The Devil's Tonic

Addiction is the perfect way to control other people.  Once a person becomes enslaved to anything, then whoever controls the focus of his addiction controls him.

Thus, the addict will do what is necessary to preserve his relationship with the subject of his obsession.  If the trace is broken, then the power relationship of the addict and his manipulator are exposed.

Modern life requires addiction, because what is happening to us as humans is becoming more and more inhuman.  We are being pushed beyond our limits.  Our tolerance for the pain of our lonely existences is running out.

We need the 'pain relief' of addiction.  This is why even oppressive regimes like the Stalinist USSR made sure the vodka flowed freely.  Now, with the suppression of the family and Christianity in America, we are seeing dependence grow and metastasize into more versions than we can track.  Sure, one addiction in itself does not look overwhelming, until you see the many ways that we are imprisoned by our 'needs.'

We are being kept needy and hungry, because needy and hungry people do not question what is being done to them if they think they will be fed and kept.  Our addictions don't look so bad if we can keep at them without a cost.  

The costs of addiction are usually paid at the expense of personal responsibility.  Now, where is that going?  No, you don't need that... even though it is part of human dignity.  No, you don't need that either.  Here, drink this and you won't mind losing either one...

Torture: the ultimate isolation

My exploration of addiction has led me to read some odd books, but I've found that my search is turning in the direction of torture and what it reveals about the primary and fundamental levels of human awareness.

I have always had profound respect for those who have suffered imprisonment for the Faith, and I have often seen torture survivors as the ultimate witnesses to the efficacy of Orthodoxy.  In my parish, I have used a documentary on the Piteşte Experiment as a catechism tool.  Of course, it was to get those new to the Church to understand what may happen to us as Christians, and how people can still survive such experiences and be better for it.

However, what I am now looking at is how torture and loneliness interact on the human conscience.  I have come to realize that if loneliness is behind much of our addiction problems, and torture is often a process of using loneliness against people in order to rob them of their humanity, then there are lessons in the experience of and survival from torture that can help us overcome addiction.

I may be way off, but we'll have to wait and see.

The Origins of Modern Addiction and the Destruction of Man

After watching the video about 'Krokadil' and hearing the one treatment expert saying how he thought that Islamists were trying to destroy Russia with heroin, I decided to put down my own thoughts regarding what is going on with humanity and addiction.  Here's a new page I have created:

http://orthodoxyandrecovery.blogspot.com/p/in-recent-years-we-have-seen-explosion.html

I started it only about 24 hours ago, so it may be a bit rough in a few places.  But, I hope you will be able to see what my points are.  Yes, I do think there is an effort to destroy Russia, but I think it is part of the same conspiracy to destroy all humanity.  Even our well-meaning leaders are part of perpetuating it, because we have been immersed in a statist system that destroys families and requires the lubrication of addiction and entertainment to keep it from seizing up like an engine without oil.

К˜рокодил (Krokodil), the Drug from Hell

We here in the US are used to the 'bath salts' phenomenon and the 'new drugs' that are wreaking havoc in our communities.  What we may not realize is that 'bath salts' are not the only new drug on the market.

The Russians are struggling with a new drug, К˜рокодил (Krokodil).  It is, quite literally, the Drug from Hell.  The abusers of Krokodil learn to make it from common household products, almost like how meth users a few years ago were making their own from over-the-counter cough medicines until the pharmaceutical industry caught on and started putting down controls.

It is called 'crocodile' because the drug causes the skin of the abuser to dry up like a crocodile skin, as necrosis sets in and their bodies literally rot away.  Here is a short documentary video:

WARNING: graphic language and content!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsUH8llvTZo&list=PL95511BB06DAC4FFE

This video is heart-breaking, and I say this as someone who does not get very emotional.  

What I thought was interesting was to see the presenter's reaction, a young Englishwoman, as she saw how the various religious groups in Russia were dealing with the problem.  Note she was wearing a gold pentagram necklace and may be a Wiccan, but her objections to the Orthodox didn't hold a candle to her outright disdain for the 'Teen Challenge' group.

