I've always been a Star Trek fan, since before I was officially an alcoholic, when I was a kid - in my drinking years, and in my sober years. Not so much for the often overly idealistic view of the future but just because it was good stuff.
The idealistic future does not seem to have any room for alcoholics or addicts of any kind. The assumption is that addictions or their "root social causes" - whatever that is - have all been eliminated in the 23rd and 24th centuries. This was quite a restriction on the writers for the show, as most TV writers then and now are used to relying on the human foibles of greed, jealousy, addiction, etc. to provide drama. However one episode of Star Trek gave us an interesting perspective on a 20th century alcoholic by way of some contemporary technology. "The Neutral Zone" - last episode of season one.
The plot: the Enterprise encounters a "freezer ship" from the 20th century... this is currently being done although not in space. When people die if they have enough money and the inclination, their bodies are frozen and preserved with the notion that someday in the future medical science will not only be able to revive them but cure whatever it was that killed them and bring them back to life. So it's now the 24th century, and all this is possible. Three people from the 20th century, all dead, come back to life in the future. One of them is a housewife who didn't plan to be frozen, and can't cope with the fact that she has outlived everything she knew. One is a hard-nosed type-A businessman who is flabbergasted that all his stocks and investments have simply vanished in 400 years rather than growing to make him the richest man in the universe. And the third is "Sonny Clemons", a country and western singer... and alcoholic... and drug addict.
Mr. Data - the emotionless android who nevertheless embodies a fascination with human behavior, is the one who revives the sleepers, when everyone else seems to have abandoned their scientific and historical curiosity and says "They're dead, let them stay dead". Data chooses to revive them, and of course their diseases are instantly curable with Star Trek medical technology including replacing most of Sonny's major organs. Sonny immediately takes to Data as a "buddy". Why? Because he's not judgmental. The "we have no more problems like that" crew members all turn their noses up at Sonny, not unlike the way "normal" people treat alcholics every day here in the year 2010. Data observes that Sonny is having a far better time adapting to his new circumstances than the others. Why? His response is sort of like "Same shit, different day". The housewife wants her family. The businessman wants his money and his power. The alcoholic just wants a steak, some grits, and - nahh, just scratch that and gimme a martini straight up. This "Tennnessee Rebel in Captain Picard's Court" doesn't need a whole lot to keep him happy. "Yer computer makes the best daggone martini I ever had... and nobody here has ever heard my songs so it'll all be new to them!"
Funny, I really loved this episode even though I was probably halfway through a 12-pack of Pabst the first time I saw it. I noticed the bond between Sonny and Data... Data wasn't playing to codependent (he would have had to hook up with the distraut 20th century housewife for that I guess) but he was more curious than condemning of Sonny's past and present behavior. He accepted him as he was, and didn't exert any pressure on him to change his behavior although he was inquisitive about it.
Alas it was a single episode, and one must wonder if 24th century optimism and idealistic babble ever got old Sonny sober. But he was a refreshing change of pace for the holier-than-thou Star Trek ensemble. To we alcoholics - whether drinking or sober - much of the "normal" world appears, on the outside, to be trouble free. They tell us that. "Why do you drink so much? Why can't you be like me?" The cluelessness is the same. The alcoholic knows better. BTW, Gene Roddenberry - the man who created this utopion vision of the future - was quite the drinker himself. He was very sincere about his vision, it was never intended to be tongue-in-cheek. Alcoholics tend to be dreamers, and sometimes their dreams are realized, or at least shared.
I should also mention that "Sonny" was one of the most likable guest characters ever on Star Trek... also one of the few that didn't have any hidden mystery, he was exactly what he seemed to be. I still enjoy watching this episode as I will again soon. I always want to stick out my hand and say hi, I'm an alcoholic... welcome...
Actor who portrayed "Sonny Clemons" was Leon Rippy.
I appreciated your summary and analysis of the episode. Recently I've noticed that the typical mention of alcohol in entertaiment is when the cast get wasted at the end of the trying drama as an acceptable way to deal with stress. While this was my reality, when I see that in entertainment, I feel like as an alcoholic who sees how pervasive the disease is, failure to connect any dots regarding the drinking and effects of it is disapointing. Your comments were interesting and thoughtful.
