Wat Tham Krabok

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Will have to run this up to Monk Gordon next week, along with either a Subway BMT Italian double meat, if I get downtown, or a Pizza Company extra large.

Book review: Hope for Lushes

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Realtime/08Feb2008_real011.php

BOOK REVIEW

Hope for lushes

Last Escape, by Paul Garrigan, 196 pp, 2008 Bangkok Book, paperback, Available at Asia Books and leading book stores, 395 baht

BERNARD TRINK

Covering the nitery entertainment scene for decades, I've seen more elbow-benders than I can count. That I'm not one of them is because I refused to accept the false bonhomie induced by suds and firewater. While not a teetotaler, much less an advocate of Prohibition, I've witnessed the deleterious effect of alcohol ("Come on, one more for the road!") and imbibe only in great moderation.

People have varied degrees of tolerance to booze, from the man or woman who can drink anyone under the table to the person who gets woozy sniffing a wet bar rag, but in every instance their reflexes are adversely affected. Hence their being tossed into the clink for driving under intoxication or bashing their spouse or taking sleeping pills instead of vitamins.

Celebrities keep going into de-tox clinics by court order, then get off the wagon as soon as the judge's back is turned. Losing jobs, their family, their self-respect, becoming bums on skid row, painful cirrhosis of the liver mark their descent. Can it be reversed at some point? AA, for one, asserts it can. They see alcoholism as a chronic disease, not fault of the sufferer.

Belief in the power of the group and a Christian God are needed to recover, along with the firm resolve to lay off the sauce. Dublin-born male nurse Paul Garrigan, who took to beer at age 11 ("Ireland and its pubs are inseparable."), was a lush by the time he was 15. Quaffing had its advantage, making him one of the big boys, losing his shyness, giving him aspirations to be like his role model Brendan Behan.

The downside is that he felt wasted, had cramps, suffered from blackouts, felt suicidal. He attended AA meetings, but didn't feel spiritually uplifted. Nor did he agree that he was in the grips of a chronic disease. Drinking was a bad habit that needed stopping. Applying for work in Saudi Arabia, a dry country, seemed the obvious solution.

Except that in every community of Westerners there, there was at least one home-made still. The white lightning they produced was over 100 proof. Garrigan literally staggered out of the place and headed for Thailand, having heard of temples treating addicts. His book Last Escape describes his experiences in two: Wat Rampoeng in the north and Wat Thamkrabok, 10 days in each with a break in between.

Meditation and emetics are used, throwing up three times a day. When not detailing the vomiting, Garrigan tells us about the other addicts (also druggies), of both genders, doing the same and the monks teaching the precepts of Buddhism. His body purified, he accepts the philosophy/religion and rides off on his Honda motorcycle to wed his Thai girlfriend and father their child.

The message is that even if you're falling down drunk, there is hope at Wat Thamkrabok as long as you can stand all the puking. This reviewer doesn't know what AA has to say about Wat Thamkrabok. It would be unwise to reject it out of hand. It would be unwise to reject it out of hand. It is proving its worth, though there are recidivists.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Mossfinn]

Further Info Here

Moss

[jumnien]

AA has no opinion on outside issues. That said, many of us AA's have made a pilgrimage to Wat Tham Krabok to visit with Monk Gordon - always a very inspiring experience. I still remember the day I met him over 10 years ago and my stroll around the sacred grounds. I can't wait to get a copy of Garro's book!

[garro]

I was delighted to have my book reviewed by the famous Bernard Trink.

He seems to have overstated my feelings about AA though. I'm not anti-AA and had many positive things to say about them in the book.

[jumnien]

I was delighted to have my book reviewed by the famous Bernard Trink.

He seems to have overstated my feelings about AA though. I'm not anti-AA and had many positive things to say about them in the book.

Yeah, Bernard Trink (you gotta love him!) kind of got the Christian God thing a bit looney as regards AA. Many of the Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, agnostic and atheist AA members would not agree with him.

[Neeranam]

I think that there are different ways to recovery from alcoholism - Wat Krabok being one. AA being another. Why compare them?

I believe a 'spiritual experience' is necessary, along with some other stuff.

I personally have known a lot of people(mostly Thai) to attend Wat Krabok - unfortunately, most continued to abuse drugs/alcohol. Strangely though, all the Westerners I've known have remained sober, bar one.

Good luck with the book Garro.

Edited February 9, 2008 by Neeranam

[Thanyaburi Mac]

I was delighted to have my book reviewed by the famous Bernard Trink.

