Addiction, Brain Damage and the President
From: “Dry Drunk” Syndrome and
George W. Bush
by KATHERINE van WORMER
This is old but it makes such sense, and helps us to realise that Bush is deluded, not evil.
“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).”
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