When Bill W. and Dr. Bob created Alcoholics Anonymous 77 years ago, they borrowed principles learned from a Christian fellowship called the Oxford Group to create their 12-step recovery program.

"They knew that their spiritual program was effective where other 'cures' had failed, and over the years, there have been many theories as to why," says Dr. Harry Haroutunian, physician director of the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs, and collaborator with Dr. Louis Teresi on the book, Hijacking the Brain: How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Hijacks our Brains - The Science Behind Twelve-Step Recovery (www.HijackingTheBrain.com).

"Now we know that stress is the fuel that feeds addiction, and that stress and drug and alcohol use cause neurological and physiological changes," Haroutunian says. "The changes are primarily in the deep brain reward centers, the limbic brain, responsible for decisions, memory and emotion. These centers are 'hijacked' by substance abuse, so that the addicted person wants the booze or drug over anything else. "

As a scientist and physician applying the 12-step program to his own life, Teresi studied the physiological changes triggered by this seemingly non-scientific treatment.

"One response is that elements of 12-step programs reduce stress and increase feelings of comfort and reward through chemical changes in the brain and body. These changes allow for neuronogenesis - the birth of neurons in the brain," Teresi says.

"As substances of abuse affect the limbic brain, so do 12-step recovery practices."

Teresi says the 11th step in the program, which emphasizes spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation, works for the following reasons:

• Chilling out: Addiction is a cycle of bad habits. When something bad happens, an alcoholic drinks to feel better. When something good occurs, he drinks to celebrate. After years of this behavior, a person needs a way to step outside of himself to maintain sobriety. Regular prayer or meditation achieves that and becomes "that other habitual option" for responding to emotions, he says.

• "Mindfulness" meditation: While certain forms of prayer are effective, meditation may be a more direct way to achieve the kind of beneficial self-regulation that makes the 11th step so crucial, Teresi says. Mindfulness meditation incorporates active Focused Attention and the more passive Open Monitoring to raise a person's awareness of his impulses, leading to better self-control.

• The three-fold manner: A successful 11th step tends to have the following benefits: First, stress is relieved in both cognitive and emotional reactivity, as evidenced by reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels and other biological indicators. Second, some forms of meditation are shown to stimulate the brain's reward centers, releasing dopamine - a mood elevator -- while improving attention and memory. Third, an increased sense of connectivity and empathy to others is achieved, satisfying our natural need for social connection and reducing stress.

Sobriety is not so much about not drinking or drugging, Teresi says.

"It's about developing an attitude and lifestyle that brings sufficient serenity and personal reward that drinking, or taking any mood-altering drug, is simply unnecessary."

About Dr. Teresi & Dr. Haroutunian

Louis Teresi earned his medical degree from Harvard, where he completed honors concentration courses in neuroscience. In more than 24 years of practice, Teresi has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers, winning 14 national and international awards for his research, and is a senior member of the American Society of Neuroradiology. He is a grateful recovering alcoholic.

Dr. Harry L. Haroutunian, known as "Dr. Harry," is an internationally known speaker on addiction who has created the "Recovery 101" lecture series. As physician director of the Betty Ford Center, Dr. Haroutunian has contributed to the development of a variety of programs. He is the author of the soon-to-be-published book "Staying Sober When Nothing Goes Right" and collaborated with Dr. Louis Teresi, author of "Hijacking the Brain: How Drug and Alcohol Addiction Hijacks our Brains - The Science Behind Twelve-Step Recovery."

Planning already is underway to mark the 50th anniversaryof the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 2013. Commemorative events in Dallas and in churches across the country are being organized. TV host Bill O'Reilly is set to release a new book, "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot," this fall, and a feature movie, "The Kennedy Detail," is planned for release next fall.

"As people ponder the legacy of President Kennedy and his 'Camelot,' it's a good time to revisit the original Camelot of King Arthur legend, and I have compelling new evidence about where it may have been located," says art expert Terry Stanfill, author of Realms of Gold: Ritual to Romance (realmsofgoldthenovel.blogspot.com), a novel of ancient history and modern romance that posits her new theory about Camelot.

"The Arthurian legend is so ancient, and yet it has been one of the most enduring interests in Western civilization," she says. "It's exciting to think that after all of these centuries, we have a strong case for a real Camelot."

