www.orange-papers.org

Here's an interesting and different point of view:

http://nationalpainreport.com/my-story-i-was-accused-of-being-an-addict-...

"Calling me an addict just because I treat my pain with opioids is simply cruel.

How desperately I wish I were “just an addict”.

"On the basis of reports by addicts, I can say that a ‘fix’ does indeed exceed in quality any known sexual pleasure."

“Studies of the reaction addicts have to a single dose of morphine reveal that many experience a feeling of exhilaration akin to an orgasm discharged in the abdominal region."

"It is entirely possible that the intensity of this pleasure exceeds any pleasure known to non-addicts."

Wallace Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) - morphine addiction due to accident
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Reid#Death

Barbara La Marr (July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) - drug and alcohol use
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_La_Marr#Final_years

Sex offender set to enter plea after stalking, threats

July 28, 2016 1:03 pm by Emilie Raguso

A convicted sex offender who left “disturbing” notes for a Berkeley woman he met through Alcoholics Anonymous is set to enter a plea Monday after being charged with stalking by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

According to court papers, 58-year-old Carl Jones left notes for the woman in early July after they met at AA in June and “developed a friendship to help each other with recovery.”

http://www.click2houston.com/news/man-robbed-of-car-at-knifepoint-after-aa...

http://aa-seta.org/
http://www.aahouston.org/

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36940384

Notice many of the usual cult characteristics like suppression of dissent, demands for unwavering loyalty, and demands that you are in for your whole life, and the cult is more important than your family.
Also unquestionable dogma, and the inner circle and the outer circle, and hidden goals.

This is a fascinating article about Scientology in Taiwan:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/scientology-in-taiwan/493493/

Treatment Modality Rank % Excellent
Brief interventions 1 53
Motivational enhancement 2 50
GABA agonist (Acamprosate) 3 20
Community Reinforcement 4.5 71
Self-change manual (Bibliotherapy) 4.5 53
Opiate antagonist (Naltrexone) 6 0

Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

“Schizophrenia was considered incurable. If one did achieve some improvement with a case of schizophrenia, the answer was that it had not been REAL schizophrenia" -my emphasis.

Perhaps Bill read this and decided it was a good argument against alcoholics getting sober outside of AA. That and "denial" being a symptom of alcoholism are such absurd arguments that I can't believe they are ever accepted. Are they? LOL

Good stuff. Gotta love both of them.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/08/why-addiction-is-a-learning-disorder.html

A very interesting article from Atlantic Monthly. Unfortunately, Ibogaine is not a panacea.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/07/a-psychedelic-can-cure-heroin-withdrawal/492872/

This article isn't in itself saying anything new on the topic of addiction being a disease, however, the comments section underneath the article is fascinating. It contains the most varied collection of opinions on addiction I have ever come across. It pretty much covers the whole spectrum of opinions on whether or not addiction is a disease and whether or not the 12 Step Program is helpful/dangerous etc. and everything in between.

(CNN)A group of Texas inmates are being hailed as heroes after they bust out of a holding cell -- to save a corrections officer's life.
The Parker County Sheriff's Office just released security camera footage of the June 23 incident.

Dr. Stanton Peeles says addiction is not a disease.
Dr. Mark Willengbring says addiction is a disease
Dr. Lance Dodes says addiction is not a brain disease nor a DSM diagnosis
Dr. Gabor Mate says addiction is a disease
Dr. Marc Lewis says addiction is not a disease
Dr. John Kelly says addiction is a disease
Dr. Carl Hart says addiction is not a brain disease
Dr. Marvin Seppella says addiction is a disease
Dr. Gene Heyman says addiction is not a disease
Dr. Lee Ann Kaskutas says addiction is a disease

8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional. We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fee or hire. But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those full-time services for which we might otherwise have to engage nonalcoholics. Such special services may be well recompensed. But personal Twelfth Step work is never to be paid for.

Source: http://www.barefootsworld.net/aatraditions-gv1946.html