the could find evidence of wrong doing. It happened to all those US based centers.
--- End quote ---
Well, I know that Dean Vaus was trained directly by Miller Newton. Newton even bragged about branching into Alberta. And I've read in this forum about incidents so similar to Straight that it's hard to dismiss. For example, a girl (I honestly don't remember who) described an incident in which she confessed to Group to contemplating suicide. In response, staff and group shamed her, yelled at her and accused her of the unforgivable crime of seeking attention.
People have the perception of Straight as an ongoing orgy of physical violence. While I believe people who describe weeks and months of newcomer revolt and such, that's not what happened when I was in Sarasota. Probably a couple of times a week someone would get sat on and there were the marathon shouting and shoving sessions in the timeout rooms. But, for the most part, it was days upon days of sweating your brains out, worried about what to say and how to say it should somone stand you up or interrupt you w/ the most frightening question in the world; "What's going on with you?"
In an environment like that, neither you nor I have any reliable way to know what anyone was like before intake. Newcomers who insist that they don't have drug problems or need treatment are not treated very well.
Don't hate the media. Become the media
--Jello Biafra
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sweet_grl_with_a_bad_atti:
you are a phyco bitch and dont defend aarc they gunna fuck you over 1 day soon you'll c
Anonymous:
If you would all be so patient as to allow me to anonymously introduce myself, no I am not a coward, I am an outsider who has unfaultering loyaty to a friend. I also do not claim to understand either side of the coin when the debate is the AARC Program. I have the priveledge and honor to have been chosen and accepted in the role of friend to an active AARC graduate. I will apologize in advance at this point if any of my observations or opinions offend or are heard as disrespect. That is not my intent. I am not an addict, nor do I claim to understand what addiction does to a family or the individual who struggles internally to conquer it. Some of my thoughts may come from a place of ignorance. This is why I request the patience of both sides of the coin.
Over the past few months I have experienced the opportunity of being a friend to an alcoholic who just happens to be a graduate of AARC. Because of my admiration for this person and the journey she has traveled to become this pillar of strenghth and integrity not only to myself but to my family,(I have children) it brought me to place where I wanted to understand more about what AARC was for her. I will say I have spent a total of fourteen hours, and approximately thirty six minutes, since the evening of yesterday, trying to absorb and understand every possible piece of material, positive and negative about AARC and Dean Vause. For no other reason but to attempt to understand the depth of my friends struggle to become the person I am so grateful for today.
At this point I feel it neccessary to say I will not submitt this correspodence without firstly seeking the advise and approval of my friend. (AARC Graduate) Reason being that above all I respect her direction over my need to be heard. I am truly in "shock" and feel very heavy hearted by what I have read on this site. Again I recognize I have no place to claim expertise or do I claim to have a completely informed opinion on the reality of AARC or being an addict for that matter. What I do know is this. There are unique people, unique circumstances, and unique perceptions in this world that may not be a fit for all of us. For my friend AARC was a fit. Dean Vause is her safe place. Irregardless of contraversy, or who people and content connect him to, which appears to me to be strongly one sided, I will be forever in gratitude to AARC and Dean Vause for being the "main stay" in my friend's journey, because without them, I nor my family would have been given the opportunity to experience the magic and wealth of knowledge my friend brings to our life.
Please be mindful that this is from an outsiders perspective and by no means do I intend disrespect towards anyone. But the "sheer" magnitude of viciousness that I read within this site, from both sides is unsettling.
My question is, should it not be enough that the people we love are here with us now, in whatever capacity? Should we not be grateful for whatever process, be it what may, which has them alive today? I know I am blessed to have my friend and I am thankful every day for what AARC provided her.
I am a Research Evaluation Consultant and therefore know I have provided myself with fair and measurable information. This said, I cannot ignore the fact that I place far more credibility in the vehicle which has allowed me the opportunity of my friend, and it would be my wish that all could put aside the attacks and criticisms and just be grateful for those this process so clearly works for.
I know my life is blessed by the fact that my friend is thus far successful in her recovery, and that in all honesty, is good enough for me.
Submitted Respectfully,
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