Educated in Medieval history, Stanfill has traveled extensively through Asia and Europe, particularly France and Italy, and researched the art and artifacts. She offers this primer on King Arthur, including her own surprising theory about the true location of the original Camelot:

• The legend
Arthur as king was first mentioned in "The History of the Kings of Britain" by Geoffrey of Monmouth, 1100-1155. A generation later, Chrétien de Troyes, a French bard and poet, began to weave stories about King Arthur's court, introducing the characters Lancelot, Guinevere and Perceval. He was the first to mention Camelot, King Arthur's home, describing it as "a place by a river, surrounded by forests and plains beyond."

• The reality
Toward the end of the Roman Empire, circa 450 AD, Arthur Riothamus, King of the Britons, was hired by the Romans to fight off invading Goths and Visigoths. There is documentation from multiple sources that Arthur spent a lot of time in Burgundy, France. He died after a battle near Bourges and was taken by his men to Avallon in France, a town that had existed for centuries. This is fact, not fiction.

• Avalon
While many people believe the mystical Avalon of Arthurian legend was in England, perhaps near Glastonbury, there is no record of a place called Avalon in that country.The Avallon region of France, however, has long existed. It was and still is known for its fruit trees and vines, much like the lush island of legend.

• Camelot
While many presume Camelot was in England, the extraordinary discovery in 2007 of the remains of an ancient community on Mont Lassois in France makes Stanfill wonder if this was actually the true Camelot. The community is near Avallon, and among the buildings unearthed there appear to be the remnants of a palace, including a great hall, where there is evidence of feasting.

"When Chrétien de Troyes wrote of Camelot, this place may have been held in the memory of the locals as a place where peace, prosperity and the good life held a long reign," Stanfill says. "His vision was a nostalgic tribute to a distant, golden age of tranquility that was on this hilltop."

Stage director Manfred Flynn Kuhnert, an Arthurian legend aficionado and teaching fellow at Harvard College, says Stanfill offers the most compelling evidence he's heard for the historical existence of Camelot and its location in France.

"The citadel of Latisco on Mont Lassois -- a site of palatial buildings unprecedented in the Celtic world - is not far from Avallon," Kuhnert says. "Arthur Riothamus' time in Burgundy is documented, and we know that the first person to write about Arthur was the bard Chrétien, who lived in the area.

"This place is exactly as he described it: 'on a hill, a place by a river, surrounded by forests, with plains beyond.' Terry Stanfill may well have it right."

About Terry Stanfill

Terry Stanfill holds a degree in English literature with a minor in medieval history. She is an Overseer of the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif. An enthusiastic preservationist, she was decorated by the president of Italy with the Ordine al Merito, Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana, and more recently as Commendatore, for her fundraising efforts for the restoration of San Pietro di Castello, the ancient cathedral of Venice. She is a former international representative for Christie's auction house and former director of Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Calif. "Realms of Gold: Ritual to Romance" is her third novel. Her first two are "The Blood Remembers" and "A Tale of the Fortuny Gown." Stanfill is married to Dennis Stanfill, former CEO of 20th Century Fox and MGM Studios.

'These Kids Sometimes Suffer Lifelong Damage,'
Says Ex-Wife of College Football Coach

Every college football fan has asked, "What was the coach thinking?" at some point or other. That's OK,  says Kathy (Currey) Kronick, author of Mrs. Coach: Life in Major College Football (www.mrscoach14yrs.com), sometimes I wish they would bottle their "BOOs."

As college teams and their fans prepare for the kickoff of another contentious season, Kronick offers insights from her unique perspective as a longtime "Mrs. Coach."

"I have been in stadiums where I've thought to myself, 'This must be what it was like in ancient Rome,' " says Kronick, whose book recounts her years married to Coach Dave Currey. "Some fans get so caught up in the heat of the moment that they forget these players are just kids who may be dealing with injuries or personal problems."

There are many factors that feed into a coach's decision regarding players, plays and clock management, she says. Last-minute decisions may be influenced by events and observations that go back to Pop Warner, or even earlier.

"A football coach's work is never done," she says. "When they're not on the field, in the weight room or at meetings, a head coach's mind is still on football. It was frustrating for me to know all that was behind a decision when fans started booing."

She says fans should remember the following realities in college football:

• Student athletes: It's very difficult to earn a slot on a major college team's roster from high school, and only 2.4 percent of these young players ever make it to the next level. "These are kids just out of high school who have devoted their lives to the game. Most will not become millionaires, or even go pro, so I wish fans would give them a break," Kronick says. "They are also full-time students, too, with all the added pressures of academia."

