Alcoholism - Father Martin's Chalk Talk

Maya is an internship student from Switzerland, spending 3 months at Serenity Vista learning about alcoholism, other forms of addiction, and recovery. Maya is reviewing the films in the Serenity Vista's extensive and beloved film library. Here she discusses Father Martin's famous Chalk Talk.

Alcoholism - Father Martin's Chalk Talk

Father Martin Discusses Alcoholism[/caption]Father Martin first became widely known through a talk he gave on the 12 steps of recovery propounded by Alcoholics Anonymous. He sometimes began with a preface similar to the one every alcoholic uses to address meetings of the organization, changing it to give his full name: “My name is Joe Martin, and I’m an alcoholic."  

With no preaching or moralizing, he spoke plainly of alcoholism as a sickness, not an evil. He used a blackboard and chalk, and in 1972, the Navy filmed the speech to use for mandatory addiction training, titling the movie “The Blackboard Talk.”

This talk came to be known as “the chalk talk,” and subsequent videos of it and more than 40 more talks that Father Martin made were used in other branches of the military and throughout the federal government as well as in hospitals, corporations and treatment centers around the world.

He wrote three books.  N .Y. Times, Father Martin's Obituary March 15, 2009

I really enjoyed viewing this Father Martin talk on alcoholism. Father Martin brings light to this topic in a very easy to grasp way. His talk can be divided in three main parts.In the first part, he explains the 3 main reasons humans are draw to drinking. Father Martin states that the 3 main reasons people drink are:  the need to escape,  the desire to overcome pain, and finding a sense of well being, or euphoria.In the second part, he addresses the effects of alcohol on the body. How once the alcoholic takes a drink,  the alcohol alters the body’s chemistry on one level after the other. Through Father Martin's explanations, I came to understand how alcohol shifts the natural functioning formula.  Generally speaking, when a person is sober, the intellect controls our various emotions.

However, when a person drinks alcohol, and the intellect is impaired,  emotions begin to take over and control the intellect. This helps to explain why we can feel more excited when intoxicated, because our capacity to make sense of the situation has been removed.In the third part, Father Martin explains how one can identify an alcoholic. He first clarifies some specific traits to each one of the four different types of alcoholics that he identifies. Next, he describes some general thinking and behavioral patterns that alcoholics have in common.

Some symptoms are; having black-outs after heavy drinking, making excuses for one’s drinking, drinking alone  hiding alcohol, protecting one’s supplies, and more.

This "Chalk Talk" of Father Martin, is the first of a series he does on alcoholism, and it is a great first look at what alcoholism is.  Father Martin's Chalk Talk left me with a sense of clarity over some important aspects that need to be understood to go deeper in the subject.

Alcoholism is chronic and progressive, it always getting worse as the time passes.  I am looking forward to viewing the other 14 or so other Father Martin films in Serenity Vista's great film library.

Addiction, Recovery and Spirituality

During the addiction recovery program at Serenity Vista private pay luxury drug rehab in the tropics, none of the guests are wasting valuable time watching regular television or movies that glorify violence, alcohol or other drug use.

Our philosophy is that we can feed our ego, or we can feed our spirit. The entire film library at Serenity Vista is carefully chosen to enhance the recovery experience and quality of rehab care of our guests. You will find no mind-numbing, tune-out DVD's on the play list. Father Martin tempers the fatal seriousness of addiction with an amazing sense of humor. Without exception, the guests enjoy his Chalk Talks.