I don't blame the Protestants for trying to help these suffering people.  I would like to learn more about what the Russian Orthodox Church is doing for addicts, but I think there is a larger problem afoot.  The world itself is groaning as humanity is being pushed into a gradual extinction via nihilism.  Yes, I do think the devil wants the Russians out of the way.  I just wish the Russians would figure out how to stop cooperating with Satan's plans for their demise.

Say an extra prayer for these poor folks.  They are our brothers and sisters.

The Casual Life and the Shame of Immaturity

Recently, I was told that wearing clergy attire was 'intimidating' to young people, and that we should drop it.  I wondered aloud why young people would be intimidated by someone formally dressed when they simply don't see anyone these days who dresses well except for an occasional 'high social function.'

Yes, that's how I was raised, too.  My first tie was clipped on for my senior picture, and I missed getting a prom tuxedo mostly because I was told by the Vice Principal not to come.  I bought a coat and real tie in college because I was told the scholarship boards still expected it.  As I sat waiting for my interview, all I could think about was how uncomfortable I felt in this wool bag.

It has gotten worse.  The Older Generation are now made up of hippie survivors from the 1960's in a permanent state of adult teenage rebellion.  It is gross.  

I did get a kick out of this:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeslifestyle/2012/03/26/why-adults-should-ditch-the-shorts-wear-suits/

So, why do people these days feel uncomfortable around those who are well-dressed?  In my own case, the suit brings shame to the man who is not wearing one.  The suit-less man is automatically pushed a notch down.  People who dress well know this, and so they either dress down to make others feel less shame, or enjoy the pedestal.

Addicts often have a great deal of trouble adjusting to their true selves.  They must learn to be comfortable with who they really are.  Too often, an addict can be described as an egomaniac with an inferiority complex.

They see themselves as the perpetually out-of-place adolescent... and they often dress this way.  The Casual Life enables people to cultivate the worst part of their nature... sloppy, careless, irresponsible.

If you want to help an addict, or fix your own attitude, just start by dressing better.  Yes, that sounds rather vain, but how we dress really does effect how others treat us and how we see ourselves.  The addict must learn to feel like a grown up if he wants to experience any kind of inner peace.

The truth is that all the aged men running around in shorts in public are just as likely to be popping anti-depressants and having stress problems as the rest of us.  The 'relaxed attitude' is not a cure for the real problems of life.  You can actually deal with your emotional problems wearing something other than a Hawaiian shirt in December.

I recommend that the newly sober dress well when attending 12 Step meetings.  After all, you are recovering, right?  Things are getting better?  Then how come you still look like you rolled out of the gutter?  If you are still dressing like a kid, then you bear the shame of your immaturity.  Yes, being immature is shameful.  There is nothing dignified about a toddler or a crazy teen.

Our casual world these days is rife with misery and addiction.  There is no advantage to being a slob, but there are lots of advantages to looking like you have an ounce of self-respect.  For one thing, it will help you get to the point where you have things about yourself that you can respect.

So, getting back to the beginning: if people are intimidated by a clergyman in his proper attire, that is the least of their problems.  Those who serve the Church wear the prescribed attire of their office to help them remember who they are as well as clarifying to the public what they are doing.  If someone is intimidated by a cassock or black clothing, then they need to be introduced to the real meaning of the garb rather than being allowed to shrink away in terror.

When there is a problem, you fix it.  You don't just find ways to 'cope' with it, because the problem remains.

Can an Alcoholic Priest Serve the Liturgy?

Here is an email (slightly redacted to protect the identity of the sender) which is fairly typical of the questions I have fielded on this topic:

Thank you for your interesting blog posts that you have been writing. I am studying Orthodox Christian Theology and I have been sober for a number of years. One thing is a big question for me: Is it possible to be an Orthodox Priest and a recovering alcoholic? I know that in communion wine and bread are transformed into Blood and Body of Christ. But if priest is an alcoholic and he has to empty the chalice after the Communion: Is there any risk that he starts to drink again? What is your experience on this subject?

I’m going to go through this entire subject just so you can all see how this has worked in the past.  There are a number of Orthodox Priests that I know that are in recovery both from alcoholism and other addictions.  Yes, clergy get addicted… we are fallen humans and share the same problems with our people.

