Atheist jailed for denying ‘higher power’ in Calif. drug rehab gets $2M

[reflection]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/15/atheist-drug-treatmentsettlement.html

An atheist in Northern California has been awarded nearly $2 million in a settlement with the state and a nonprofit drug rehab organization for violating his religious liberty by sending him to jail for refusing to submit to a “higher power” as part of a treatment program, local news outlets reported.

After serving a year behind bars for methamphetamine possession, 46-year-old Barry Hazle Jr. of Shasta County was ordered to participate in a residential drug treatment program.

When he arrived at the Empire Recovery Center in Redding, Calif., the atheist was told that the center’s 12-step program, which was modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous, involved submitting to a “higher power” through prayer, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday.

When Hazle balked and asked about secular drug rehab, he was told that Empire was the only state-approved facility in Shasta County — and that it wasn’t picky about whom that higher power should be — the Chronicle said.

[unblock]

1. atheism pays!

[yeoman6987]

7. I just hope he found another drug rehab to

Take care of his addiction. 2 million is a lot of money. Although after lawyer fees it will be half that but still.

[markpkessinger]

11. You are assuming he is addicted . . .

. . . he may be just a casual user (yes, they do exist), but court tend to treat every drug defendant like he or she is a junkie.

[yeoman6987]

21. Very true. I hope he is just a casual user

[marym625]

39. Although what you say is true

With meth, never met or even heard of a casual user. Not saying it isn't possible. Meth seems to be the most addictive thing out there. So, I hope he either got help or you're right.

[Arugula Latte]

46. Not as much as religion.

You can fleece the gullible out of billions (well, you could also just plunder for centuries). Ask the Vatican.

[unblock]

47. sure, when you're at the top. this guy was just one of the faithless.

[CBGLuthier]

2. Wonder how long 2 million dollars worth of meth is gonna last him?

[tkmorris]

3. Why do you assume he will return to using?

[Archae]

4. Well, it is like giving lighter fluid to an arsonist...

I saw a feature on a news magazine about a dope user who won the lottery,

Now broke, he said himself it was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

[markpkessinger]

10. We don't even know if this guy was necessarily addicted . . .

. . . he may have been a casual user.

[Archae]

13. No, we don't know.

The important thing in this story is that the State tried to cram religion on this guy, (and any "higher power" talk IS religion,) and he said no, so they threw him in jail.

And that was 100% wrong.

[liberalhistorian]

23. He should have called their bluff and made the "higher power"

the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or even made up his own, and watched their heads explode (well, hey, they DID say that they "weren't picky" about the "higher power" after all). Why in the hell was the state not only contracting with a faith-based organization, but making it the only one available to him?

Speaking as a Christian and a current seminary student at a (fortunately) liberal, progressive, social-justice-oriented seminary where more than half of the students, faculty and staff are GLBT (and it gets picketed sometimes because of that, we always go out and offer them food and drink and they never know what to do, lol!) this kind of thing infuriates me. Governments have no business being hand-in-hand with, and contracting with, faith-based organizations (of ANY faith) just as such organizations have no business or right, and no religion has any business or right, to force their doctrines down people's throats and punish them for resistance. "Freedom of religion" also includes the freedom to have NO religion.

Although I wonder what the reaction would be here had it been the other way around?

[robbob]

38. Clarify what you mean by "the other way around" please

I am trying to picture a situation where a rehab center would insist you renounce your faith and deny the existence of God in order to participate in the program. Can't imagine that ever happening.

[whatthehey]

43. It would have been stunned amazement

Because in contrast to the thousands, heck hundreds of thousands, of both public and private groups which insist on introducing statements of belief into unrelated events, there are precisely zero, including organized atheist groups, who insist on introducing statements of disbelief into unrelated events, let alone make their avoidance harmful or illegal.

This strange Christian obsession with imaginary ideas of being oppressed belongs with fundies, not more sensible believers.

[AndyTiedye]

53. Substitute "Future Self" for "Higher Power"

[CaptainTruth]

62. Or, his higher power could have been methamphetamine ...

... if they really don't care what his higher power is.

[Thor_MN]

27. He might not have even been a user. Possesion does not necessarily mean it was for his use.

[Logical]

58. Wow, what a classy comment. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

26. Because everybody knows that the 12 steps are the ONLY way to get sober, silly!

Which is why AA's success rates for long term sobriety (5+ years) top out at 10%, whereas success rates for other methods top out at around... uh, 10%.

