Alcoholism & Drug Addiction Toledo, Ohio
Through my own personal experiences, reading, studying, living and talking with others, I have found that we are more than helpless individuals being attacked by an imaginary disease of addiction. Realizing our own potential and inner gifts/strengths from God, we can use our strengths to overcome one of the most baffling (to me) difficulties of our time - addiction. The type of addiction can come in many forms (heroin addiction, alcohol addiction, cocain addiction, crack cocaine addiction, marijuana addiction,etc). But no matter what the form, we are never left without a solution. Some may believe that current drug treatment and alcohol treatment is sufficient for drug addiction recovery or alcoholism recovery, I disagree. Any chemical addiction study will only give you about a 10% to 30% chance of succeeding. Even alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous can’t reach the majority of those who come through their doors. This needs to be changed. We are dealing with people’s lives and if the majority who enter a drug rehab or alcohol rehab are not getting helped, then we need to review our drug treatment or alcohol treatment approach. Alcoholism, chemical dependency, and substance abuse are not unstoppable and insidious diseases. More than 75% have already recovered, on their own and without traditional substance abuse treatment. Let’s listen to those who have not given up on the resiliency and strength of the individual to change.
Toledo, Ohio
- Avoid cleaning up their mess.
Don't get involved with the blame game. Addicts are real good at this. They can twist any situation to support their misery. Let choices and consequences be theirs. This way there is no one to blame but themselves.
- Let them know that it is ok to feel.
Most addicts don't know how to do this. Teach them. To them, feelings are the enemy and have to be avoided. Feelings come and go and feelings will not kill you. It's how you respond to them that matters.
- Fear is at the root of all addictions
Get them to takle one of these fears head on and they gain some ground. Build on these small successes so they can start to see their innate abilities to change.
- Get them out of their heads!
There is no destructive force in the world greater than an addicts self centered thinking. Mental illness has been defined as perceiving without testing. We perceive according to the stories we tell ourselves in our heads. It does not matter the reality of these stories. They are how we see the world. The addict has such a selfish view (story) that if they are left in their own heads there is little chance of positive change. What works well here is to have the addict help out others. If they are thinking of someone else, they will not be thinking of themselves. There is no greater fullfillment in the world than one who truly gives to another and expects nothing in return. Teach them to give.
- Perhaps the most dangerous idea in the treatment field is the phrase "You have to do it for yourself".
Who do you think the addict has been serving all this time? His family and friends? Get them out of their heads! Teach them to help others.
- Motives drive an addiction.
Teach them to examine the motives behind their behavior. Most of their motives will be fear based. Remember their addiction is their attempt to control an internal feeling of fear and helplessness. A good rule of thumb in checking motives to a behavior is to ask, "will this hurt or harm myself or others?" If the answer is yes, then difficulties lie ahead. Behaviors with fear as their motive will only result in self protecting behavior. They will not focus on a solution to a problem and will not satisfy.
- Fear and guilt do little to help the addict abstain from alcohol or drugs!
Most professionals focus on the negative consequences as a reason to abstain from alcohol or drugs. This is the wrong approach. The addict already knows, or has experienced the negative consequences associated with using. This has not hindered their use. They may cut down for a while after experiencing a negative consequence only to resume normal use as time goes on. This is because people do not like to live in fear. They want to escape it. Guilt is the same thing. People want to avoid it. Fear and guilt focus on the problem not the solution. Teach them to focus on the solution. This is done by having them see that change occurs when they focus their life on something other than drinking or drugging. Don't define them as "in recovery" or by "sober time". This is a focus on the problem. When they realize they can handle stress in life, not because the are "sober" or "in recovery" but because they are alive and equipped with the ability to do so, drugs and alcohol will be irrelevant. They choose the right way because it is simply right for them, not because they fear the consequences. This may be difficult for them to see at first until they clarify their goals and who they want to be.
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