Dry Drunk Syndrome: is this George W. Bush's problem?

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George W. Bush has publically been described by close friends as obnoxious and arrogant during his heavy drinking days. Even Laura couldn't stand him.
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"Dry Drunk" has been described as "A condition of returning to one's old alcoholic thinking and behavior without actually having taken a drink." Or as one wise old drunk put it, if a horse thief goes into A.A. what you can end up with is a sober horse thief. Or a personal favorite: you can take the rum out of the fruit cake, but you've still got a fruit cake!

Those who quit drinking but are still angry about it, wind up living miserable lives and usually make everyone else around them miserable too. If it has been said once in an Al-Anon meeting, it has been whispered thousands of times, "I almost wish he would go back to drinking."
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By Buddy T. - Alcoholism Newsletter
[email protected]

Dry Drunk Syndrome
Not Drinking, But Not 'Of Sober Mind' Either

Unfortunately when many former drinkers go through the grieving process over the loss of their old friend, the bottle, some never get past the anger stage.

It is a very real loss. The drink has been their friend for many years and one they could count on. When the whole world turned against them, the bottle never let them down. It was always there ready for the good times, the celebrations, the parties, as well as the sad, mad, and lonely times, too.

Finally their old friend let them down... they got in trouble with the law, lost a job or career, almost lost their family, or the doctors told them they had to stop drinking... whatever the reason, the circumstances of their life brought them to the point where they made a decision to say "so long" to the bottle.

Whether they realized it or not, they began the stages of grieving -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance -- the same stages most people go through when they have a great loss in their lives or have been told they have a terminal illness.

First comes the denial -- it's really not that big a deal, I've always said I could quit anytime -- and then the anger and depression when they realize just how much that had come to depend on their old friend alcohol.

Many make it through the process to the final stage -- accepting the loss, learning and growing through the experience, and moving on.

Some never make it. It's sad to see them, sometimes many years later, still stuck in their anger, bitterness, and resentment at having to make the change in their lives. They haven't had a drink in years, but they have also never had a "sober" day.

" I've been in the program 16 years," says an old-timer while the newcomers lean forward hoping to gain some wisdom, "And my philosophy is: Don't drink and go to meetings."

You even see them in the 12-step rooms... been in the program for years and years and their lives seem to be a constant unmanageable struggle. All those years and they have no more of a spiritual awakening than they did the first time they walked into the room.

"Dry Drunk" has been described as "A condition of returning to one's old alcoholic thinking and behavior without actually having taken a drink." Or as one wise old drunk put it, if a horse thief goes into A.A. what you can end up with is a sober horse thief. Or a personal favorite: you can take the rum out of the fruit cake, but you've still got a fruit cake!

Those who quit drinking but are still angry about it, wind up living miserable lives and usually make everyone else around them miserable too. If it has been said once in an Al-Anon meeting, it has been whispered thousands of times, "I almost wish he would go back to drinking."

Okay, I don't like it, now what?

The simple answer to that question is to find something that you do like, but that is not always as easy as it sounds.

There is a theory that in order to fully recover from the effects of alcoholism, the alcoholic must replace the obsessive behaviors in his life with their spiritual opposites. Frankly, there are those who believe that without such spiritual help from a power greater than themselves, true recovery is impossible.

The Alcoholics Anonymous program has championed this theory for many years to millions of "hopeless drunks" who are now living happy and sober lives. It's hard to argue with that record of success.

But beyond the spiritual side of recovery, there are other steps that can be taken to help make life fun again, without alcohol:

Develop a hobby. Take up gardening, start or expand a collection, build something, go fishing, or learn how to develop your own web pages! Try to find some activity to fill those leisure hours that you used to spend drinking.

Get healthy. All those years of drinking probably took some toll on your physical health. Join the YMCA, take up walking or jogging, or play a sport. Get on some kind of regular (daily) exercise program.

Improve your mind. It's never too late to learn new things. Get a library card, take a continuing education class, improve your job skills, or surf the 'Net.

Spend time with your family. Maybe you can't replace all those times that you neglected your wife and children while you were in the barrooms, but you can make a new start. Take your wife out to her favorite place, take the kids or grandchildren to the park, or start a project in which the entire family can participate.

Life doesn't have to be a miserable experience just because you quit drinking. There's a whole world out there for you to explore and learn about.

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Well, it is possible that the abstaining alcoholics experience some psychological problems after having given up drinking, but I see no connection to Mr. Bush. His life can hardly be called miserable: he has made a brilliant career in politics (any politician cannot have better achievement than becoming a President), he has loving family, and he has religious faith. So, this article is irrelevant if we refer to Mr. George W. Bush (I also doubt that he has ever been a real alcoholic; not everyone that drank had physical dependency).