I dislike two things in the media: 1) The 40's/50's/60's and even 70's representation of the drunkard as the "happy-go-lucky-slightly-pathetic-but-loveable" comic character. 2) Same Era - the powerful leader character who can't make an important decision without a highball glass of amber liquid from a bottle he either kept in his desk drawer or on a "bar" on his office credenza.
And LIKE three things in modern TV drama
1) CSI Miami - Cassie's alcoholic father came in & out of her life in both states; strong and hopeful and pathetically relapsed. Cassie's broad range of emotions for thge man was obvious. 2) Law & Order: SVU - Captain Kragen has always been shown as a licorice-eating, chocolate-milk-gizzling recovering alkie who does NOT internalize any of his staff's problems. None of them live in his head rent-free. 2) Law & Order: CI - Detective Goren's brother lost everything to smack and is constantly struggling between hope and relapse.
and HATE one reality TV show that turns my stomach. Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. The 12 steps are NEVER mentioned, the science of addiction is NEVER mentioned and all I've ever seen these ring-masters do is throw celebrity addicts together for a circus of resentment, conflict and strife. If I was considering in-patient and I saw this show i would run FAR & AWAY from in-patient!
Interestingly -- and I'm not breaking anonymity, he's admitted in the press, and doesn't talk about AA -- Leonary Nimoy, Mr Spock is a recovering alcoholic. His story was hugely helpful to me in accepting my own alcoholism: it crept up on him gradually (he choose to drink at first, and then he HAD to drink) and him saying that it was a disease.
Interesting last post Steve P - although in my case there were too damn many people who I idolised (Musicians, actors etc) who were boozers, that it made sense to follow the same path.
Now I read or re read their autobiographys - the ones in genuine recovery - and now it spurs me on that they're just like me and I'm just like them.
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
I appreciated your summary and analysis of the episode. Recently I've noticed that the typical mention of alcohol in entertaiment is when the cast get wasted at the end of the trying drama as an acceptable way to deal with stress. While this was my reality, when I see that in entertainment, I feel like as an alcoholic who sees how pervasive the disease is, failure to connect any dots regarding the drinking and effects of it is disapointing. Your comments were interesting and thoughtful.
Perhaps one of the reasons "Sonny" got fair treatment was because he wasn't the main character. There were several story lines, each of the three "sleepers" plus another line, so it wasn't all about alcoholism and any kind of self-righteous preaching. They treated all three characters as relics, their strongest personality traits representing very typical 20th century stereotypes, and acted as if "we're beyond all that now", but Data was the go-between.
I actually find much of the "Star Trek Universe" to be ridiculous. Not the technology nor even the alien cultures, but the idea that humans will evolve into superior beings who always get along and never have problems of jealousy, addiction, or (drum roll) even religion. Of course they do, and it's conventional drama in that regard. I just think it's funny how they'll stand up and say "We don't need money anymore". Maybe not aboard a starship in the military service, but - to paraphrase Jimmy Stewart in "It's A Wonderful Life", it sure is mighty handy for the rest of us.
The human race - both individually and collectively - seems to have always aspired to some sort of godlike perfection, and fantasized about it happening in the future, and a few real nut cases (often while committing the most heinous crimes in history) have proclaimed themselves perfect. The idea is so preposterous, and our failure so magnificent, that it always amuses me any time I see a new iteration of the same old nonsense.
What does this have to do with AA and 12 steps? I really think we acknowledge our humanity in the steps. Human beings may be the most intelligent and capable species we know of, but we're still powerless over pretty much everything except what goes on between our ears and even then we're ruled by passions and impulses we don't understand. AA (and Alanon) people sometimes refer to the rest of the world as "earth people" or "normal people". I find most so-called earth people to have their heads in the clouds. Their problems are no different than mine, their denial is just more developed. Denial, IMO, ultimately is denial of our humanity. I came, came to, came to believe - and discovered my own humanity. It's all I am, it's all I'll ever be. I'm not an android, or a Vulcan, or God, or a computer. Nor am I a bird, a bee, or a timber wolf, or a tree. Human being. It's the best I can ever be.
