A
quick hit of addiction and recovery
By Chris O'Brien
Say
the word addiction, and you're talking more varieties than Ben &
Jerry's has flavors. Webster's says it's abandoning oneself to something
compulsively or obsessively, which further broadens the spectrum - theoretically,
one could be "addicted" to bathroom cleaning or knuckle cracking. Some
assume that a person can be addicted to anything - drugs, sex, booze,
religion, food, TV, biting fingernails; anyone could increase the list
ad infinitum. But for the sake of this piece, let's use a colloquial
definition of addiction: The compulsive and personally destructive use
of drugs and alcohol, including nicotine and caffeine, and possibly
food and sugar.
One more thing: There's a lot
of grey area between the wine aficionado and the alcoholic, the social
puffer and the pothead, the sweet tooth and the sugar addict. No contest
here on who is or is not an addict - that's ultimately a self-diagnosis.
As a rule of thumb, however, if your habit is interfering with your
life - or your life is interfering with your habit - you might be an
addict.
Let's get sober
Now that we're clear on addiction,
let's talk about recovery. In the simplest sense, recovery is divided
into two parts. First, there's stopping or changing the destructive
behavior. When it comes to sugar, food and sex, that probably means
modification and moderation. But for drugs and alcohol, it usually means
total abstinence. The second part of recovery is what happens after
you've stopped the behavior. Implicit here is the assumption that the
bad habit was there for a reason - that it was serving a purpose psychologically,
physically or both. In most cases, it's unreasonable to think that simply
removing a substance will make everything peachy. Just quitting drinking,
for example, is only the beginning. The underlying issues, the causes
and conditions of the addiction, must be addressed in some way for a
person to enjoy a lasting and fulfilling recovery. How many of us know
someone who has quit abusing a substance, but is just plain miserable?
Think of the grumpy ex-drinker; the irritable ex-smoker; or the moody,
always-dieting, self-obsessed ex-overeater. Many believe true recovery
begins after you've put the plug in the jug, stomped out the butt, put
down the needle or driven by the drivethrough.
Breaking the habit can be a formidable
challenge. And there's certainly more than one way to break an addictive
habit and embark on a road to recovery. Here are some options:
Rehab. Treatment centers are
a great place to remove yourself from temptations and start the process
of recovery. Prices and programs vary widely. For about $40,000, you
can watch the surf and rub elbows with rock stars at Passages in Malibu,
California. For the thinner wallet, county-subsidized programs such
as the Alcohol Recovery Center (ARC) on north Broadway in Boulder offer
inpatient detox on a sliding scale, ranging from $6 to $120 per day
depending on income and other qualifications. Besides cost, you'll want
to check out the staff. Many facilities employ certified counselors
- identifiable in Colorado by the call-letters CAC, certified addictions
counselor. In the big picture, however, don't let these considerations
deter you too much. Any help is better than none.
Twelve-step programs. Beyond
treatment, probably the most effective recovery programs in the past
half century are 12-Step groups. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics
Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and the like have helped millions recover
from addiction. The principles and methodologies of AA and its kin are
used by most recovery centers and treatment programs, and the vast network
of meetings and accessible support spans the globe. These groups are
easy to find (they're listed in almost every phonebook and many newspapers)
and they're free. The numbers show that the AA-related programs have
helped and continue to help millions. Even so, they may not be for everyone.
Rational Recovery. A slew of
do-it-yourself recovery programs can be researched in the self-help
section of any decent bookstore. One of the best known is Rational Recovery,
a recovery method for alcohol, drugs and other addictions. Unlike AA
and other 12-step groups which base recovery on group interaction, the
individual takes charge of his or her own recovery using a specific
technique called AVRT (addictive voice recognition technique). According
to this technique, self-awareness and other tools lead the addict to
an event, a moment of recovery, that is followed by permanent abstinence
without the need for support groups.
Natural options. Natural remedies
can be very effective at fighting addictions. Depending on the condition
and individual, everything from acupuncture to Zen has been used to
treat addiction. For the conscious and able individual, a holistic shift
- a change in mind, body and spirit including diet and attitude - may
be more effective than just a sudden expelling of the evil substance
without changing other lifestyle characteristics.
"I think trying natural remedies
first is a good idea," says Brigitte Mars, herbalist and author of Addiction-Free
- Naturally: Liberating Yourself from Tobacco, Caffeine, Sugar, Alcohol,
Prescription Drugs, Cocaine, and Narcotics (Healing Arts Press, 2001).
"Perhaps start with something simple and gentle, like homeopathy or
aromatherapy, then improve the diet to stabilize blood sugar levels
- I feel that alcohol addiction is closely intertwined with sugar -
and get adequate levels of fat and nutrition to satisfy the body. The
next stronger treatment would be herbs, then, as a last resort, drugs."
Mars suggests finding a holistic
practitioner with experience in naturally treating your particular addiction.
The word-of-mouth network is usually the best place to shop for such
a practitioner. Some of the more popular and effective natural treatments
include:
-
Homeopathy. Effective with
many addictions, particularly alcoholism, different homeopathic
remedies are said to help support withdrawal by alleviating cravings,
irritability, shakes, fears and anxieties, and depression. A homeopathic
practitioner can recommend the appropriate ingredients depending
on individual needs.
-
Acupuncture. Particularly
effective for smoking cessation, treatment at points in the ears
has been known to completely remove nicotine cravings. Acupuncture's
ability to relieve withdrawal symptoms can also support detox from
other serious addictions, including addictions to alcohol and drugs
such as cocaine and heroin.
-
Therapy and counseling. Quitting
an addiction is not only physically and emotionally challenging,
it can be confusing and painful. It can awaken sleeping mental monsters
of all kinds: childhood issues, low self-esteem, grief, regrets,
fears and so forth. These are formidable foes, and often impossible
to face alone. Different forms of therapy and counseling can offer
support in the battle for mental peace and sanity.
For non-life threatening addictions,
such as an intense sweet tooth, a natural remedy alone can be very effective.
And for those in the grips of chronic alcoholism or drug addiction,
natural remedies can be incredibly supportive, relieving symptoms and
rebalancing and nourishing the body through the tough transition of
withdrawal.
There isn't only one kind of
addict, and there isn't only one way to recover. In fact, just as addicts
mix drugs and addictions, a recovery cocktail may be the best treatment.
For example, one alcoholic might best recover with a few days of inpatient
detox, followed by some acupuncture treatments, diet and lifestyle changes
and regular AA meetings. Another might take Antabuse for six months
and practice Rational Recovery. The best thing to do is try something,
anything at first, and keep trying until you find a regimen that works.
Whether you're shoplifting lipstick, surfing sex on the Internet or
drinking Scope, chances are your life could be a lot better if you could
just get the monkey off your back. Millions of others have recovered
from seemingly hopeless addictions - you can too.
Resources, local and beyond
For more information on addiction
recovery, try the following resources:
The following are Nexus advertisers
who work with addictions. Turn to the page number after their names
to learn more about them.
-
Chi Sheng Acupuncture, Drs.
Liu & Piefen Yan, 303-939-0732
-
East West Medical Center,
Zhangping Hou, OMD, LAc, PhD, 303-320- 5593
-
Robert Hartman, MA, 303-777-5987
-
Brigitte Mars, MT, AHG, 303-442-4967
-
Adam Reynolds, 303-938-8633
-
Carol Sazama, LCSWII, 303-938-9189
See also the Nexus Calendar and
Classifieds for more resources for addiction recovery.
JULY/AUGUST 2008 FEATURE ARTICLES