He seems to have overstated my feelings about AA though. I'm not anti-AA and had many positive things to say about them in the book.

Garro

Just finished your book, a good one, congrats on it, on completing the WTK program, your kid, and all else.

BTW, I lied, didn't get up to WTK at all last month, ended up on a week long Lao trip upcountry, interesting.

Now that I've finished your book, will take it up to Gordon, via TESCO-LOTUS Saraburi for a large pizza.

Mac

[garro]

I was delighted to have my book reviewed by the famous Bernard Trink.

He seems to have overstated my feelings about AA though. I'm not anti-AA and had many positive things to say about them in the book.

Garro

Just finished your book, a good one, congrats on it, on completing the WTK program, your kid, and all else.

BTW, I lied, didn't get up to WTK at all last month, ended up on a week long Lao trip upcountry, interesting.

Now that I've finished your book, will take it up to Gordon, via TESCO-LOTUS Saraburi for a large pizza.

Mac

Cheers Mac.

[sbk]

Moved to the I drink too much forum, hopefully it will inspire people there

///MOVED///

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Will have to run this up to Monk Gordon next week, along with either a Subway BMT Italian double meat, if I get downtown, or a Pizza Company extra large.

Book review: Hope for Lushes

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Realtime/08Feb2008_real011.php

BOOK REVIEW

Hope for lushes

Last Escape, by Paul Garrigan, 196 pp, 2008 Bangkok Book, paperback, Available at Asia Books and leading book stores, 395 baht

BERNARD TRINK

Covering the nitery entertainment scene for decades, I've seen more elbow-benders than I can count. That I'm not one of them is because I refused to accept the false bonhomie induced by suds and firewater. While not a teetotaler, much less an advocate of Prohibition, I've witnessed the deleterious effect of alcohol ("Come on, one more for the road!") and imbibe only in great moderation.

People have varied degrees of tolerance to booze, from the man or woman who can drink anyone under the table to the person who gets woozy sniffing a wet bar rag, but in every instance their reflexes are adversely affected. Hence their being tossed into the clink for driving under intoxication or bashing their spouse or taking sleeping pills instead of vitamins.

Celebrities keep going into de-tox clinics by court order, then get off the wagon as soon as the judge's back is turned. Losing jobs, their family, their self-respect, becoming bums on skid row, painful cirrhosis of the liver mark their descent. Can it be reversed at some point? AA, for one, asserts it can. They see alcoholism as a chronic disease, not fault of the sufferer.

Belief in the power of the group and a Christian God are needed to recover, along with the firm resolve to lay off the sauce. Dublin-born male nurse Paul Garrigan, who took to beer at age 11 ("Ireland and its pubs are inseparable."), was a lush by the time he was 15. Quaffing had its advantage, making him one of the big boys, losing his shyness, giving him aspirations to be like his role model Brendan Behan.

The downside is that he felt wasted, had cramps, suffered from blackouts, felt suicidal. He attended AA meetings, but didn't feel spiritually uplifted. Nor did he agree that he was in the grips of a chronic disease. Drinking was a bad habit that needed stopping. Applying for work in Saudi Arabia, a dry country, seemed the obvious solution.

Except that in every community of Westerners there, there was at least one home-made still. The white lightning they produced was over 100 proof. Garrigan literally staggered out of the place and headed for Thailand, having heard of temples treating addicts. His book Last Escape describes his experiences in two: Wat Rampoeng in the north and Wat Thamkrabok, 10 days in each with a break in between.

Meditation and emetics are used, throwing up three times a day. When not detailing the vomiting, Garrigan tells us about the other addicts (also druggies), of both genders, doing the same and the monks teaching the precepts of Buddhism. His body purified, he accepts the philosophy/religion and rides off on his Honda motorcycle to wed his Thai girlfriend and father their child.

The message is that even if you're falling down drunk, there is hope at Wat Thamkrabok as long as you can stand all the puking. This reviewer doesn't know what AA has to say about Wat Thamkrabok. It would be unwise to reject it out of hand. It would be unwise to reject it out of hand. It is proving its worth, though there are recidivists.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finally got around to it and handed over a copy of THE LAST ESCAPE to Monk Gordon yesterda, Friday 28 March.

BTW, don't bother to visit for a month, starting 1 April (no April Fool's joke here) they're all going on a month's walk about, nobody home at the temple.

I also dropped off a couple of pizzas from Tesco Saraburi, sort of a protein hit for Gordon and the other seven farang monks going camping.

Mac

[sabaijai]

Congrats on the review, garro, sounds like a good read.