[2banon]

41. I'm sorry, that just isn't a fact. It's a great resource, but "success" rates are highly exgeratede.

I've known too many Alcoholics and Drug addicts that it didn't work for. I've known a number of them that it has worked for. But no, from my experience, I'd say those stats are highly questionable.

[hughee99]

50. A success rate of 1 out of 10 sounds highly exaggerated?

I'm not that familiar with what the rates are, but I can't imagine anyone bragging about a 10% success rate.

[Warren DeMontague]

66. It is hard to get definite statistics, I'd agree with you there.

However the evidence available seems to show that for long term sobriety AA's recovery rates are not marginally better than rates for other methods.

That said, I salute anyone who finds what works for them, but I dont think it is right to tell a struggling atheist who walks into a 12 step meeting that if they don't have something akin to a religious conversion, they CANT get sober.

Give them an RR, SMART, or SOS pamphlet and say "this might be better for you, we'll still be here if you change your mind"

[2banon]

68. Agree completely. n/t

[cally]

5. There needs to be alternatives...noone should

be forced to pray. But 12 step programs save many lives.

[whatthehey]

44. and godbothering groups (ALL 12 steppers) are no more successful than other interventions.

[Dont call me Shirley]

6. Drug and alcohol rehab needs to be in the hands of trained educated therapists, not religions.

Religions are not adequately equipped to handle detox, psychotherapy, life coaching and all other necessary areas of expertise required to successfully assist substance abusers.

[Ampersand Unicode]

9. Portugal is leading the way on this issue

They have basically decriminalized everything, allowing people to "experiment" but still having available rehabilitation programs for those who become addicts and want help. Medical rehabilitation, mind you. They don't put the church in charge of the state rehab clinics.

Just goes to show you what 50 years of moralist fascism can do to a country. When they finally get out from under it, they do a complete 180. As well they should. Salazar was a real bastard who ruled with an iron Catholic fist.

Sadly, it seems we're going to have to hit rock bottom too before we can be a truly humane country.

[2banon]

69. Portugal? Wow! Interesting, Thanks for the insight.. n/t

[Archae]

52. Whenever I hear "trained therapists," I think of the McMartin preschool witch hunt.

It was "trained educated therapists" who convinced the little kids that they had been part of "Satanic abuse" and took plane rides, killed giraffes, went through tunnels, and many other wild fantasies that in that fiasco of a "prosecution."

[Dont call me Shirley]

54. Yeah, I wasn't thinking about that, just good old fashioned regular psychotherapists.

[Archae]

55. Except what is a "regular" psychotherapist?

It used to be a part of "regular" psychotherapy, to blame the Mom fro autism in kids.
(The "refrigerator mother" who was "cold" to their baby and the kid became autistic as a result.)

Psychotherapy is rather prone to fads, like the above.

[Dont call me Shirley]

56. Like a chiropractor, you gotta find a good one.

[Joanie Baloney]

8. Good for him!

Nobody should be forced to go through a religious based program anywhere! Sure - offer the 12 steps as one program. It works for some folks. But there is no one-sized fits all treatment for addiction.

As he says, "I’m thrilled to finally have this case settled," Hazle told the Record Searchlight. "It sends a clear message to people in a position of authority, like my parole agent, for example, that they not mandate religious programming for their parolees, and for anyone else, for that matter."



-JB

[JonLP24]

12. I recommend reading Rehab Nation

and get away from the nonsense of a one-size-fits-all approach.

[Dont call me Shirley]

14. Also Gabor Mate "In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts"

[liberalhistorian]

24. Excellent point, and I'd also

recommend not criminalizing addiction and drug/alcohol usage. They are not crimes and should not be treated as such. People need help, not punishment and a permanent criminal record.

[Archae]

15. I've read an article at Cracked.com about the guy who started AA...

With it's "12 step" program.

When Bill W. was on his deathbed, he kept asking medical people caring for him for alcohol.

http://www.cracked.com/article_21333_5-acts-staggering-hypocrisy-from-self-righteous-critics_p2.html

[DirkGently]

16. KNR n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. "Higher Power" alternative....

Me.

[2banon]

42. LOL! good one .n/t

[jtuck004]

18. First thing he saw the check? "Ok, maybe there is a god". lol

Good for him!

