13 results for tag: Recovery Treatment

You Can’t Change Anyone — You Can Only Make Them Think

We can't change anyone who doesn't want or isn't ready to change. While I was still doing drugs and drinking alcohol, many people wanted me to change. They needed me to change. When I got sober in 1989, I often heard a woman named Claire share, "I didn't see the light. My ass was dragging, and I felt the heat"! This was me. The walls were closing in, and I felt like I had no options. I know that I am not alone in this experience of people wanting or needing someone to change, but they weren't ready or willing. My more than twenty-five years as a social worker, counselor, and coach have demonstrated that we can't change anyone who isn't invested in change. But we can inspire them, offer them a new perspective, and provide safety, support, and love....

Why I Keep My Car & Desk Messy

Why I Keep My Car & Desk Messy. I have another article published in the Elephant Journal. Here is an excerpt. The full article can be accessed through the link below. "When I used to consume alcohol and drugs, everything in my life was messy. My bedroom was messy. My refrigerator was messy. My bathroom was messy. My laundry was messy. My car was messy. My relationships were messy. My legal situation was messy. My finances were messy. My friendships were messy. My mind was messy. My body was messy. If I got involved, it would be messy." Please read the full article here Why I Keep My Car & Desk Messy.   I look forward to ...

How I Got Sober and What I Now Know About the Impacts of Alcohol

How I got sober in September of 1989 was incredibly anti-climactic. Nothing was particularly awful or special about when or how I got sober. It was a Monday night, three days before I went for an alcohol assessment. I wanted to "beat the test," so I stopped drinking in advance to prove that I was n0t an alcoholic. I know; it's pretty funny, actually. Even though I have been clean and sober since September 11, 1989 (Yes. September 11th, but twelve years before THAT September 11th), my recovery has four separate phases.

How I Got Sober - Phase One

The first phase was short-lived. I was going to an outpatient program four nights per week and AA/NA meetings the other days. I hated all of it, was not interested in what they had to offer, and was only complying to prove to my girlfriend at the time and her therapist that I was not an alcoholic. I still chuckle when I think about it. That phase came to an end when I freaked out, drove my car over 100mph, passed a cop, had that cop pull me over and approach my car with his rifle pointed at me, and a whole lot of drama during the following twenty-four hours that lead to me being locked up in an in-patient mental hospital while "sober"....

Porn Addiction, Loneliness and Connection

Porn addiction is increasing at a rapid pace. We know that access to online porn continues to create loneliness, disconnection, and porn addiction. But is porn the actual problem? Again, we come back to Johann Hari's findings. His research and personal experiences, as well as my own, support the theory that addictions often lack meaningful connection(s). This applies to porn addiction as well. The work we do in recovery from porn addiction includes focusing on creating new connections and strengthening those already existing. These connections and forming new habits can begin the process of feeling safe and a sense of belonging, all foundations of a sustainable recovery....

Addiction Is Not The Drugs, It’s The ACEs

Addiction Is Not The Drugs, It's The ACEs. As we learn more and more about addiction, its causes, and recovery, it is not what we thought it was, or at least it is not only what we thought it was. We now know that many addicts experienced trauma(s) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adolescent trauma, or multiple traumas resulting in PTSD or complex PTSD (cPTSD). Thanks to the research and work by Johann Hari, we discovered another clue to the cause of addiction, a lack of connection. We will continue to learn and develop better and more holistic treatment and recovery for addicts and alcoholics. This particular article focuses predominantly on addiction to drugs and alcohol, but it mostly definitely applies to the full spectrum of addictions. Many of us have experienced ACEs, and much has been documented about the repercussions throughout life. But what about the relationship between ACEs and addiction? Is what we call addiction just a way of creating comfort and the illusion of safety through repeated actions to relieve the symptoms of ACEs?What if you felt safe and comfortable in your mind, body, and spirit? Do you think you would still need to chase the feeling of numbness/comfort through obsessive behaviors? What if we learned that we have been "treating a stomach ache with an aspirin" all these years? What if we knew definitively that addiction is not the drugs, but something deep inside us, what would shift in you?...

The Future Of Mental Health Treatment

I think most people would agree that the mental health system is not effectively serving our communities. Individuals can be treated as a "problem" or "defective/broken". Couples are often seen as failures. Families, especially parents, get judged and belittled. Where is the compassion or understanding? Why are most therapists, clinicians, and counselors more concerned about charging a rate that "respects their self-value" than considering their client's ability to receive services without adding undo stress due to prohibitive costs or not even being able to afford the fees at all? Then there is the whole insurance industry!!!
Holistic counselors, therapists, social workers, and psychologists offer respite from the mainstream mental health system, and we still often do not meet the needs of our clients. There are so many variables that contribute to mental and emotional challenges, including diet, sleep/rest, exercise, "the gut", the nervous system, trauma(s), finances, work, school, relationships, environment, sensory issues, childhood attachments or lack of attachments, etc. We share so many common characteristic and experiences as humans but our specific journeys are incredibly complex and unique, therefore, treatments needs to be unique to the individual, couple or family....

How Iceland Got Teens to Say No to Drugs – The Icelandic Model

I become excited and inspired when I see concepts, ideas, and methods that I use in my work validated by international scientists and authors. The two articles that I have included excerpts from offer alternative ideas about the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. From my experience, combining these two perspectives is the core of my work, supporting and facilitating shifting patterns, behaviors, obsessions, and addictions. I typically integrate these three principles/methods for shifting unwanted patterns and behaviors.
  1.  Exercises supporting the discovery and understanding of our patterns and thinking.
  2.  Explore what we feel connected to, or the lack of connection, to people, animals, friends, family, and our environment. Create a plan to improve and expand our connections. (Read Johann Hari's views on addiction and connection at the bottom of this post.).
  3. Brainstorm interests, passions, and activities that we have either enjoyed in our past or present or would like to explore, including creative expressions,  physical activity, opportunities to connect with the natural world, or anything that inspires or stimulates us. We follow the brainstorming process by implementing some of these interests and activities into our lives before or during launching into facilitating the shift in the unwanted behaviors. In short, let's find out what will inspire and stimulate you to replace the patterns, behaviors, and addictions that are problematic. (This parallels the process Harvey Milkman researched in the U.S. and implemented in Iceland, discussed in the main article focusing on teens and addiction.)
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