Check into "Prehab" at the Teetotaler's Club

Hi there...

This is a departure from a regularly scheduled
programming, but interesting reading. Check this out
and spread the word if you like the idea. This is an
idea I've been kicking around for a while. The neat
thing about the web is you can put stuff out there and
let it take on a life of its own.

The Teetotaler's Club is inspired by an experience
with a close friend's descent into addiction. I think
it's safe to say that anybody who's lived in a large
city for any length of time knows someone who's
developed a problem with booze, pills, etc. Why this
is so common today, who knows, everybody has an
opinion about this, but the fact is that it is a
problem, especially in the gay community.

The idea behind the Teetotaler's Club is simple, to
encourage people to organize informal events and
activities that do not revolve around boozing it up.
The idea is to make it easy for people to break their
usual habits, meet new people and find new things to
do. It's very similar to Guerrilla Queer Bar that way.
We made it easy for people to go to unfamiliar
environs, meet new people, get drunk and act stupid
(and boy did some people act stupid, three words ...
Tequila Sex Party! ... you know who you are). Ironic,
yes, but we proved it doesn't take much to prod people
out of their usual patterns. People are basically lazy
and want to be led. So I thought, why not apply this
concept to more constructive purposes...

The thing I've noticed is that while there are a lot
of recovery organizations like AA, they're reactive.
You go to them _after_ you've become addicted to
something, and even then only reluctantly. It's great
that they are there, and they've helped many people,
but it would be better if they weren't necessary.

The problem is that society doesn't do a whole lot to
discourage people from getting to that point in the
first place or to intervene early on before a person
is in real trouble. This is especially true in the gay
community. We let someone completely let everything go
to hell, then we do an intervention, pack them off to
rehab and A.A. A bit little a bit late I think.

So the idea behind the Teetotaler's Club is to
popularize the idea of organizing dry events via the
web. Maybe you like going to the movies a lot, so you
could organize a group that goes to the cinema twice a
week. Or maybe you like organizing meals out. The idea
is to get a lot of people together organizing
different types of events, so whatever someone is
interested in they can find a peer group.

This is not a sobriety organization, nor is it a
support group. It's really just an idea for labeling
and promoting events. The goal is to make it easier
for people to find social events that don't revolve
around boozing it up. So whether your goal is to quit
drinking, drink less, or just expand your social
circle, you might find this useful. It's really all
about giving people an excuse to do new things and
change their habits.

I am coining the word "prehab" to describe this idea.
What do you think?

Check out the website at
http://teetotalers.weblogger.com, there's more
information there... spread the word if you like it.

Thanks.

(one of the Barney's)

PS - GQB has not checked into Betty Ford, we've just
been on hiatus for a while.