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BumbleBeeBoogie (great name) - my sister was married to a dry drunk a few years ago. That's the first time I had ever heard the term. I learned quite a bit about it at the time.

I am not a "Bush basher". I try my best to be supportive of our leaders. But the thought has entered my mind - wondering if the president could be a dry drunk. I have no idea if he's an alcoholic, but some of his actions make me think it's a possibility. On the other hand, there are patterns in his life that belie that possibility. I honestly hope he's not, because that just complicates things even further.

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Quote:

Dry Drunk
By: Michael R. Niehaus

Alcoholic Anonymous members use the term "stinking thinking" when a recovering alcoholic's old attitude from the drinking days reappear. If the person talks and behaves somewhat as if he or she were still drinking members call it a "dry drunk".
Members of twelve step programs have long been aware of the above progression and have termed it a "dry drunk". Their experience suggests that the origin of the "dry drunk" can be found in both physical and psychological factors. The acronym H.A.L.T. (Avoid being Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired) calls attention to the need for good nutrition, emotional equilibrium, relaxation, recreation, and socialization to prevent a relapse.
Most of these symptoms are reminiscent, of the period when drinking, and a return to drug consumption may even be considered. The chemical dependent who may be attending twelve step meetings regularly, is completely unprepared for these symptoms and wonders, "How can these things be happening to me sober?" These feelings are so alien to expectations when "things have been going so well," and so gradual in onset that the alcoholic may again deny their existence, although their development is obvious to his or her family and associates. However, a careful exploration of these facts and a reassurance that this is a common experience that can be successfully overcome will begin to reverse the process and speed recovery. Unfortunately, if the process remains untreated, it is likely to proceed to a relapse.
Although chemical dependency, like coronary artery disease and other chronic conditions, does tend to relapse, a "dry drunk" is not inevitable and relapse can be prevented. The history of many alcoholics attests to the fact that once they have discovered the fellowship and pursue the program honestly and devotedly, even those who were considered "hopeless" relapsing time and time again, now almost miraculously begin to lead lives of increasingly improving quality.
Heightened feelings of anxiety and uncomfortable physical accompaniments such as mild tremors and slight sweating are common before a relapse. Vague symptoms of depression surface, and sleeping and eating habits are disturbed. Sleep may be fitful and restless with long periods of insomnia alternating with feelings of exhaustion and excessively deep sleep for hours. Appetite diminishes, meals are missed, or "junk food" is craved. The person feels irritable, is easily moved to anger, and is generally more unpredictable emotionally. A feeling of withdrawal, of boredom and listlessness, of inability to go to twelve step meetings, may alternate with intense feelings of resentment against family and friends, and explosive outbursts of violence. With the passage of time the depression becomes deeper, nothing seems worthwhile, and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness take over.

http://www.addictions.net/drydrunk.htm

Another link provides some information, which might narrow the answer to the question:

'Dry Drunk' - Is Bush Making A Cry For Help?'

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Any politician has enemies, and Mr. Bush is not an exception. Different rumors are being permanently spread about him and his past, and the only purpose is to compromise the leader of the greatest superpower in the world. I am far from considering all the rumors spreaders direct agents of Saddam or al-Qaeda, but IMHO, the closer are the elections, the more rumors will appear in different Web sites and printed editions. And the more monstruous lies will such rumors contain. Dr. Joseph Göbbels once claimed that the lie in order to be efficient must be primitive as the savage's picture and enormous at the same time.

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It is said that an alcoholic, always a potential dry-drunk (which I have always had a conceptual problem with) is nothing more than an underdeveloped child, fixated at some early point of dvelopment, and not being able to move on., I find the argument compelling.

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BumbleBeeBoogie -- Yes -- I think much of what we see in Bush is related to addiction problems, possibly family-wide and not just limited to W. There is a culture of alcohol in Washington -- or at least was when I lived there. I suggested the same thing on an Abuzz thread a while back and found that it resonated with people. There was an article in Counterpunch -- I'll see if I can find it and post it here.

