Anti Sociopath Activism
See sociopaths? 
sociopath
psychopath
narcissism
obesity_medication
neuroscience
white_collar_crimeThe recovering alcoholics in my life sometimes act like they’re from Jupiter. (Everyone seems to be a recovering something these days. . . ) Their default position is negative attributional bias -they constantly are attacking based on presumed negative intention of others. They then confabulate to back fill facts to match their mis-reading of social cues. When I’ve presented proof positive of a good intention, the look on their face is shock — it’s really like they have to go back and call into question all of their other judgments about the world and people around them. So they grind in their heels, and refuse to cooperate. Or when everyone else is sitting around laughing at Monty Python’s lumberjack, and they chime in, “Yeh! They should try lapdancing!” a totally inappropriate comment, and the laughter stops and people just look at them, it has to be pretty confidence-shaking. They say things like, “whaddya think I am, stupid?” when they are being extremely stupid, and have a belief that the world is playing one big elaborate trick on them and everyone is mocking them.
Yet, the twelve step programs, to the extent that they go, even to pick up dates, seems to provide them with a framework to understand the world – the world which they totally don’t have the neural wiring to properly interpret.
Penn and Teller say that Twelve Step programs are Bullsh**. I say, Messrs. Penn and Teller, lighten up. If you had your white matter burnt out and constantly misread the social intentions of others, you’d be freaked out and looking around for a higher power to settle down with too.
Penn and Teller Bullsh**: Twelve Steps 1 of 3 (10:07)
Penn and Teller Bullsh**: Twelve Steps 2 of 3 (9:50)
Penn and Teller Bullsh**: Twelve Steps 3 of 3 (9:49)
I agree with the videos — the twelve step mumbo jumbo is bullsh** . I think, nevertheless, twelve step programs provide a framework for people who lack the ability to have insight into their problems.
Alcohol. Like many drugs, ingested to excess, burns out white matter neural connections over time. This results in misfiring on the social front. Recovering alcoholics have emotional deficits described as “Bottled-Up Emotions” and “Neurotic Hostility” (or, alexithymia and hostility) –
in a roiling toxic mixture of the two. There is diminished ability to accurately read the emotions of others, and maybe heightened response to real or imagined threats. (See here for a recent report). In commentary here, the frontal lobe emotional deficits are summarized:
. . .Alcoholics take longer to decode emotional facial expressions than healthy comparison groups. Not only that, but alcoholics over-estimate the intensity of emotions, and they show a clear bias towards mislabelling sad expressions as hostile. They tend to judge a happy face as reflecting a negative mood state, and fear responses are enhanced.. . . Somewhat similarly, alcoholic patients show deficits in identifying the affective component of speech prosody. . . .Alcoholic patients were impaired in processing humour.
When you go on the wagon, you may not go back to your pre-alcoholic brain. The abstinent alcoholic brain emotional deficits can be correlated to a white matter disconnect between the cognitive brain cells and their emotional brain cells. This disconnect physically constitutes white matter microstructure damage in several right hemisphere tracts connecting prefrontal and limbic systems (to paraphrase the abstract by Gordon et al.) These white matter deficits are thought to contribute to underlying dysfunction in memory, emotion, and reward response in alcoholism.
A twelve step program is just about the perfect landing for the neural void left after the white matter is burnt out. AA seems to be a perfect fit: the world just isn’t as you perceive it, and so you can give up on trying to figure it out. You think people are in a bad mood, and act accordingly, yet they are jovial. . . you never get the joke that everyone else seems to think is hilarious. . . your family, you interpret as hostile and lash out (but they are just sad to see your condition). These are significant social impairment torpedos, and it would be too much for anyone. So no wonder the twelve step programs, especially AA, are so popular: they give you permission to give up trying to figure every little thing out. You just throw up your hands and say, “Higher power”. Working the 12 steps involves:
- admitting that one cannot control one’s addiction or compulsion;
- recognizing a greater power that can give strength;
- examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
- making amends for these errors;
- learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
- helping others that suffer from the same addictions or compulsions.
If it were me, and I woke up one day with this distorted view of the world and no other explanation, I’d be a little freaked out too. The alcoholics I know say the most difficult part was that they had to think-about-e-v-e-r-y-little-thing. (A smile – was that really a smile? Let’s go through it – I got on the bus and, etc. etc. etc.) So the twelve step easily fills in the gap — what is, is, and it’s up to some higher power, now leave them alone and to let their white matter grow back. Very Zen.
So Penn and Teller, lighten up.
Just as an aside, AA’s treatment success is said, according to Penn and Teller’s resarch — to be about the same as if you didn’t get treatment. They couldn’t find any studies to show success rates — and the rate from this 1989 report is about 5% (they say). The trouble is, even if alcoholics stop drinking for a month every six months, that’s ok, and the AA meetings give them something to rely on.
