Doug Thorburn, addiction expert, addiction contrarian and author of the recently released
Alcoholism: Myths and Realities: Removing the Stigma of Society's Most Destructive Disease, has a number of interesting for Runners to Top Story of the Month, Cleveland Strangler Anthony Sowell. This group of stories come with a bit background of what are all too often strange and tragic tales. Thorburn uses these various stories to showcase opinions that run, for the most part, contrary to the views of what he calls "the addiction industry and their vested interests."
Here are the Runners Up to Story Month in the November/December 2009 Thorburn Addiction Report:
http://www.preventragedy.com Tessa Zelek, 25, found guilty on two counts of cruelty to children, four counts of contributing to the deprivation of a minor and two counts of prescription drug forgery. Zelek, who fed her twins so little that at 13 months they reportedly looked like skeletons and weighed only nine pounds each (more than 50% underweight for their age), blamed the pediatrician for failing to tell her what and when to feed them and give proper parenting advice. The twins' father,
James McCart, also 25, copped a plea and admitted he didn't "know how many days went by that the kids weren't fed. I thought like two, but I'm not sure." What could possible distort the perceptions of parents to the point they would starve their children?
McCart admitted they spent months in a drug-induced haze, each taking about 20 Methadone tablets a day, along with Xanax, Oxycontin and alcohol. As a result of the drug addiction, McCart testified "we were both throwing up and we stayed in bed….We just ignored the baby monitor. We turned it down." The boys' aunt,
Lisa Scroggins, now shares custody of the children with McCart's parents. Zelek's mother, Christi Ann Zelek, 53, a special education coordinator, will be tried for her failure to report child abuse. Incredibly, she was reportedly teaching a class on child development at the time of her arrest. (Amazingly, the twins are reportedly now only a bit behind and a little smaller than others in their 3-year-old age group.)
Former Japanese finance minister
Shoichi Nakagawa, 56, found by his wife lying face down in bed in their Tokyo home, dead of uncertain causes but with "numerous anomalies in his cardiovascular system as well as the presence of alcohol," according to the Tokyo metropolitan police department. Nakagawa was a "runner-up" in the February-April 2009 edition of
ATR, having slurred his speech and repeatedly appeared to doze off at a meeting of finance ministers focusing on the world's economic mess, followed by a bizarre visit to the Vatican Museums in which he touched various exhibits that mere mortals like the rest of us would never dream of getting too close to (take a look at this and you'll understand why). Oh, and according to Wikipedia, "Nakagawa had been known for his extremely heavy drinking since a young age. A [Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] bureaucrat, who was a fellow of Nakagawa's, witnessed Nakagawa drunk frequently, especially before hosting big political conferences."
Timothy Willgruber, 56, who took his own life a week after he killed his twin brother Thomas Willgruber in a freak "accident" (see the discussion on
Heath Ledger's death in the March 2008 edition of TAR for my view of such "accidents") for which he was facing charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. After both were drinking while driving to the Bethlehem, PA annual Celtic Fest, Timothy was having trouble parallel parking. When Thomas hopped out of the vehicle to help, Timothy backed into the spot and pinned Thomas between their minivan bumper and a sport utility vehicle, killing him.
Such antics weren't new: Thomas had previously pled guilty for DUI in 2000 and Timothy had done so in 2007. Alcoholism may have run in the family, as their late parents, Joseph and Geraldine, operated a bar in their home town of Allentown, PA for four decades. The brothers were reportedly the best of friends and a neighbor,
Carl Himmelberger, commented that Timothy "would never cause trouble for anyone. I can't imagine what he was going through." Even seemingly benign alcoholism can take horrific turns.
Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 62, who pleaded guilty for DUI. However, he wasn't driving just any old motor vehicle. After consuming "eight or nine" beers at a bar, he hopped into his La-Z-Boy reclining lounge chair equipped with gasoline engine and stereo and was heading home when he crashed into a car. His blood alcohol level was .28 per cent—which, using the chart and analysis in Get Out of the Way!: How to Identify and Avoid a Driver Under the Influence, would translate to the 24-ounce variety of beer.
Flamboyant lawyer
John O'Quinn, 68, who won billions in verdicts against makers of breast implants, pharmaceuticals and tobacco, killed when the SUV he was driving skidded across a rain-soaked parkway near Houston and crashed into a tree. While stories of his legendary drinking escapades were common among friends and enemies alike, he claimed to be sober in recent years. However, he may have been driving as fast as 60 mph in a 40 mph zone and neither he nor his passenger, who also died from injuries sustained in the crash, was wearing a seat belt. You never know when or under what conditions an addict will relapse, but you can observe the behaviors to calculate the likelihood.
Doug Thorburn, author of four books on addiction, is one of the foremost experts in identifying early-stage alcoholism based on behavior patterns. He provides continuing education for chemical dependency professionals, including members of the California Association for Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE), the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC), and the California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs (CADDTP).
TO COMMENT to the author, send your email via the website,
http://www.preventragedy.com or write to Doug Thorburn, P.O. Box 7777, Northridge, CA 91327-7777
For media interviews contact Promotion in Motion at 323-461-3921 or
brad@promotioninmotion.net