DOCTOR BIRTCH AND ALCOHOLISM

Before you go on to read Dr. Birtch's writings, I wish to relate my personal contact with him. Over the period of several years, as editor of the Donwood Newsletter I had several discussions with the good doctor, in fact our personalities clashed. Mainly it was my fault. It is true that I sometimes hounded him for his monthly writing, so much that he was quite upset with me.

Once I asked his advice. My wife and I were hosting a cocktail party where there was going to be lots of liquor, beer and wine. What did he recommend? I was hoping that he would recommend one of two things: 1. Cancel the party, or 2. Stay away somewhere safe until the party was over.

He recommended that I stay at the party and that I would be strong enough to get through it. Frankly I was scared! It had only been a few weeks since I had left the hospital, and was feeling peckish. However, I stayed, weathered the storm of addiction and longing for a drink, all the while cursing him in my mind for pushing me in this direction. Only later did I realize that he quite sagely advise me to face up to my fear, get over it, and get on with life.

Now I know he was right, and I wish he was around so I could tell him how much I now appreciate him and I would thank him for 39 years of sobriety. I could not have done it without him or the Donwood.

Writing this blog, and examining Dr. Birtch,s writings, I have come to the realization that he was a master genius, not only in his writing, but his life. His words are golden and I hope that a great many other recovering addicts read his articles.


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Dr. Birtch was affiliated with the Donwood Institute in Toronto. He has since passed away, however we feel that what he wrote for the "DONWOOD" newsletter during the time he was with them is very relevant to the alcoholic of today. Following are his articles:

TWO KINDS OF FREEDOM.

At Donwood we are concerned about two kinds of freedom.

The first and most obvious is this. We are working toward freedom from a sick dependency on a chemical. When a person comes to Donwood he is usually no stranger to a feeling of bondage. He is a slave to a chemical, the servant of an uncontrolled desire. Many of the satisfactions and rewards of living are denied him because he is not free to pursue them. He is under the domination of a most demanding master.

When a person is in this condition he may feel, "If only I could get free from my slavery to this chemical I could enjoy life again." But this is not necessarily true. A person may achieve total abstinence and still be miserable. That is why our program has two sides. We work not just for "freedom from" but also for "freedom for".

Our goal at Donwood is for the achievement of quality of health that is rich and rewarding. Freedom from the bondage is not complete until it issues in freedom to adopt a new life style that has its own built-in satisfactions.

This freedom costs something too. There is a price to be paid. The price takes the form of daily choices and daily discipline. Simple things like exercise, diet, rest, development of stimulating interests, pursuit of social health with family and friends - these involve choices and self-disipline. Yet for a person who assumes that freedom in simply doing what he wants to do when he wants to do it, it may be too great a price. Daily discipline may seem to be a denial of freedom.
That is why it is important to decide what kind of freedom we are looking for.