Alanon  and Powerlessness

Many people who come to us feel hopeless about the their situation, often quoting Alanon and Powerlessness as a reason to stop trying to change their circumstances.

One of the central pillars of Alanon is the belief that you are powerless over the drinker.  For many who join Alanon, this comes as a relief, as they are told – “we didn’t cause it, can’t cure it, and can’t control it”.  In our book, anything that removes the guilt and shame that people living with an alcoholic feel is a good thing.

In Alanon they suggest that you detach with love from your drinker.  They also suggest that you look after yourself and make a life that is separate and non-dependent on the drinker.  Again, these are good survival strategies and we welcome them.  Indeed, we would like to stress that we have a lot of respect for the Alanon fellowship for the people that it has helped over the decades.

So, if we are in favour of Alanon’s program, is this group just a kind of Alanon group?  The answer to that is no!  While we do like some of their program, the fellowship and support that they provide, we fundamentally disagree with the central tenet of powerlessness.  We not only believe that you can influence your drinker, we show you how that may be achieved through the Bottled-up program.  

So why would we disagree with Alanon and powerlessness?

The concept of powerlessness is a double-edged sword.  On the one hand although it can clear partners of any guilt, it can greatly limit what they feel they can do and leave them helpless and hopeless to affect their own lives.  Also, importantly, it flies in the face of all the principles of social psychology.

First, we tend to act and behave in ways that are appropriate to where we are and who we are with.  We would behave very differently at a funeral than we would at a wedding, at an office Xmas party to a business meeting.  That is obvious, isn’t it?

But why do we behave different in these contexts?  Most of us will pick up our cues about how to behave from the context we are in (place, people, occasion) and act accordingly.  As the context changes, so too does our behaviour.    Have you ever worked for a boss, or had a friend, that you wanted to do things for or wanted to please?  Have you ever worked for a boss, or knew someone, that you really grudged doing things for?  What was the difference between these people?  Let me hazard a guess, it was their attitude towards you.  For it is much easier to do something for someone who you feel is supportive of you than for someone who you feel is not.  This is a fundamental psychological principle!

Second if you are told that something cannot be done by an authority figure, most times, we don’t try to do it (eg Alanon and Powerlessness).  So, if we are told that we need to wait till the drinker is ready change because we cannot do anything about it, then most likely we will not try.  Yes, we know that you have been trying to get them to change for years without any success, so being told that you are powerless both makes sense and is a relief since you don’t have to keep wasting your time trying.  However, after finding out you are powerless people tend to stop trying.

Drowning

Motivation is the key to change

Not that long ago most rehabs were 12 step based.  That meant that they (the therapists and doctors) also believed that people were powerless over alcohol and had to wait until the drinker was ready to change.  One eminent researcher was asked “What makes a good therapist?”.  His answer was “One that is there when the drinker wants to change.”

In the early 1980s some research showed that, rather than just wait, if you address people’s motivation, they changed (you would expect that wouldn’t you? You expect that treatment would change drinkers).  This was not a new revelation, the ancient Greeks knew it, and so did you.  Most people react to people doing things that they don’t like by making their feelings plain, they shout, nag, punish etc.  Sometimes this works.  Indeed, at one time it was the accepted way of teaching children and criminals right from wrong.  Other times it tends to make a bad situation even worse.  However, there are tried and tested ways we can address the drinker’s motivation that don’t involve these methods and they are much more effective.  In Bottled-up we can teach you these methods.

We can show you how to change your reactions and so change the context for the drinker, which in turn may result in them changing their behaviour.  It does not work for everybody, but it can work more often than not.  Research has shown that when people used these methods, around two thirds of their drinkers sought treatment compared with about one third for people who were in Alanon.  In fairness to Alanon they never suggest that you can influence your drinker.  After all they suggest that you are powerless.  In Bottled-up we show you that you are not.

Do you want to find out how to influence your drinker?  Then let us show you.  Empower yourself by joining Bottled Up it’s free.