Book Review

PHOENIX IN A BOTTLE
Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald
(Melrose Books 2005)

Reviewed by: Shirley Whiteside

It is a truth universally acknowledged that once an alcoholic, always
an alcoholic.

According to accepted wisdom alcoholism is an incurable disease and the
only way forward for those unfortunate enough to suffer is lifelong
abstinence.

But what if this accepted wisdom was actually out of date dogma
perpetuated by Alcoholics Anonymous, the font of all knowledge
concerning alcoholism?

What if alcohol abuse was really a psychological problem that could,
with hard work and a willing subject, be overcome?

Can an alcoholic ever be a social drinker?

Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald met and fell in love. It was a second
marriage for both and they had high hopes for their future together but
there was a major obstacle to their happiness - their chronic abuse of
alcohol. When doctors and even their families gave up on them, Lilian
and Murdoch left Scotland to try to start a new life in Cambridge where
Murdoch had studied years before for an honours degree. The idea was
that Murdoch would study for a Ph.D. and he and Lilian would set up
home in the town.

Things quickly spiralled out of control. The couple were thrown out of
their rented accommodation for drinking, left with nothing but the
clothes they stood up in. What little money they had was soon spent on
hotel rooms and large quantities of drink. Finally, Lilian and Murdoch
were living on the streets, sleeping in parks, and begging drinks off
other homeless people. They tried AA, as they had previously in
Scotland, but found the organisation to be dogmatic and judgemental.
However no one took them seriously when they said they wanted to
recover but without attending AA.


Lilian's health was deteriorating fast and Murdoch took her to
hospital. There she was dismissed as just another alcoholic and told
the only treatment for her health problems was to stop drinking. There
was no attempt to find out what was really wrong with her and certainly
no sympathy. There was to be no bed in the hospital for Lilian that
night.

Sitting together freezing on a bench the couple was approached by two
young women on their way home from a night out. The young women turned
out to be nurses and they pooled what was left of their money to buy
Lilian and Murdoch tea and a burger to share between them. They also
said they would help the couple find accommodation so that they could
get out of the streets and parks at night.

This was a turning point for Lilian and Murdoch. Their accommodation in
a hostel was basic but it gave them the stability they needed to sort
their lives out. Murdoch got a job selling newspapers on a street
corner and Lilian helped him out by bringing him lunch and letting him
away for comfort breaks.

After another try at the AA way of life, Lilian and Murdoch decided it
really wasn't helping them with their problems. They decided to find
their own way through by examining their lives to find out why they
started drinking to excess in the first place. For Lilian, it went back
to her childhood and the cold, judgemental treatment she received from
her mother. Identifying the source of her troubles led to what Lilian
believes was a cure for her alcoholism and an eating problem.

Lilian and Murdoch are now living in Scotland again, sober, with
Murdoch running a successful PR company.

Perhaps the most astonishing part of this couple's story is that they
now drink alcohol socially with no descent back into the mire of
alcoholism.

Their cure may seem remarkable, and to AA adherents self-deluding, but
Lilian and Murdoch are not unique. As far back as 1964, American Dr.
Arthur H. Cain, reported in the Saturday Evening Post that he too had
known of alcoholics who had been cured and could now drink without fear
of relapse.

Dr. Cain blamed AA for blocking the progress of research into the
causes of alcoholism and the search for a cure. He felt that its
dogmatic approach that brooked no dissent merely treated the symptoms -
abuse of alcohol - rather than looking deeper for the cause.

Lilian and Murdoch heartily agree seeing AA as a damage limitation
exercise rather than as a means to a cure. Their story is moving and
one can only wish them luck.

http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/p...inabottle.html
http://www.alcoholicscandrinksafelya...newpage27.html
http://www.famepublicity.co.uk/productssimple1.html
http://www.internationalbiographical...sbn=1905226144

On 3 Oct 2005 15:14:36 -0700, alcocure@aol.com wrote:

