Page 66 - WhoAreWe...

indictment. To say that a man "can't hold his liquor" is a
horrible sexist insult and destructive thing to say about
someone and it needs to stop.

I would much rather use the term I have coined: A person's
Level of Dependency, or LOD. As we all know, stimulants
are everywhere and can be used responsibly and can have a
positive effect on our lives. There is nothing wrong with a
temporary — and perhaps earned — mental vacation from
the everyday stresses of life. So when someone is using a
stimulant we must look at their LOD. If there is no personal
destruction going on then OK. But if it has for whatever
reason (genetic predisposition to a compound, reaction to
an event, underlying mental issue, etc.) risen to the point of
destruction then it is time to stop it and perhaps try to find
some other way to get temporary help with relief. There are
plenty of ways out there, from meditation to exercise.

But getting there can take work and many need help.
Progressive research has found that destructive Levels of
Dependency can be managed and lives can be improved.
Years ago, I attended some AA meetings to support a
family member. What I experienced there was nothing
short of a true revelation. Never before had I found myself
in a room full of people, so ready to honestly share their
innermost thoughts and feelings, and completely willing to
participate in each other's spiritual growth — our definition
of Love.

I walked out of that meeting feeling as though I had been to
a real church — or what I always thought a church should
be — for the very first time in my life. The only agenda in
that room was love, community spirit, and feelings of
group healing — just incredible. I had never seen a group
of humans act in this way, so unselfishly and with such
pure grace. This prompted me to pick up and read the

63