Gordon J. Harris, Sharon Kim Jaffin, Steven M. Hodge, David Kennedy, Verne S. Caviness, Ksenija Marinkovic, George M. Papadimitriou, Nikos Makris, Marlene Oscar-Berman (2008) Frontal White Matter and Cingulum Diffusion Tensor Imaging Deficits in Alcoholism
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 32 (6) , 1001–1013 doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2008.00661.x
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a
14 responses so far ↓
1 Thomas M. Barnes // Jan 18, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I am a recovering alcoholic (self diagnosed) with over 25 years of continuous sobriety. Your article is very interesting. I have a slightly different slant however on the reality of the constant mis-cued behavior in AA and other twelve step programs. I am not a mental health expert and have no background in neurology. However, it is my personal opinion based on over a quarter of a century of AA experience that a huge numbe of recoving addicts and a smaller number of recovering alcoholics in twelve step programs are sociopaths. To put this bluntly these are people who cannot distinguish outlandish and criminal behavior from normal behavior. I have met more people with criminal intent and backgrounds in AA than in any other place in my lifetime.
AA has been very good to me but the road is rough because of all the incredibly intense sociopathy in the rooms of twelve step programs.
2 swivelchair // Jan 18, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Hi Thomas, thank you for your remarks – and wow. My own view is that most of the addictions are rooted in biology at some level, so good for you overcoming your genes/wiring for 25+ years.
That’s wild – I mean, aren’t the sociopaths sort of predatory? Seems like it’s perfect hunting ground — you have a lot of people in a vulnerable state. So I can see what you’re up against.
AA’s sociopaths – the NIAA stats show that 43 out of 1000 current alcoholics have antisocial behavior, and 37 out of 1000 abstaining alcoholics are antisocial. http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/MentalPhysicalHealth/psychcnd1.htm
I’ve seen it from the family side — I have some family members who spent lots of time at high-end in patient rehabs — and it struck me as juvenile hall. If you are prone toward criminality (or amoral behavior), then you can learn from others there all the tricks you need. Very egalitarian, rich, poor, all races and genders, equally as prone to game the system just so they can check the box, go back to their lives, and be better at manipulating. But the addiction is pretty much cured, and no relapses, which is good. Then again, that just makes the sociopaths that much more energetic.
3 ACOA Adult Children Of Alcoholics // May 21, 2009 at 9:31 am
The calculated use of the word “cult” by Penn & Teller here is to ostracize and stigmatize anyone in, or considering joining, a 12 step group. It’s an attempt to associate 12 Step programs with some insane dogma or radically dangerous religious fascism, ala David Koresh or Jim Jones. A cheap shot that is all too transparent. Especially after P & T accuse 12 Step programs of using shame and preying on the weakness of others. Much of their argument seems based more on manipulation than persuasion.
One definition of “cult” is “a cohesive social group and their devotional beliefs or practices, which the surrounding population considers to be outside of mainstream cultures.” -Wikipedia. That’s a pretty broad brush. Under that wide definition, The Boy Scouts, surfers, lesbians and yes, even comedians can be considered members of cults.
As people from dysfunctional families are well aware, shame can be a powerful weapon. It is often used to try and control those who are influenced by fear. And to silence those who may object or hold a differing opinion from those in power.
When the merits of an argument can’t stand on their own and open debate cannot be tolerated, shame and fear are convenient tools to keep alternate opinions subdued and unexpressed. These tactics are often used by truly radical cult leaders to keep their members in line. By lampooning the 12 Steps and ridiculing those who endorse them, P & T have perfectly demonstrated this authoritarian, shame based enforcement.
Alcoholism a disease? I won’t pretend to be able to divine THE definitive answer but PTSD, Addiction and Trauma all cause mental and physical afflictions. And yes, addiction does have a genetic component. Addicts and their offspring have a lack of dopamine receptors in their brains. This has been scientifically documented.
Interesting that Penn & Teller claim the success rate of the AA Programs to be 5% based on twenty year old information. They do not give any statistics on the success rate of alternative “SOS” or “Assisted Recovery” Programs that they endorse.
4 swivelchair // May 21, 2009 at 10:11 pm
ACOC, thank you for the comment. Penn & Teller are what they are. My take is that they were attempting (in their usual diplomatic style)(sarcasm) to hold AA accountable for the claim that the method treats alcoholism to some extent — so, where’s the data? Or where’s data for any kind of rehab (as you point out)?
That should be taught in elementary school, imo.
