PROFILE

HOLY

This Chasidic physician is a leader
in the war on drugs.

ANNE LEHMANN

Special to The Jewish News

Dr. Abraham Twerski

II t seems an unlikely
scene, a man clad in
Chasidic,garb, spending
his working hours caring
for alcoholics and drug
addicts not as a rabbi, but as
a physician.
Dr. Abraham J. Twerski is
a man deeply rooted in a mis-
sion. A descendant of the
Baal Shem Thy, the mystical
founder of the Chasidic move-
ment, Twerski founded and is
medical director of Gateway
Rehabilitation Center in Pitt-
sburgh, cited by Forbes
magazine as one of the na-
tion's 12 best drug and
alcohol treatment centers.
He -is author of eight books,
(with three more to be releas-
ed this spring), dons the hat
of a judicious advising rebbe
and is a devoted husband and
father of four. Twerski has
traveled the globe speaking
about substance abuse and is
the mastermind behind the
Dial-A-Sober Thought, a toll
free number featuring a
- weekly message on sobriety.
He was in Detroit this week
to address the Midwest Addic-
tion Conference.
He grew up in Milwaukee,
the son of Rabbi Jacob Twer-
ski. Inspired by his father, the
younger Twerski became his
father's assistant after being
ordained in New York. He
was soon disillusioned when
he found himself relegated to
the performance of rituals. "I
ended up presiding over mar-
riages and funerals instead of
counseling," he explains.
With the support of his
family he began studying
medicine at Marquette
University, a Jesuit school.
He gravitated to psychiatry
as his area of specialty, but it
wasn't until he met a recover-
ing alcoholic in his second
year of residency at the
Western Psychiatric Institute
in Pittsburgh that his true
vocation was found.

"I met this woman, a
recovering alcoholic, who told
me about the 12 steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous. I at-
tended an AA meeting soon
after, and realized how ap-
plicable the principles of this
program were to everyone's
life." He recognized the strik-
ing parallels between the pro-
gram and Jewish ethics and
thought.
The first and second steps of
AA say a person must admit
he is powerless and must turn
to a higher power. Twerski
notes, "That's almost taken
verbatim from the Talmud
where it says a person's evil
inclination • is so overpower-
ing, it cannot be resisted
without the help of God." Still
Twerski is careful to point out
that AA is not a religion, but
it can serve as a guide to bet-
ter one's life.
Ultimately, he had found a
gratifying way of combining
his rich Jewish education
with a secular career. "I love
what I do," says Twerski.
"There is nothing as gratify-
ing as watching an alcoholic
recover." He enjoys the process
so much that when he is out
of town, on speaking
engagements with time to
spare, he finds his way to AA
meetings. "There is an
unbelieveable sense of
fellowship and belonging at
these meetings."
Twerski's interest in
substance abuse was further
fueled when he became the
clinical director of the Depart-
ment of Psychiatry at St.
Francis Hospital in Pitt-
sburgh. He observed the
relapse of alcoholics admitted
for fo-ur or five days to dry out.
Alcoholism was not being ad-
dressed as a long-term pro-
blem. He developed a long-
term program which includes
patient and family
involvement.

Twerski believes that
alcoholism is a result of feel-
ings of inferiority and inade-
quacy. "Drug addicts are all

low-self esteem people and if
you can help them recognize
their positive attributes, and
make them see that they can
cope without alcohol, they
have a better chance of
fighting off their addiction."
Before that happens, one
has to admit there is a pro-
blem. More people, public
figures and role models in the
community, are speaking
openly about their addictions
and struggles to conquer
them. The number of AA
meetings has risen
dramatically. Even industry,
which for years kept its head
in the sand with respect to
substance abusing employees,
is finally taking action.
"Employee assistance pro-
grams are becoming more
and more commonplace," says
Twerski, "because companies
are realizing that helping
their workers is good for the
bottom line?'
The Jewish community has
been dramatically affected by
the nation's growing drug pro-
blems. Twerski points out
how just 10 years ago country
clubs weren't eager to host
Jewish affairs because of the
community's teetotaler im-
age. "Unfortunately," says
Twerski, "things have
changed." This trend is
also reflected in the number
of AA meetings held in
synagogues. The problem has
become so prevalent in the
community that special sup-
port groups like J.A.C.s,
(Jewish Alcoholics, Chemical
Dependents and Significant
Others) have developed, in-
cluding a chapter in Detroit.
The problem is compounded
by families who have difficul-
ty admitting there is a pro-
blem. "Traditionally Jews are
very protective, private people
who are afraid of stigma. As
a result, Jewish families tend
to delay treatment longer
than they should," says
Twerski.
The problem is also
Continued on Page 107

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

105