B"H

Addiction And How It Impinges On Morality

The following is a slightly revised version of a post I made on
the Yahoo! group M-Pol that got me run off for being a "troll". As a result of the visceral, unbridled reactions to this post and others in which I raised the issue of morality I officially resigned from Mensa.

I originally asked how much drinking the other members assume goes on
in the group. I chose drinking because it is, I believe, the most
prevalent of the addictions that causes cognitive distortion. (By
cognitive I mean intellectual as well as emotional perception and
processing of information). Afterward I realized that I should
elaborate on the question to include other addictions, including the
addiction to food.

This is what I wrote in reply to the many, rather heated, responses I
received in response to my query:

It was asked why I raised these questions on the M-Pol Yahoo! group
specifically. I'd like to explain myself and, hopefully, elucidate
the point in such a way that it does not seem accusatory.

Whether or not one can be intellectually lucid when inebriated is
questionable. Certainly there is an inverse relationship between
degree of inebriation and ability to think lucidly. I must allow that
people who are accustomed to drinking alcohol can drink a good amount
and still be able to think analytically and creatively and discuss
matters cogently. Some of the most creative artists and prolific
intellectuals are/were alcoholic, not just drinkers, but truly
alcoholic. Some are/were drug addicts as well.

However, there is also the matter of emotional lucidity to be
considered. Drinking impairs our emotional faculties no less, and
sometimes even more, than it does our ability to think. Many of those
very creative artists and prolific intellectuals mentioned above who
are/were drinkers are/were well nigh dysfunctional in their private
affairs and wholly incapable of moral improvement either in the
personal or societal spheres, despite the fact that they can/could
speak and write about morality quite lucidly indeed.

In order to be able to bring about improvements in our club, and in
society at large, and I assume that objective has something to do
with what this discussion group is about, the majority of the members
of our club will have to be able to discipline themselves emotionally
most of the time. To do so one has to be sober and straight most of
the time. This is not Doreen's opinion. This is the opinion of AA,
NA, OA...(Yes, OA too. A compulsive eater can not be relied on to
demonstrate the ongoing discipline and self-sacrifice needed to be a
true altruist and reformer any more than an alcoholic or a drug
addict can. We have to take this addiction into account too. Same
with sex and relationship addicts and so on.)

Without being able to bring our emotions under control and focus them
to the extent necessary, and in the ways needed, to realize purpose,
in this instance to better our club, all further discussion is
pointless. That is why it was of more than casual interest to me to
know how much emotional focus, restraint and selflessness for the
sake of the cause of improving our club can be expected of the
members.

Doreen