[mountain grammy]

19. Works for me!

[AtomicKitten]

20. sanity prevails!

[Solly Mack]

22. K&R

[Warren DeMontague]

25. Good. 12 Step Programs work for some people, don't work for others. People- particularly Atheists-

in court mandated recovery programs need to be offered secular alternatives. It is patently obvious to any Atheist who has sat in a AA meeting, that the religious/spiritual component is central to that program. Certainly there are semantic gymnastics which some 12 steppers can engage in to get around the "G" word, nevertheless it is fundamentally a religious-spiritual program; which is fine, for the people who want and need that.

And there are alternative options beyond the 12 steps which work for some people, just as the 12 steps work for some people. Rational Recovery, Secular Orgs. for Sobriety, SMART recovery, etc.

Anyone who tries to argue that there is only ONE way to do it, is wrong, and wrong-headed. Unfortunately that is a piece of dogma that still gets floated.

It's also worth noting that many 12 steppers don't want or appreciate the court-mandated people, because they realize that forcing someone to go is counter-productive.

[YOHABLO]

28. This is the problem with AA and 12 step programs .. too much turning responsibility over to ''GOD"

It's all in your head folks .. the power to abstain from alcohol and drugs is within you.

[Pastiche423]

30. "...is within you."

Perfectly spoken.

[Warren DeMontague]

36. That is, I think, an oversimplification. Plus, it's not up to anyone to walk anyone else's path.

But I'll say this, because here I am put in the odd position of defending 12 step programs, when generally I am perfectly happy to argue with 12 steppers who will proclaim that those programs are the ONLY way to get sober, or to get "really" sober (true scotsmen abound!) etc. etc.

They are not, and fortunately there ARE alternatives to 12 step programs, which work for some people. But, also, AA and the 12 steps work for some people. I would never begrudge or even second guess anyone on what works for them.

I have my own theories, of course, about the nature of addiction and how the addiction warps the decision-making processes in the brain itself; which renders it exceedingly difficult to use that same brain to logically think oneself out of the cycle of addiction. Like trying to use a broken hammer to fix itself. Where Higher Powers and such come in and can be helpful IMHO (along with the undeniable assistance many, but not all, addicts find from group support and the understanding of people struggling with the same issues) is in that they remove, or attempt to, that 'decision making' from the very brain which is caught up in, whose decision making skills are compromised by, the addiction itself.

There is dogma or "shop-worn truth" floated as gospel in 12 step meetings that I personally disagree with, but for some people? it works. I wouldn't tell them not to do it their way any more than I would tell the guy in CA that he has to do the steps or go to jail.

Also, people who are not addicts or don't have close experience with them, are likely not going to understand- certainly not something like alcoholism, where people without it are quite likely to adopt the attitude "why can't you just drink like everyone else? I'm sure if you tried, you could"... The bottom line is that with at least some forms of acute alcoholism, I am dead certain there is an undeniable, physiological process that goes on (and is likely carried on one or a couple genes) ... whether it involves acetylaldehyde processing enzymes in the liver, or tetrahydroisoquinolines, or whatever, I don't know... but it's a real physiological thing and expecting someone with it to "just drink like everyone else" is like expecting someone with a bee sting allergy to will themselves out of anaphylactic shock, after whacking a beehive with a stick.

(AA of course, will often tell people that what really ails them is a 'spiritual malady'... another point where I disagree)

And lastly, on a purely objective basis, if someone says "God removed from my mind the compulsion to drink" and I say "you believing God removed from your mind the compulsion to drink is what really removed the compulsion to drink from your mind", what's the difference, objectively? Is there one?

Does it even matter?

[F4lconF16]

37. The beehive analogy

Was a really good one. It's ridiculous to expect someone suffering from addiction can just shrug it off. It's looked at like many mental illnesses are: not as a disease, but a problem with the afflicted person.

[whatthehey]

48. There are good points here, but one problem.

Alcoholics DO will themselves out of it, unlike bee sting allergies. There are alcoholics who became teetotal, and alcoholics who became moderate drinkers with success (I know 12 steppers pretend the latter is not true, but I find their MM horror stories hypocritical given their own woeful success rate with recidivism). Both these interventions rely on will, There are no drugs or vaccines or surgeries involved. Certainly people process alcohol differently physiologically, but when the only even sometime successful mitigation is psychological in nature, it's clear that the will has far more to do with the problem than it could ever have with anaphylactic shock.

