Drunks, Drugs & Debits How to Recognize Addicts and Avoid Financial Abuse by Doug Thorburn
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This book does not have anything to do with Stirling Engines. But we think that it is a very important book for educating people how to avoid the financial disaster that comes with, otherwise, unidentifiable addicts.
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Identify Early-Stage Alcoholism and
Avoid Becoming a Victim...
It could take years for the average person to learn that their spouse, friend or business partner is an addict, and that they, themselves, could become financially and psychologically ruined!
Doug Thorburn graphically illustrates how alcohol and other drug addictions can cause financial disruption to spouses, children, parents, significant others, partners, co-workers and others. A financial professional who learned about addiction the hard way, Thorburn vowed "never again," then proceeded to learn everything possible about this understudied subject.
Thorburn tells his story hoping to help others and prevent the sort of tragedy that befell both him and his ex-fiance.
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A note from the author...
My name is Doug. I'm not an alcoholic or other drug addict. I got lucky.
Others, through the fate of genes inherited, were not. This book is dedicated to those unlucky ones, the alcoholics and other drug addicts. It's also dedicated to their victims including their closest friends and lovers, who heretofore have never been given the tools required, either to diagnose the disease or assist in the healing process. The victims include not only immediate family, but also everyone with whom the addict comes into contact: coworkers, employers, employees, renters, landlords, others who are victims to violated contracts and against whom frivolous lawsuits are brought, not to mention motorists and law enforcers, both risking their lives. It's dedicated as well to healers, the caring and concerned doctors, therapists, nurses, psychiatrists, priests, ministers, rabbis, chaplains and others.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Addiction and Financial Abuse: A Synthesis
Chapter 2 - How Common Are Addicts?
Chapter 3 - A Genetic Foundation
Chapter 4 - How to Recognize Addicts
Chapter 5 - Denial vs. Ignorance
Chapter 6 - The Need for Crises through the Experience of Consequences
Chapter 7 - The Financial Abuse of Others
Chapter 8 - Financial Disenabling
Chapter 9 - Predicting a Predisposition to Substance Addiction
Chapter 10 - Improving the Treatment of Drug Addiction
Chapter 11 - Public Policy
Chapter 12 - A Method of Recovery for the Non-Addict
Epilogue
Table of Figures
This softcover book is 362 pages long
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About the Author
Doug Thorburn accidentally stumbled into the field of addiction by becoming romantically involved with an alcoholic. Surviving and vowing "never again," he set out to learn all he could about addiction. What he discovered was amazing. While learning to protect himself from "a next time," he found that addiction explains huge swaths of human misbehaviors. These include most historic and current non-natural disasters and the vast majority of serious relationship and family issues, along with many if not most financial and business tragedies. Thorburn slowly realized that understanding this most understudied subject could have prevented not only his own tragedy, but countless others as well.
However, were it not for his clients, Thorburn could not have written the most revolutionary books on addiction ever. He is not a therapist, a doctor, nor a psychiatrist. In fact, had Thorburn been any of these, he probably couldn't have come up with the ideas and plans of action presented in his works, for there would have been too much to unlearn. Instead, his clients are people just like you who come to Doug for tax preparation and financial planning advice. He added the most important component to his counseling, the information you will find in his books, when he figured out that almost everyone who experienced repeated financial problems was being impacted in some way by an alcohol or other drug addict.
Thorburn views his work in the field of addiction as far more important than merely helping people save taxes and invest wisely. This is because nothing will wipe out one's wealth and ability to earn an income faster than becoming involved in any way with a practicing addict.
He enjoys his work as an Enrolled Agent (EA) and Certified Financial Planner licensee (CFP). Thorburn has been an EA (also known as "Enrolled to Practice before the Internal Revenue Service") since being in the top 21 of all 5000+ candidates for the Enrolled Agent exam in 1978. He has also been a CFP since 1983.
In addition, Thorburn is Certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and is a bit of an expert in Keirsey and Temperament. These do much to describe, predict and explain healthy human behaviors. Understanding these systems was essential in the development of the ideas presented in his work. He found that a number of factors explain the various forms that addiction takes, but nothing does so better than Type and Temperament. In particular, it helps to predict who is likely to be misdiagnosed as having which specific Personality Disorder(s) while they are practicing addicts.
While Type and Temperament is a superb tool for understanding healthy human behavior, addiction sheds light on unhealthy behaviors. Doug Thorburn invites you to share his discoveries in the sincere hope of preventing tragedy in your own life.
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Foreword
By G. Douglas Talbott, M.D.
While there have been numerous books written on alcoholism and substance abuse, this one, Drunks, Drugs & Debits, is extraordinary and unique.
Financial expert Doug Thorburn looks at the devastating effects of substance addiction from the viewpoint of a nonalcoholic, codependent individual. He emphasizes the financial chaos wrought by this destructive disease.
This is a book that examines the catastrophic penalties that alcoholism and other drug addiction extract from individuals. It opens to many people a new way to recognize, diagnose and deal with the many faces of substance addiction.
Being a son of an alcoholic father and having been in a long-term romantic relationship with an addict, the author approaches the disease from a personal, painful and intimate viewpoint. He also utilizes multiple case studies and personal histories that helps one recognize the signs of alcoholism and other drug addiction. This allows the reader to view such situations in his or her own life from an entirely new perspective. The Addiction Recognition Indicator is a particularly helpful tool.
Written by a layman for the layman, this book nevertheless has a very sound scientific basis. The connection of the genetic foundation to the disease and the altered neurochemistry of the brain resulting in a predisposition to addiction in certain people, is spelled out in refreshingly simple terms. Recognizing signs of addiction allows contemplation of one's own roles and relationships in connection with possible addicts.
The perspective of addiction and the media is fascinating and references to possible addiction in major historic figures who have caused untold misery captures the imagination. The comparisons of denial versus ignorance are powerful and nicely illustrated with case reviews. The need for accountability through the process of experiencing pain and consequences is emphasized in profound ways. He also gives entirely new approaches and insight into recovery methods for the non-addict.
Only superficially described in other books, the idea and method for separating one's finances with the goal of avoiding further financial abuse is yet another excellent tool. Yes, the author presents concepts and ideas that currently are, at the very least, controversial from an addiction medicine standpoint. He nevertheless demonstrates knowledge of a variety of therapeutic approaches to this primary, psychosocial, biogenetic disease. Sir William Osler described syphilis as the great impostor of the last century, mimicking many of the symptoms of numerous other diseases. Such could be said for the disease of addiction today.
Although I believe not every statement, theory, or observation made by the author is uncontroversial, his views and new approaches are substantial contributions. The field of addiction needs this book and will benefit greatly from this thoroughly researched and documented work.
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Reader Comments
"Doug's book is an invaluable guide for spotting an addict."
— Kent Davis, Kent Davis Economic-Political Review financial newsletter
"This book surpasses all literature I have previously studied on this subject."
— William C. Van Duyne, Attorney at Law
"Doug offers a wealth of knowledge in understanding addictions and protecting one's self from physical, financial and emotional abuse. His work is essential for anyone struggling to make sense of the destructive or bizarre behaviors found in others."
— Claudia Black, Author
" One of the most important books ever written.”
— Forest Tennant, Ph.D., Author
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