>Book Review
>
>PHOENIX IN A BOTTLE
>Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald
>(Melrose Books 2005)
>
>Reviewed by: Shirley Whiteside
>
>It is a truth universally acknowledged that once an alcoholic, always
>an alcoholic.
>
>According to accepted wisdom alcoholism is an incurable disease and the
>only way forward for those unfortunate enough to suffer is lifelong
>abstinence.
>
>But what if this accepted wisdom was actually out of date dogma
>perpetuated by Alcoholics Anonymous, the font of all knowledge
>concerning alcoholism?
>
>What if alcohol abuse was really a psychological problem that could,
>with hard work and a willing subject, be overcome?
>
>Can an alcoholic ever be a social drinker?
>
>Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald met and fell in love. It was a second
>marriage for both and they had high hopes for their future together but
>there was a major obstacle to their happiness - their chronic abuse of
>alcohol. When doctors and even their families gave up on them, Lilian
>and Murdoch left Scotland to try to start a new life in Cambridge where
>Murdoch had studied years before for an honours degree. The idea was
>that Murdoch would study for a Ph.D. and he and Lilian would set up
>home in the town.
>
>Things quickly spiralled out of control. The couple were thrown out of
>their rented accommodation for drinking, left with nothing but the
>clothes they stood up in. What little money they had was soon spent on
>hotel rooms and large quantities of drink. Finally, Lilian and Murdoch
>were living on the streets, sleeping in parks, and begging drinks off
>other homeless people. They tried AA, as they had previously in
>Scotland, but found the organisation to be dogmatic and judgemental.
>However no one took them seriously when they said they wanted to
>recover but without attending AA.
>
>
>Lilian's health was deteriorating fast and Murdoch took her to
>hospital. There she was dismissed as just another alcoholic and told
>the only treatment for her health problems was to stop drinking. There
>was no attempt to find out what was really wrong with her and certainly
>no sympathy. There was to be no bed in the hospital for Lilian that
>night.
>
>Sitting together freezing on a bench the couple was approached by two
>young women on their way home from a night out. The young women turned
>out to be nurses and they pooled what was left of their money to buy
>Lilian and Murdoch tea and a burger to share between them. They also
>said they would help the couple find accommodation so that they could
>get out of the streets and parks at night.
>
>This was a turning point for Lilian and Murdoch. Their accommodation in
>a hostel was basic but it gave them the stability they needed to sort
>their lives out. Murdoch got a job selling newspapers on a street
>corner and Lilian helped him out by bringing him lunch and letting him
>away for comfort breaks.
>
>After another try at the AA way of life, Lilian and Murdoch decided it
>really wasn't helping them with their problems. They decided to find
>their own way through by examining their lives to find out why they
>started drinking to excess in the first place. For Lilian, it went back
>to her childhood and the cold, judgemental treatment she received from
>her mother. Identifying the source of her troubles led to what Lilian
>believes was a cure for her alcoholism and an eating problem.
>
>Lilian and Murdoch are now living in Scotland again, sober, with
>Murdoch running a successful PR company.
>
>Perhaps the most astonishing part of this couple's story is that they
>now drink alcohol socially with no descent back into the mire of
>alcoholism.
>
>Their cure may seem remarkable, and to AA adherents self-deluding, but
>Lilian and Murdoch are not unique. As far back as 1964, American Dr.
>Arthur H. Cain, reported in the Saturday Evening Post that he too had
>known of alcoholics who had been cured and could now drink without fear
>of relapse.
>
>Dr. Cain blamed AA for blocking the progress of research into the
>causes of alcoholism and the search for a cure. He felt that its
>dogmatic approach that brooked no dissent merely treated the symptoms -
>abuse of alcohol - rather than looking deeper for the cause.
>
>Lilian and Murdoch heartily agree seeing AA as a damage limitation
>exercise rather than as a means to a cure. Their story is moving and
>one can only wish them luck.
>
>http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/p...inabottle.html
>http://www.alcoholicscandrinksafelya...newpage27.html
>http://www.famepublicity.co.uk/productssimple1.html
>http://www.internationalbiographical...sbn=1905226144


Maybe you should post this in alt.toying with addiction.alcoholism. I
think this would be a much more appropriate place.

alcocure@aol.com:

|According to accepted wisdom alcoholism is an incurable disease and the
|only way forward for those unfortunate enough to suffer is lifelong
|abstinence.

I'm not a member of AA, but I've tried drinking moderately using every
rational (and otherwise) quantisation, limitation, brew-diversification,
food-"dilution", money-limation, moral-obligation-based, inner-child-
nurturing, and self-actualisation method I could find... and those were
just the ones I could steal from the libraries I haven't been barred
from or set fire to.

|Perhaps the most astonishing part of this couple's story is that they
|now drink alcohol socially with no descent back into the mire of
|alcoholism.

Uh oh, AA is a sham?

[perplexed eyes, wavering frown, left index finger on corner of mouth]

Their books aren't "for real"?

[intensify frown, forced welling of tears, both hands akimbo to face.]

{SLIDE WHISTLE DOWN}

But THESE books ARE FOR REAL!!!

[tears squeezed out but overpowered by my enormous beaming gap-toothed
smile - left hand holding texta-drawn "LIMIT LINE" tumbler, right hand
holding bottle of rubbing alcohol]

{SLIDE WHISTLE UP}

I'll CC you my bank account details, yes?
--
paperbagwriter [yes, bored]