[Warren DeMontague]

64. I dont buy that people who have an innate physiological dependence on alcohol

Can turn around and moderate.

Ever.

Im sorry, I simply don't.

Im not talking about maybe people who partied too much in college and settle down or whatever- and I'm certainly willing to concede that there are different types of "alcoholisms", many of which I would categorize instead as problem drinking...

However, if you're talking about the type of person who can't drink a bottle of wine without subsequently being on the hook for 36 hours of DTs and potentially life-threatening withdrawals- which is not a "normal" reaction to a bottle of wine, and I happen to know for a fact that those people do exist- no, I'm sorry, but no amout of "willpower" is going to turn them into a moderate drinker.

Also it's funny that you mention MM.. Last I heard it was the founder herself who ended up getting drunk and driving, and killing 2 people. A horror story, indeed. But I cant tell people what to do, or think...any alcoholic- im talking about people with a physiological as well as psychological dependence on alcohol- who thinks they can turn around and moderate, I'm not going to be able to stop them from trying to pull off that most impressive feat.

i do think "MM" style approaches are dangerous because they feed into a favorite illusion of the alcoholic, namely that someday they will be able to "drink normally". When someone's immediate response to ingesting any amount of alcohol is a physiological craving for more, that is not a normal physical response to alcohol. And barring some profound deeper chemical understanding, it is not likely to be changed into one.

[whatthehey]

70. but mm and aa success rates are both approximately equal, and aa horror stories are ten a penny too.

It's surely a no ttrue scotsman fallacy to say mm success stories weren't REAL alcoholics but AA's where, if you define an alcoholic as someone who can only respond to absolute abstinence.

[Warren DeMontague]

72. Actually, I said I think there are probably different forms or manifestations of "alcoholisms".

I am skeptical, to say the least, of claims that people who have experienced a physiological dependence on alcohol, turning around and suddenly being able to drink in moderation. I suppose at the end of the day the label, "alcoholic" or not, doesn't really matter that much.

But I can't tell anyone else what to do, or what not to try. I suspect if I'm right about that, the person with the problem will figure it out on their own, eventually.

I will say that in the context of this thread, and court-ordered recovery programs for people convicted of crimes, MM might be a tougher sell to those courts than a secular or 12 step abstinence-based program.

[whatthehey]

73. I agree with the last bit

The courts by definition appeal to moralizers.

It just seems that we as a nation cannot be honest about alcoholism at either end of the spectrum. Moralizers and fundies pretend it's all about character and "sin", but at the other end of the spectrum we have the "just like any other disease" folks who do all kinds of mental gymnastics to try and explain why, unlike any other disease, the only known successful intervention is, assisted or otherwise, willing yourself not to be stricken with it. To me the middle path makes more sense. If abstinence works that's great. If moderation works that's great too, and having one or the other work doesn't mean you never had a problem in the first place. Obviously the higher power boondoggle is bullshit, and in either case it's the peer support, mental conditioning, guilt syndrome and education that really works.

[Warren DeMontague]

74. I fully support scientific research into alcoholism. I know for a fact there are physiological,

biochemical, genetic processes involved.

As far as 'only successful intervention'- in the context of the MM discussion, I addressed that in another post; IMHO for alcoholics (whatever that means) there are really two hurdles or challenges, getting sober and staying sober. Not the same thing.

Getting sober can often be a medical, physiological process. Staying sober or not taking the first drink which, for the physiologically dependent, is what kicks off the cycle of physical addiction, is where 'psychological mitigation' or what-have-you comes in.

[Warren DeMontague]

67. Also I'd add this, regarding "the only sometime successful mitigation is psychological"

There are two things, and two big hurdles for any alcoholic, as far as I am concerned- one is getting sober, and the other is staying sober.

Related, but not identical- and in some ways very different. The physiological processing issues with alcohol only come into play once the alcohol is introduced into the system- once the alcohol has left the system and the brain chemistry has stabilized, the physiological stuff is not the issue, as long as the alcohol stays out of the person's body. However, with alcoholism, there is generally a psychological component as well- like I said, the addiction itself warps the decision making processes.

