Jump to content
Mental Support Community

Available treatments for Addictions


Recommended Posts

David,

Thank you for that. I would agree, from my own experience, with the gerenal pattern suggested. I do feel that, in real life, the progression is often more complex, and may involve the help (not "intervention") of others along the way. That having been said, I do believe that self-empowerment, and self-actuated recovery, is likely to be the key and that even people who embrace the "helplessness" model are really, fundamentally, helping themselves if it "works".

Where "helpnessness" is really induced, I believe that this may be dangerous. It holds within itself the potential for a relapse - perhaps even an excuse for it.

Thanks again,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you believe that something is impossible -- it is.

You will not be able to make a real effort, if you make one at all.

There are reasons -- particular to a discrete individual - why a person does not succeed in drawing a line under it. frequently, that failure to quit may be mental illness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tony, is there a direct correlation between self esteem and self image, and drinking behavior? If there is, imagine the effects of this shift in focus from other (external) to self (internal) empowerment!

I hope not. My reputation number goes down every time I post and it's not helping my self image very much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John: You're right, while the model appears to be linear, it's actually much like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, they cycle back and forth, slowly progressing 3 steps and regressing 2, but the trajectory is typically forward with a few derailments along the way. This is the unpredictability of our beautiful humanity!

And I think you're right on count 2--if you "embrace helplessness", it can result in relapse, whether incidental or instrumental.

xenophon: Mental Illness is always one of the biggest factors in the equation. Co-morbidity always makes the issue much more complex, which is why when working with the dually diagnosed, one has to be more structured, deliberate and careful with treatment.

Tony: I'm not sure what to say about your reputation loss. Is there anything in your behavior that might be resulting in this? It would seem you're the common denominator! I have 3X more posts than my wife and she has 2X more reputation points than I do (of course she's much smarter than I'll ever hope to be)-- go figure!:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave thanks for the info. I do have a few things to comment on.

(besides my rep)

Your perspective is one I’ve heard from those who have been using the AA framework for conceptualizing addiction. If I understand it correctly, the 12 step model views the addict as powerless and in need of a higher power to intervene-- empowerment therefore comes from an outside force/source.

I would say that your understanding is not exactly correct. The 'model' is, I suppose, a sort of sin/redemption model that assumes that God is not working in any effective way until the convert is...well, converted. But once this union is achieved (between God and convert) then the God power is now available to the convert. The convert is in a state of some sort of new power (ie. he is not 'powerless'). Many, AA's will testify that God dwells within them and will never leave. To make too much of the internal/external contrast is really splitting hairs. The transformation in the AA model must be internal. That is pretty much universally understood by AA's.

In your model the therapist will affect a very similar change. The patient will learn how to develp skill and use tools that will allow them to overcome the addictive behavior.

The end result in both cases is a person who can now live his life without the burden of addiction.

One problem with the AA model would be that a radical atheist would refuse to use it, because it would challenge their world view (at a time when their world view is changing more than they can bear anyway). I say 'radical' because there are quite a few atheists who not only get sober in AA but enjoy it. But they are people who don't feel threatened by theistic ideas.

Using the Stages of Change model, individuals who have reached the maintenance/termination stages have incorporated change within themselves and do not require constant reinforcement from a group or feel a continual need to identify themselves as diseased- which significantly decreases dependency on others for one's health, impulse control and decision-making. This redefinition of no longer being an addict or diseased results in an identity shift to self empowerment, self determination, self regulation and self responsibility—all of which have a significant and positive effect on self esteem, self evaluation and self image (lots of selves here).

I still don't agree with stage 6. In my practical experience any addiction is very apt to lie somewhere below the surface and pop back up at some point.

We all know the smoker who picks up after 10 years and now can't quit, or people who yo-yo up and down with weight. The behaviors seem to be hard wired at some level and constant effort is needed so as not to reactivate them. That's my take on it. I can be wrong. If your patients don't drink. I won't mind.

Tony, is there a direct correlation between self esteem and self image, and drinking behavior? If there is, imagine the effects of this shift in focus from other (external) to self (internal) empowerment!

You know, for a person who drinks because of poor self image you may be correct. I may have done that some time in the distant past, but my last years of drinking were due to the compulsion of physical and mental addiction.

I drank, in other words, because I was an alcoholic. No reason greater or less than that.

