Book Review

PHOENIX IN A BOTTLE
Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald
(Melrose Books 2005)

Reviewed by: Shirley Whiteside

It is a truth universally acknowledged that once an alcoholic, always
an alcoholic.

According to accepted wisdom alcoholism is an incurable disease and
the only way forward for those unfortunate enough to suffer is
lifelong abstinence.

But what if this accepted wisdom was actually out of date dogma
perpetuated by Alcoholics Anonymous, the font of all knowledge
concerning alcoholism?

What if alcohol abuse was really a psychological problem that could,
with hard work and a willing subject, be overcome?

Can an alcoholic ever be a social drinker?

Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald met and fell in love. It was a second
marriage for both and they had high hopes for their future together
but there was a major obstacle to their happiness - their chronic
abuse of alcohol. When doctors and even their families gave up on
them, Lilian and Murdoch left Scotland to try to start a new life in
Cambridge where Murdoch had studied years before for an honours
degree. The idea was that Murdoch would study for a Ph.D. and he and
Lilian would set up home in the town.

Things quickly spiralled out of control. The couple were thrown out
of their rented accommodation for drinking, left with nothing but the
clothes they stood up in. What little money they had was soon spent
on hotel rooms and large quantities of drink. Finally, Lilian and
Murdoch were living on the streets, sleeping in parks, and begging
drinks off other homeless people. They tried AA, as they had
previously in Scotland, but found the organisation to be dogmatic and
judgemental. However no one took them seriously when they said they
wanted to recover but without attending AA.


Lilian's health was deteriorating fast and Murdoch took her to
hospital. There she was dismissed as just another alcoholic and told
the only treatment for her health problems was to stop drinking.
There was no attempt to find out what was really wrong with her and
certainly no sympathy. There was to be no bed in the hospital for
Lilian that night.

Sitting together freezing on a bench the couple was approached by two
young women on their way home from a night out. The young women
turned out to be nurses and they pooled what was left of their money
to buy Lilian and Murdoch tea and a burger to share between them.
They also said they would help the couple find accommodation so that
they could get out of the streets and parks at night.

This was a turning point for Lilian and Murdoch. Their accommodation
in a hostel was basic but it gave them the stability they needed to
sort their lives out. Murdoch got a job selling newspapers on a
street corner and Lilian helped him out by bringing him lunch and
letting him away for comfort breaks.

After another try at the AA way of life, Lilian and Murdoch decided
it really wasn't helping them with their problems. They decided to
find their own way through by examining their lives to find out why
they started drinking to excess in the first place. For Lilian, it
went back to her childhood and the cold, judgemental treatment she
received from her mother. Identifying the source of her troubles led
to what Lilian believes was a cure for her alcoholism and an eating
problem.

Lilian and Murdoch are now living in Scotland again, sober, with
Murdoch running a successful PR company.

Perhaps the most astonishing part of this couple's story is that they
now drink alcohol socially with no descent back into the mire of
alcoholism.

Their cure may seem remarkable, and to AA adherents self-deluding,
but Lilian and Murdoch are not unique. As far back as 1964, American
Dr. Arthur H. Cain, reported in the Saturday Evening Post that he too
had known of alcoholics who had been cured and could now drink
without fear of relapse.

Dr. Cain blamed AA for blocking the progress of research into the
causes of alcoholism and the search for a cure. He felt that its
dogmatic approach that brooked no dissent merely treated the
symptoms - abuse of alcohol - rather than looking deeper for the
cause.

Lilian and Murdoch heartily agree seeing AA as a damage limitation
exercise rather than as a means to a cure. Their story is moving and
one can only wish them luck.

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