You may say, “But, isn’t that hypocritical for a priest, who is supposed to preach about belief in God and maintaining morality, to fail on both accounts and become an addict?”  That’s because you’ve missed the real point: Christianity is about repentance, not about perfect keeping of the Law.  You want law-keeping, become a Jew or a Moslem.  Christians know the Law, but repent for their violations of it.

Priests, therefore, are called to preach repentance.  Therefore, their real role is to demonstrate repentance.  If the priest can’t repent, he is a failure.

Repentance is an ongoing process, and there are plenty of people who start off on the right track, but lose sight of God along the way.  This happens to priests, and then they run the risk of becoming addicted.  After all, the job is emotionally taxing… you never really go home from the work and leave it all behind.  It is part of your every waking hour, and if you don’t have a solid spiritual life, the stress will crush the priest and his family.  I’ve seen that happen more times than I care to count.

So, what about the priest who becomes an alcoholic, or the man who is considering the priesthood and is an addict.  Is being an alcoholic an impediment?

I’ve posted elsewhere that my views of addiction have changed in recent years.  I’ve come to believe that the reason that the Fathers don’t discuss addiction as we do is because they see what we call ‘addiction’ as part of a whole spectrum of disorders they call the passions.  Addiction is the ‘final stage’ of the Passions, when the human will is utterly compromised.

Sin compromises our will, and the temptation of sin has varying degrees of attractiveness which can compromise our resistance.  Think of magnets: some are stronger than others.  When you think of addiction, think of metals: some are more prone to being magnetized than others.

The priest who is addicted ‘dies’ as a priest when his God shifts from the Trinity to the bottle.  That’s it.  A drinking priest is a dead priest.  However, when he repents and makes those first steps out of the pig-pen of addiction towards God and recovery, his priesthood is restored like the son-ship of the Prodigal Son.  He becomes alive.  This does happen, and most recovering priests actually come away as better servants: they are more empathetic and can relate better to the suffering of others.

The seminarian in recovery is in much the same boat.  He knows the struggles of his people because he himself has had to struggle with the worst.  He has been humiliated and shamed by his disease.  If he is honest, then this experience with strengthen and enliven his ministry.

There are a few practical matters:

1) The Bishop must know

A seminarian and an addicted priest must be forthright with the Bishop about the disease and what he is doing to maintain his sobriety.  This will help one be on one’s best behavior… because we always act better when someone else is watching.  If there is a relapse, the Bishop will understand.

Some may say, “But, my Bishop is close-minded and won’t understand.”  My advice: get another Bishop.  Here in the US, that’s easy.  The thing is that if you relapse and he does not know about your disease, then you have defrauded him into ordaining you and you don’t deserve to be a priest.  Don’t live in fear, and never let fear dictate your decisions.

Besides, do you really want to work for a Bishop who looks at his people with addictions as being so ‘horrible’ that they cannot serve God?  Canonical impediments are about the things one has actually done, whereas addiction is about disposition.  If the Bishop has an allergic reaction to the topic, go elsewhere.  There are plenty of Bishops who will gladly bring on board a sober man who can help him with the many addicts that are part of diocesan communities.

2) Communion wine isn’t the problem, spirituality is

There are alcoholic priests who abuse communion wine.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes: I watched a senior priest down two glasses of strong red wine before liturgy and perfectly serve without any indication he was even buzzed.

There are also lay people who are afraid of even the tiny amount of alcohol in the communion spoon.  The allergy to alcohol in alcoholism is not like going into anaphylactic shock from peanuts.  One drop is not going to send you over the edge.  Otherwise, you’d never be able to drink a glass of orange juice (it has alcohol because it is made from spoiled oranges that have begun to ferment).

The allergy of alcoholism really requires enough alcohol to register on the central nervous system.  This means that consuming a large chalice full of the typical communion wine is problematic.

The solution: who says you need to pour 500mL of wine into the chalice every liturgy?  If you know how many people will take communion, then pour just enough.  By the time you add water and distribute communion (not to mention leaving it out during that time for some of the alcohol to evaporate), most of the alcohol will be gone.

If you cannot avoid pouring a great deal, then get the Bishop’s blessing to have a pious lay person who can drink off the wine.  I’ve used that solution, and I can finish consuming without any worries.