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"Dry Drunk" Syndrome and
George W. Bush
by KATHERINE van WORMER
Ordinarily I would not use this term. But when I came across the article "Dry Drunk" - - Is Bush Making a Cry for Help? in American Politics Journal by Alan Bisbort, I was ready to concede, in the case of George W. Bush, the phrase may be quite apt.
Dry drunk is a slang term used by members and supporters of Alcoholics Anonymous and substance abuse counselors to describe the recovering alcoholic who is no longer drinking, one who is dry, but whose thinking is clouded. Such an individual is said to be dry but not truly sober. Such an individual tends to go to extremes.
It was when I started noticing the extreme language that colored President Bush's speeches that I began to wonder. First there were the terms-- "crusade" and "infinite justice" that were later withdrawn. Next came "evil doers," "axis of evil," and "regime change", terms that have almost become clichés in the mass media. Something about the polarized thinking and the obsessive repetition reminded me of many of the recovering alcoholics/addicts I had treated. (A point worth noting is that because of the connection between addiction and "stinking thinking," relapse prevention usually consists of work in the cognitive area). Having worked with recovering alcoholics for years, I flinched at the single-mindedness and ego- and ethnocentricity in the President's speeches. (My husband likened his phraseology to the gardener character played by Peter Sellers in the movie, Being There). Since words are the tools, the representations, of thought, I wondered what Bush's choice of words said about where he was coming from. Or where we would be going.
First, in this essay, we will look at the characteristics of the so-called "dry drunk;" then we will see if they apply to this individual, our president; and then we will review his drinking history for the record. What is the dry drunk syndrome? "Dry drunk" traits consist of:
· Exaggerated self-importance and pomposity
· Grandiose behavior
· A rigid, judgmental outlook
· Impatience
· Childish behavior
· Irresponsible behavior
· Irrational rationalization
· Projection
· Overreaction
Clearly, George W. Bush has all these traits except exaggerated self importance. He may be pompous, especially with regard to international dealings, but his actual importance hardly can be exaggerated. His power, in fact, is such that if he collapses into paranoia, a large part of the world will collapse with him. Unfortunately, there are some indications of paranoia in statements such as the following: "We must be prepared to stop rogue states and their terrorist clients before they are able to threaten or use weapons of mass destruction against the United States and our allies and friends." The trait of projection is evidenced here as well, projection of the fact that we are ready to attack onto another nation which may not be so inclined.
Bush's rigid, judgmental outlook comes across in virtually all his speeches. To fight evil, Bush is ready to take on the world, in almost a Biblical sense. Consider his statement with reference to Israel: "Look my job isn't to try to nuance. I think moral clarity is important... this is evil versus good."
Bush's tendency to dichotomize reality is not on the Internet list above, but it should be, as this tendency to polarize is symptomatic of the classic addictive thinking pattern. I describe this thinking distortion in Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective as either/or reasoning-- "either you are with us or against us." Oddly, Bush used those very words in his dealings with other nations. All-or-nothing thinking is a related mode of thinking commonly found in newly recovering alcoholics/addicts. Such a worldview traps people in a pattern of destructive behavior.
Obsessive thought patterns are also pronounced in persons prone to addiction. There are organic reasons for this due to brain chemistry irregularities; messages in one part of the brain become stuck there. This leads to maddening repetition of thoughts. President Bush seems unduly focused on getting revenge on Saddam Hussein ("he tried to kill my Dad") leading the country and the world into war, accordingly.
Grandiosity enters the picture as well. What Bush is proposing to Congress is not the right to attack on one country but a total shift in military policy: America would now have the right to take military action before the adversary even has the capacity to attack. This is in violation, of course, of international law as well as national precedent. How to explain this grandiose request? Jane Bryant Quinn provides the most commonly offered explanation in a recent Newsweek editorial, "Iraq: It's the Oil, Stupid." Many other opponents of the Bush doctrine similarly seek a rational motive behind the obsession over first, the war on terror and now, Iraq. I believe the explanation goes deeper than oil, that Bush's logic is being given too much credit; I believe his obsession is far more visceral.
On this very day, a peace protestor in Portland held up the sign, "Drunk on Power." This, I believe, is closer to the truth. The drive for power can be an unquenchable thirst, addictive in itself. Senator William Fulbright, in his popular bestseller of the 1960s, The Arrogance of Power, masterfully described the essence of power-hungry politics as the pursuit of power; this he conceived as an end in itself. "The causes and consequences of war may have more to do with pathology than with politics," he wrote, "more to do with irrational pressures of pride and pain than with rational calculation of advantage and profit."
Another "dry drunk" trait is impatience. Bush is far from a patient man: "If we wait for threats to fully materialize," he said in a speech he gave at West Point, "we will have waited too long." Significantly, Bush only waited for the United Nations and for Congress to take up the matter of Iraq's disarmament with extreme reluctance.