• Injuries: Some of the most egregious booing comes from fans who think a player isn't tough enough when injured. "The charge is 'lack of heart' when an important player is out of a game due to a 'borderline' injury, which cannot be diagnosed by a doctor or seen in an x-ray," she says. "Many of these student-athletes incur injuries that may affect them if they try to go pro. Even if they don't continue in football, they may carry the limp of the game for the rest of their lives. No athlete should ever be forced to play with an injury."

• Coach knows best: It's the coach's job to obsess over every detail that will help the team win. They do that 24/7, 11 months of the year. (They're off the month of  July, when they attempt to make up for all the family time they've missed, but even then, they're still thinking about the team, Kronick says.) "Their lives revolve around winning - and not making mistakes. A bad call is only so labeled if a play doesn't work," she says. "Couch-surfing coaches and Monday-morning quarterbacks should be aware of that before criticizing."

Coaches always say that if fans buy tickets, they have the right to boo, Kronick says.

"But coaches' wives say, 'Please don't boo around us.' "

About Kathy (Currey) Kronick

Kathy (Currey) Kronick was married to Dave Currey from 1974 to 1989. He was an assistant coach at Stanford University when they met and married, and later moved on to Long Beach State (Calif.), the University of Cincinnati and UCLA. They divorced in 1996. Kronick, who has a bachelor's in education of the deaf and a master's in counseling, is the mother of two children and is happily remarried.

Does our society hold too narrow a view of what defines strength?

The things many would point to as indicators - youth, wealth, a fully capable body - fall short, says Charles Gourgey, a veteran hospice music therapist and author of Judeochristianity: The Meaning and Discovery of Faith (www.judeochristianity.org), a book that explores the unifying faith elements of Judaism and Christianity.

"Youth is ephemeral, abundant wealth is for just a few, and we all experience some kind of disability, usually at several points in our lives," he says. "A car accident, the loss of a job or a home, grief over a loved one's dying: such things can happen to anyone and easily destroy our happiness."

Gourgey says some of the greatest strength he's ever seen was demonstrated by certain of his patients facing imminent death.

"Some people have complete love and grace when facing death - it's how they've lived their lives, and at the end of their lives, it's what supports them," he says. "Those who, at the end, are peaceful, grateful and confident share some common characteristics."
They are:

• Their love is non-self-interested. When we have awareness of and deepest respect and reverence for the individuality of others, we overcome the high walls of ego and experience a tremendous sense of freedom, says Gourgey. He says he continues to be inspired by patients who cared more for the well-being of others, including their fellow hospice patients, than themselves while facing their own mortality. Non-self-interested love - loving others for themselves without expecting or needing anything in return - is the greatest form of love, he says.

• They had an unwavering faith that transcended religious dogma. Faith is the knowledge that there is more to life than the apparent randomness of the material world; a sense that we are known to a greater reality and will return to that reality. No matter what their religion, the patients who were most at peace with their life's journey were those who had faith in something higher than themselves. The problem with many concepts of faith, Gourgey continues, is that people attach specific doctrines to it, which means some people will always be excluded. A unifying faith - that all people are connected and love is the force that binds us - allows for trust, compassion and caring.

• They were motivated by an innate sense of what is good. They didn't get mad at themselves; they didn't beat themselves up for mistakes they might have made in the past. That's because they were always guided by their sense of what is good, and they made their choices with that in mind. That did not prevent them from making some bad choices or mistakes over the course of their lives, Gourgey says. But when they erred, they addressed the problem with the same loving compassion they extended to others. "Their compassion overcame even any self-hate they may have experienced."

Many patients left lasting impressions on Gourgey, and taught him valuable life lessons. He remembers one in particular.

"She was in hospice, a retired nurse who had developed a rare, incurable disease," he recalls. "She would go around every day, checking to see what she could do for the other patients. She fetched blankets for a 104-year-old lady who always complained of cold feet. She sat with and listened to patients who needed company and someone to talk to. She had an attentive awareness about her, like she was fully in touch with her soul."

Gourgey was with the woman when she died.

"She was radiant, she just glowed. She kept repeating how grateful she was for her life," he says. "It was as if the life of love she'd lived was there to transport and support her at the end."

About Charles "Carlos" Gourgey

Charles "Carlos" Gourgey, PhD, LCAT, MT-BC, is a board-certified and New York state-licensed music therapist. He has more than 20 years of experience working in hospices and nursing homes, and for 10 years was music therapist for Cabrini Hospice in New York City. He has published articles on psychology and religion in various journals.