Do NOT make the mistake of thinking that the Anaphora somehow mystically whisks away the alcohol from the wine.  It does not.

3) Alcoholism as a disease is not a canonical impediment

Being a sober alcoholic is not a canonical impediment, but drinking and refusing treatment is.  I have even visited dioceses where the Bishop admitted that almost a quarter of his priests are chronic problemed drinkers, yet he cannot remove them until he has enough canonical evidence that the priest is no longer functional.

A sober alcoholic Priest is not obligated to tell everyone in his parish that he is an alcoholic.  Most people would not even know how to react, unless they themselves are struggling with addiction, in which case such a revelation would be a relief and a hope.  But, being an addict is not something to put on your business card or publish in the bulletin.

So long as the disease is being treated and relapses are not an ongoing event, a Bishop will likely not remove a talented (and recovering) alcoholic priest.  To be honest, I have seen Bishops excuse priests who not only had public and private alcohol episodes, but even cheated on their wives, stole money, violated confessions, divorced… Yes, Bishops do let priests ‘get away’ with these kinds of sins, but so long as the priest can continue to be an effective tool of the Church.

If he repents, and can continue to serve, then very often a Bishop will keep a good priest who fails. 

The Church does not condone the immorality of anyone, but let’s look at it this way: if the Bishop determines that this priest will never transgress that way again, then why should he not do as the Lord did to the woman caught in adultery: go and sin no more!  Was Christ being cruel, or did He expect the woman to not sin anymore?

This is not a ticket to hedonism, but a tool: the Church preaches forgiveness, and sometimes even exercises it with clergy.  So long as the priest’s continued service is not a disruptive source of scandal, it does no good to throw out an experienced clergyman for the sake of keeping the Law.

How this is done is best left to the Bishops.

But, do not think that alcoholism or addiction is a blockage to ministry in the Church.  It can be, in fact, a powerful tool in helping others, so long and there is honesty and openness.

Beer Like Water in Bohemia

I found this article a while back, but forgot to post it.  I think there are some interesting themes in it:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/26/in-country-where-water-is-pricier-than-beer-czech-official-seeks-change/?test=latestnews

One of my favorite quotes:

Dr. Heger, a 64-year-old radiologist who likes to toss back a few himself, attributes such resistance to a general Czech dislike of government regulation, a legacy of the country's decades under repressive communist rule.

"It's important to speak against social engineering," Dr. Heger said. "We don't want to suppress smoking and drinking among adults. It's their right." He added: "I'm not against alcohol consumption. It just has to be reasonable."

Social engineering?

Yup, that's what most regulations are all about these days, from cigarette taxes to the infamous food regulations in New York City.

The truth is that smoking does decrease when tobacco taxes increase.  Same thing with alcohol.  I was shocked during my last trip to Romania to see how cheap liquor is there.  Aside from the general lower cost of living, alcohol there does not bear the phenomenal levels of taxation that we have in the US.  Moonshining and bootlegging are not crimes in the US because of public health, but because of 'revenues.'

The scary thing is when the government does take up the task of social engineering.  After all, what if the government gets it wrong?  Remember the failure of Prohibition and the crime it fueled?

If you want to effect change, it must not be done by force, but by gradual social change that happens within communities when they decide for themselves to change.

I've seen this for myself in Romania, where an energetic priest named Fr. Liviu Borsa decided to help the villagers he served to get sober.  The town was wall-to-wall drunks from what I heard.  In fact, several people told me that residents of Cluj knew that a drive through this village meant seeing passed-out drunks at all times of the day.  But, by working with families and the local alcoholics, Fr. Liviu had not only gotten a number of people sober by starting an AA group in the village, but even those who were still drinking were doing less of it and the 'phenomenon' of public drunkenness had almost completely vanished.

By ending the social pressure to drink, Fr. Liviu made it acceptable to be sober and even abstinent.  No coercion... just love and patience.

States don't run on love and patience.  That's a people thing.  So, I agree with the Czech doctor.  The Czech Republic has suffered enough from social engineering.  If they want to change society, then the Czechs have to agree to it first.