Alan Bisbort argues that Bush possesses the characteristics of the "dry drunk" in terms of: his incoherence while speaking away from the script; his irritability with anyone (for example, Germany's Schröder) who dares disagree with him; and his dangerous obsessing about only one thing (Iraq) to the exclusion of all other things.
In short, George W. Bush seems to possess the traits characteristic of addictive persons who still have the thought patterns that accompany substance abuse. If we consult the latest scientific findings, we will discover that scientists can now observe changes that occur in the brain as a result of heavy alcohol and other drug abuse. Some of these changes may be permanent. Except in extreme cases, however, these cognitive impairments would not be obvious to most observers.
To reach any conclusions we need of course to know Bush's personal history relevant to drinking/drug use. To this end I consulted several biographies. Yes, there was much drunkenness, years of binge drinking starting in college, at least one conviction for DUI in 1976 in Maine, and one arrest before that for a drunken episode involving theft of a Christmas wreath. According to J.D. Hatfield's book, Fortunate Son, Bush later explained:
"[A]lcohol began to compete with my energies....I'd lose focus." Although he once said he couldn't remember a day he hadn't had a drink, he added that he didn't believe he was "clinically alcoholic." Even his father, who had known for years that his son had a serious drinking problem, publicly proclaimed: "He was never an alcoholic. It's just he knows he can't hold his liquor."
Bush drank heavily for over 20 years until he made the decision to abstain at age 40. About this time he became a "born again Christian," going as usual from one extreme to the other. During an Oprah interview, Bush acknowledged that his wife had told him he needed to think about what he was doing. When asked in another interview about his reported drug use, he answered honestly, "I'm not going to talk about what I did 20 to 30 years ago."
That there might be a tendency toward addiction in Bush's family is indicated in the recent arrests or criticism of his daughters for underage drinking and his niece for cocaine possession. Bush, of course, deserves credit for his realization that he can't drink moderately, and his decision today to abstain. The fact that he doesn't drink moderately, may be suggestive of an inability to handle alcohol. In any case, Bush has clearly gotten his life in order and is in good physical condition, careful to exercise and rest when he needs to do so. The fact that some residual effects from his earlier substance abuse, however slight, might cloud the U.S. President's thinking and judgment is frightening, however, in the context of the current global crisis.
One final consideration that might come into play in the foreign policy realm relates to Bush's history relevant to his father. The Bush biography reveals the story of a boy named for his father, sent to the exclusive private school in the East where his father's reputation as star athlete and later war hero were still remembered. The younger George's achievements were dwarfed in the school's memory of his father. Athletically he could not achieve his father's laurels, being smaller and perhaps less strong. His drinking bouts and lack of intellectual gifts held him back as well. He was popular and well liked, however. His military record was mediocre as compared to his father's as well. Bush entered the Texas National Guard. What he did there remains largely a mystery. There are reports of a lot of barhopping during this period. It would be only natural that Bush would want to prove himself today, that he would feel somewhat uncomfortable following, as before, in his father's footsteps. I mention these things because when you follow his speeches, Bush seems bent on a personal crusade. One motive is to avenge his father. Another seems to be to prove himself to his father. In fact, Bush seems to be trying somehow to achieve what his father failed to do - - to finish the job of the Gulf War, to get the "evildoer" Saddam.
To summarize, George W. Bush manifests all the classic patterns of what alcoholics in recovery call "the dry drunk." His behavior is consistent with barely noticeable but meaningful brain damage brought on by years of heavy drinking and possible cocaine use. All the classic patterns of addictive thinking that are spelled out in my book are here:
the tendency to go to extremes (leading America into a massive 100 billion dollar strike-first war);
· a "kill or be killed mentality;" the tunnel vision;
· "I" as opposed to "we" thinking;
· the black and white polarized thought processes (good versus evil, all or nothing thinking).
· His drive to finish his father's battles is of no small significance, psychologically.
If the public (and politicians) could only see what Fulbright noted as the pathology in the politics. One day, sadly, they will.

Katherine van Wormer is a Professor of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa Co-author of Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective (2002). She can be reached at: [email protected]

http://www.counterpunch.org/wormer1011.html

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IMHO, Dubya is still both obnoxious and arrogant. Millions of people around the world would agree with me.

There are several posts on this thread referencing AA. I don't think Dubya ever attended an AA meeting or a rehab facility, so Dubya's recovery is not linked to a 12-step program.

It is my understanding that he quit the booze "cold turkey" when he realized his marriage might fail because of it. Some have speculated that Dubya still drinks on the sly. I don't know about that, but I do agree he has symptoms of a man who is on a "dry drunk."

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Dry Drunk Syndrome: is this George W. Bush's problem?

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