5 Bob // Mar 20, 2010 at 9:32 am
12 Step Programs (such as AA and NA) provide a forum in which to share problems with peers and look for solutions (take what you need and leave the rest), encourage members to have a Higher Power (of their own choosing) to help them through their problems, and provide a community in which to socialize absent drugs including alcohol. That doesn’t seem too cultish to me. The entertainment industry, on the other hand, is harsh and unforgiving, strict and controlling about how success is achieved (kissing ass and providing sexual favors) and by whom, and provides a community in which to socialize where backstabbing, drug and sex abuse, and personality disorders are the norm. Penn and Teller may be the ones trapped in a cult? lol
6 swivelchair // Mar 20, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Now, now, Bob, don’t go picking on Penn & Teller. AA and NA deserve to be audited now and again, even if Penn & Teller are the ones to do it. Actually, maybe Penn & Teller should have audited Lehman.
7 Qwe // Apr 4, 2010 at 4:28 pm
It’s always revealing to watch 12-steppers react angrily when their “fellowship” is being exposed. The reflexive defensiveness so often encountered only helps to heighten suspicion that something is indeed rotten in Denmark. As for whether AA is a cult, I’ll point to a published study from sociologists Alexandra & Rollins, who used Lifton’s criteria of thought–control/brainwashing and applied them to AA. They concluded that AA was most definately engaged in thought-control/brainwashing. As for it’s effectiveness, ALL randomized, longitudinal, controlled studies have shown a dismal “success” rate (around 5%) that is the same as spontaneous remission. It’s actually funny that 12 steppers are complaining about the age of the studies. If 12 step treatment is so effective, why the complete lack of randomized, longitudinal, controlled studies which show this? 90% of “treatment” is 12 step based, so it’s supporters certainly have the means. Are they reluctant to perform valid studies because they fear the results? Most studies done lack either a control or aren’t random(or both). The ones that have both are the ones with the dismal AA “success” rates. Speaking of recent studies, look at what Miller and Hester’s(U of NM) found; in a list of 48 therapies for alcoholism (in order of effectiveness), Aa was listed near the bottom (38, I believe).
8 Bob // Apr 4, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Qwe – Based on your infinite wisdom and insight, I’ve decided to give up on 12-Step Programs and start drinking and drugging again. Of course, I will quickly become unemployable and have to resort to criminal behaviors to support my habits. I’m curious, do you have anything worth stealing and what is your address? lol
9 Qwe // Apr 4, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Ah, now we have it, from the words of a stepper- any alcoholic who doesn’t join the cult is doomed be a thieving raging alcoholic…
Thank you for the illustration- you said it better than I ever could.
PS, that “powerless” nonsense doesn’t seem to be working for you…
10 Bob // Apr 4, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Nor you; seems you are powerless to let go! You are owned lol
11 Qwe // Apr 4, 2010 at 7:12 pm
If you say so…
Right, so you make a comment directed towards me and when I reply you tell me I shouldn’t have. Huh? Yes, you’re just too clever for me…
Enjoy your meetings. That’s it for me with this “conversation”.
12 swivelchair // Apr 20, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Qwe and Bob, your comments represent both sides of the table — AA is authoritarian and a cult-like belief system, but when your brain cells are deadened in acetone, well, that’s maybe what you need. I’d like a good biostat person to really dig into the relapse rate because a 5% success rate doesn’t mean 95% of 12 steppers are relapsing 100% of the time — it’s probably sinusoidal. Addiction is biological, and maybe it correlates with some sort of biological rhythm. Anyway, thanks for the discussion, except the ad hominem remarks.
13 dr x // Apr 21, 2010 at 11:30 am
An interesting post and discussion. The neurological substrates are fascinating, but my comment goes more toward the phenomenological dimension.
In my experience as a clinician, I’ve been struck by what seems to be a higher rate of narcissism among alcoholics. I don’t mean that as put down. I simply mean that there is a tendency to slip into grandiose self-perceptions along with an oversensitivity to realistic appraisals that are deflating to grandiosity. So alcoholics frequently find confrontation with the truth to be hurtful, infuriating or both.
Alcohol has a tendency to stoke feelings of grandiosity, so alcohol intoxication initially offers a place of solace to the narcissistic drinker. But the cumulative effects of trying to maintain a chemically stoked sense of grandiosity are deleterious to every aspect of living in the real world.
I want to emphasize that I’m just talking about what looks to me like a tendency. Not all narcissists end up as alcoholics and not all alcoholics are narcissists. But I’ve certainly seen the narcissistic personality organization more often in alcoholics than in non-alcoholics.
I do think AA can be of great value to alcoholics. For one, the steps themselves, the support of a sponsor and the fellowship encourages more realistic self-appraisal, less narcissistic focus in relationships and a highly supportive, safe environment for contending with the painful wounds encountered when the focus shifts away from self-grandiosity and toward realism.
14 swivelchair // Apr 22, 2010 at 7:43 am
Dr X – on the other end, the former alcoholics in my orbit when first out of rehab seem to be totally disoriented, as though their perception of the world was wrong — I wonder if this is why. (I called it the “shuffling uncle” phase, no offense to shuffling uncles). They then relapse, if not back to alcohol, then at least to the grandiosity, it seems.
Leave a Comment