As far as considering myself 'diseased'. I don't see that as something that hurts my self image. The fact is, that AA teaches that everyone is 'diseased' in one way or another. So if I see myself as flawed (and in need of redemption via the sin/redemption model) but I also see everyone else as flawed then the playing field is even. My self image is much better now than before I joined AA. And I don't expect or demand quite as much from others.

Now, if I heard that 'I' was diseased and no one else was (as I'm sure some do even if it's only 'how' they hear it) then I would have to agree with you. That message would be very destructive.

Peace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have people who are mentally ill, with all the different ailments, and each, I imagine, has its' own complications and impediments. I see this as real issue. Others may not. But, I do.

Especially with personality disorder. Misdiagnosed and mistreated.

There are those who drink too much because they drink too much. They are much like any other man, only more so. They are not, technically, mentally ill. Nor, do they have troubles from drinking. Nor, would many consider them to be drunkards. But, they get diseases, like cirrhrosis. Another group falls through the cracks.

All sorts of different people drink too much; for all sorts of reasons. real people refute stereotypes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alternatives to A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous) and N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous)

Descriptions of 7 A.A. / N.A. alternatives at mentalhelp.net

www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=weblog&wlid=6&id=443&cn=14

Below is a listing of the A.A. / N.A. Alternatives discussed at the above link, plus additionally "HAMS: Harm Reduction for Alcohol and Other Substances". The below list doesn't include "Recovery, Inc." because that organization is for mental help, primarily anxiety, and nothing specific to chemical addictions. (Thanks Ray raysny)

SOS (Secular Organizations For Sobriety, also known as Save OurSelves)

www.sossobriety.org/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sossaveourselves/

SMART Recovery

www.smartrecovery.org

http://smartrecovery.org/SMARTBoard/

LifeRing

www.unhooked.com/index.htm

http://forums.delphiforums.com/lifering/start

Women For Sobriety

www.womenforsobriety.org

Moderation Management

www.moderation.org

HAMS: Harm Reduction for Alcohol and Other Substances

http://www.hamshrn.org/index.html

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hamshrn/

Rational Recovery (no support groups)

www.rational.org

====================================================

Alan,

You were wondering what we're upset about in the "AA & Religion" thread. Well, one thing that upsets me is that the Addiction home page

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=14&cn=14

lists only 12-step groups.

I hope you will include the above groups at this link. The listing at the URL at the top of this message, while commendable, is too deeply buried for most Addiction / Addict visitors to find.

The other thing that particularly irks me about 12-step groups is that they claim to be "not religious", while pressuring people to work the 12 Steps (or even requiring it). Take Step 11 for example:

Step 11 "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out."

Now what concept of "God" fits in the above other than a prayer-answering deity? Do you pray to the group, a light bulb, a tree?

Or take Step 3 - "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him"

What besides a deity would a person turn their will and lives over to? I sure wouldn't turn my will and life over 100% to any human institution or group of humans. Not when they (many groups though not all) tell people to quit taking prescribed medications and quit seeing therapists.

They also push people to read the Big Book -- which is full of insults to non-believers, particularly the "We Agnostics" chapter where they call non-believers "vain", "fooling ourselves", "perverse", prejudiced", "obstinant" and on and on. How is this slamming of non-believers not religious?

What if I called you "vain", "fooling yourself", "perverse", prejudiced", "obstinant"? I bet you would be pretty angry, right?

As others have said in the A.A. & Religion thread, we are angry, very angry, that people are forced by court order and employer mandates to attend such a mendacious program that, despite its claims of "rigorous honesty", it mendaciously claims to be spiritual and not religious. And it pulls this deceptive bait-and-switch stunt -- we're not religious but you had better work the 12 Steps and listen to us blather endlessly about how a prayer-answering favor-dispensing deity is doing all these great things for us (while letting millions starve, but who cares).

Progree

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was on line checking for groups, I found them. And, checked out each one carefully. I found them all good. My 'plan A' was SMART Recovery. If I had become disenchanted with SMART, groups like SOS & LifeRing would have been 'plan B'. This doesn t refect ill upon either. Just my personal call.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To all who commented, thanks so much for your feedback and interest.

The purpose of this thread was to present side-by-side options/choices to AA/12 step on the addictions page. As a sticky, this has been already done. Given this, the thread is now locked from further comment.

Edited by David O
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...