mikeyV

What you say about rational people is very true. But, MAN oh MAN if that's not a difficult thing. They are a rare breed.

I find it likely some people are statist or religious only because that's all they've really known about and it takes some serious worldview shaking up for them to see that there are actually more philosophically sound perspectives on reality. But like one of the commenters has already said, you're going to be left with slim options if all these people are rooted out of your life. For some of us this is possible through meetups, internet, etc etc. But others don't have all the resource to just start cutting people off that hold these views. A good portion of these people might say they are statist or believe in God but there life doesn't really reflect that either. It's just linked to their identity through family, church, and society. I think there are plenty of generally respectful people that I can be associated with that haven't been able to completely accept anarchism. I don't find this to be living inconsistently either. In terms of romantic partnerships, this is a tad more complicated and I would say it must be taken on with reason and compassion and on a individual basis.

Thank you both. I will check out these resources. Sounds like your friend was able to see some of the merit in the 12 step method but with time was able to move past it. A similar path seems to be unfolding for me. The community aspect of "recovery" is essential, but I've found it doesn't have to be all about "recovery". People need to feel respected and have people they can trust to go to. This is key for anyone looking to become more psychologically healthy. I've always felt like a deeper underlying psychological malady existed that is the main contributor towards my struggles with substance abuse. Likely this is an amalgamation of unresolved trauma, bad brain chemistry, and seeing the world in a distorted manner. It's a struggle sorting it all out and with how many people I've met these past few years within the recovery social circle and in rehab, I am troubled by how the rehab/recovery dogma in America hold many of these people back. And to me there seems a significant lack of will to change the status quo when it comes to dealing with addiction. Anyway, it's apparent I could talk about this for some time, but thank you for the responses.

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum section, general knowledge seemed to be the only one fitting for this rather specific topic. My question is in relation to alcoholism and addiction. I can only imagine that Stef has addressed the topic in the past but I can't recall, does anyone know where his best discussion on this is? I grew up in a religious institution that was very rigid and determined at age 24 that it was not making me happy anymore. I figured at that point I was atheist and began studying in the area of philosophy to come to a better understanding what my individual perspective was, and not what others had taught me. What also occurred though was a period of experimentation and trying new things as I was now untethered from dogmatic moral restrictions. I believe issues with depression and anxiety and a relative confusion as to how to deal with that left me prone to struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. For the last 3-4 years I've dealt now with an entirely knew community that seems to be steeped in its own brand of dogma. I don't want to single out the AA and 12 step philosophy but it is the dominant one. These past few years I have developed a belief that the entire rehabilitation business is capitalizing on an epidemic ailment in modern society without any definitive and apparent impact. I can't say my rehab experiences were entirely without merit, but I feel like they are addressing mindfulness more than really determining the biological problems that exist and occur in people who become addicts (or always were addicts) however you want to term it. It seems to me there is a HUGE lack of philosophical perspective on this dilemma. The psychology community has all but given it over to this rehabilitation money mill as I believe there is economic incentive to do so. Anyway, I'm essentially looking for more opinion, ideas, and thoughts in the area of reason when it comes to addiction. I believe there is far more to the problem of addiction then merely being genetically predisposed. In my experience, I've recognized a rather fundamental existential crisis that lies at the core of my personal struggle. In terms of the recovery community, I am not keen on the idea that now my life is essentially defined by being "in recovery". This isn't to say I want to be able to drink or use recreational drugs, but I'm opposed to some of the black and white thinking, the dogmatic perspectives, on what it takes to either remain sober or avoid the pitfalls of substance abuse.I've said a lot so I'll leave it out there to the folks to bat around. Any response will be appreciated Thanks Mike V