Rev. Kal W. Rissman guests on Al Cole’s People of Distinction program

by ReadersMagnet | February 7, 2020 | radio interview | 0 Comments

The pastor and self-published author appeared on a syndicated radio talk show to talk about his book, as well as raise awareness about addiction.

What better
way to raise awareness about addiction than to guest on a syndicated radio
program? The author Rev. Kal W. Rissman did just that, when he appeared on People of Distinction, hosted by Al Cole
from CBS Radio.

Rev. Rissman
is the author of the book Knowledge to
Power: Understanding & Overcoming Addiction (Outskirts Press; 2018).
The book is about understanding addiction (of any kind) as a disease. The
author has worked with addictions for almost 40 years and helped countless
patients, offering them hope and concrete solutions to overcome their
addictions.

The author’s
ministry carries over to the publication of his book Knowledge to Power. This book gives a clear understanding of
addiction as a disease. Rev. Rissman tackles the complex issues of addiction
and explains what needs to be done. Knowledge
to Power offers not only a non-judgmental understanding of addiction but
also insight and practical advice to combat addictions.

Not content
with just publishing Knowledge to Power and
attending the Miami Book Fair Street Fair (held last November 22-24, 2019), Rev.
Rissman appeared on the syndicated radio talk show People of Distinction, hosted by Al Cole from CBS Radio.

Rev. Rissman
told Al Cole he wrote Knowledge to Power
because he has worked with addiction his entire career. “I am passionate about
recovery for people who have addictions of all kinds that might be drug,
alcohol, tobacco, eating, gambling, shopping, sex . . . I’m just really
passionate about helping people with addictions. I have spent my whole career
doing it.”

He also acknowledged
his interns for the idea for writing the book. “My interns I supervised said,
‘You know, you’ve got all this knowledge that you’re dropping on us when we do
these therapy groups. Why don’t you write these stuff down?’ I said, ‘Alright I
will.’”

Rev. Rissman
went at length to explain why addiction is a disease. “In my book, I make sure
people understand addiction is a disease. It’s not just a lack of moral fiber
or lack of brains. It’s a disease. It has symptoms. It’s progressive, chronic,
fatal. It’s a type of brain disease.

“The issue
there is a lack of power or a loss of control. That’s where the spirituality
angle comes in. You have to have a higher power than you to help you do what
you can’t do. If you could do it yourself, you would have done it.”

Rev. Rissman
provided a brief profile of addicts and the correlation between emotional
intelligence and addiction. “There’s a lot of people who look down their nose
at folks who have addictions because they think they’re just bad people or
they’re sloppy or stupid. That’s not true because addicts on average, according
to research, have a higher IQ than the national average.

“Their EQ,
the emotional quotient, is lower. That means how we handle feelings and
problems. That’s where alcohol and drugs come in. You can change the way you
feel in a hurry and that’s why people get into drugs, alcohol, and stuff. Because
it’s a shortcut way of changing the way you feel.

Rev. Rissman
also insisted that addictions also have to do with culture. “If we are anything
as a culture, it is a shortcut culture of taking care of problems and issues
quickly and easily . . . where people invented microwave ovens, automatic
dishwashers, supersonic jets, instant breakfast, instant credit, and instant
everything.

“That’s where
drugs, alcohol, and other addictive agents are all about. It’s to take care of
that, to change the way we feel in a hurry.”

At this
point, Rev. Rissman explained why young people tend to struggle with
addictions. “The younger you are, the faster you become dependent on something
because you haven’t gained the emotional strength yet by working through a lot
of emotional issues, and you have a sense of invincibility when you’re young.

“That’s why
the military wants people at 18-20 years; they don’t think they’d be killed and
yet they can. So, it really works in a hurry with younger people.”

For more
information about Rev. Kal W. Rissman’s Knowledge
to Power: Understanding & Overcoming Addiction, you can visit his
website http://knowledgetopower.net/