The psychological mitigiation- whatever form it may take, and not everyone needs AA or RR or even "a program", but they help some people- comes in as far as staying sober, not getting sober. In fact, with advanced alcoholics, getting sober (i.e. detoxing) is something which can be life-threatening and should be handled in a medical environment, oftentimes with sedation and other medical assistance (hardly 'psychological mitigation'). AA meetings (or other abstinence-based support group/networks) are for helping sober people stay away from that first drink, not for the guy who is in the throes of DTs and seizures.

Of course, once that first drink goes in, the physiological syndrome starts up again. Which is why I think with alcoholics who do have a physiological thing going on, at least, MM type approaches are doomed to fail.

Also, the points here I'm trying to make in this thread have to do with sobriety and getting and staying sober, so MM isn't really relevant, because the point of MM isn't sobriety. If someone isn't interested in sobriety, I would wish them all the luck in the world with something like MM, but it's a different animal.

[YOHABLO]

61. Nothing I said was over simplified. Treatment programs are beneficial .. we can't live in treatment

forever. Treatment programs, AA and all 12 Step programs, provide a community of support. No doubt some spend the rest of their lives attending AA and NA meetings. But I would suggest it's more about socialization in a ''safe'' place with an extraordinary ''disease'' they all have in common. That works .. for some. The reality is we have to navigate through a world in which people use drugs and alcohol to combat their anxieties. The bottom line is how one constructs thinking (psychological tools) to keep from ever using again. LISTENING to how others have accomplished this is helpful.

[Warren DeMontague]

65. Like i said, i wouldnt second guess how anyone else pulls it off.

It is an accomplishment no matter how it is done- the numbers bear that out.

Just as I wouldnt want them to try to tell anyone else that there was only one "right" way.

[Dustlawyer]

29. Amen!

Sarcasm.

Glad to hear it! There has been a stronger push by the so called, religious right, to push religion into everything, with sometimes hilarious results. I love the Demon statue in Oklahome and the Satanist coloring books in Florida, but no, I am not a Satanist! It is just good to see them get a dose of their own medicine for a change!

[Recursion]

31. Court-mandated rehab is ridiculous

If the addict isn't ready or needs a different path from 12 step, sending him there is just wasting everyone's time and money...

[lonestarnot]

32. Just a tentacle of the war on drug economy. More tentacles than an underwater sea kelp forest.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

40. Christians are CONVINCED it works...

Some of them are convinced alcohol or drugs are of the DEVIL and weaken the will allowing the DEVIL to enter you.

Their version of alcohol treatment is to stand over you throwing holy water and screaming, "The power of Christ compels you!"

[ZombieHorde]

33. Good.

Higher power = meaningless drivel.

[Cha]

34. JHC.. Lucrative to stand up for what you don't believe in! The "JHC" part is

because they put him in jail! smh

[Cha]

35. Barry Hazle Jr sounds clear..

"I’m thrilled to finally have this case settled," Hazle told the Record Searchlight. "It sends a clear message to people in a position of authority, like my parole agent, for example, that they not mandate religious programming for their parolees, and for anyone else, for that matter."

[Helen Borg]

45. Guy was not cooperating with the higher power... Jail was the only solution :)

[Liberal_in_LA]

49. thx for this thread

[hifiguy]

51. Good.

Treating medical issues with religion = quackery.

[alarimer]

57. Good.

Hopefully this will jump-start the development of treatment programs that do not demand adherence to religion, however nebulous they claim it is. A "higher power" is STILL religion.

And of course, prevent courts from mandating religiously-based programs, even AA, which, despite what they claim, is religious, even if it is vague as to specifics.

[RedCappedBandit]

59. good. forcing that higher power nonsense on people is BS

[EEO]

60. This one god thing is so boring.

[CaptainTruth]

63. Reminds me of a friend who got a DUI some years back.

The court said he had to go to a company for evaluation. They told him he had to go to a different company for counseling. That company said he had to go to an AA meeting every week, "the county" required it. He never was able to figure out who in "the county" required it, as it apparently wasn't a court requirement. Most of it seemed like a scam, the companies pay the state every year to be certified & the state keeps sending them customers. Nice business arrangement.

He said the AA meetings started with a prayer, ended with the lord's prayer, & talked about god the whole meeting. He said there was more talk of god than in a church service. The fact that the state (the government) required him to attend such religious meetings seemed like a clear violation of separation of church & state.

[2banon]

71. Just want to say, Good!

maybe that will spur on an important policy change.