Alcohol: The American Addiction with Mark Abrams

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Here a psychotherapist speaks to the most effective form of treatment for alcoholism to date. In his work as a psychotherapist, he has discovered that many alcoholics have initially embarked upon this misguided path as an unconscious spiritual journey. In Abrams experience, this downward spiral can be transformed through applying the principles of AA. In the midst of the government's "War on Drugs," alcohol never gets mentioned, and yet drunk driving continues to be the single greatest cause of fatalities on the highway--the same highway on which you can purchase alcohol at the nearest gas station. Alcoholism exacts a terrible toll from society in terms of time, money and human misery. (hosted by Michael Toms)

Bio

In 1976, as treatment director of a 35-bed addiction facility, retired Transpersonal psychotherapist Mark Abrams came to recognize the efficacy and wide applicability of Alcoholics Anonymous. Influenced to try Zazen by a 1967 talk by Zen poet Paul Reps, Mark committed to daily practice two years later, and spent winter, 1970 at San Francisco Zen Center under Suzuki Roshi. As an Advaitic Poornavatar bhakta, he has been a student of Sri Sathya Sai Baba since 1971. 

Mark Abram’s’ master’s thesis “A Transpersonal View of Alcoholism and Its Treatment: AA as a Contemporary Wisdom School”(1978). 

Host: Michael Toms    Interview Date: 8/19/1986   Program Number: 2008