Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them.
What are the alternatives we alluded to in the last communique? There are a plethora of programs that run the gamut from the Original Alcoholics Anonymous (12 Step Program) to the Guru Programs( You don’t need AA or NA, come here and get cured in 30 days!). In all fairness I cannot qualify any program as better than any other one, being as I have not personally been to them, all I can vouch for are the ones I have tried while practicing my addiction. AA, NA, GA, PA, Over Eaters Anonymous or any other of the multitude of these programs are all based on the 12 Steps principal and have worked extremely well for the people they serve.
But there are always folks with a newer and better way of doing it, take for example a heroin addict going to methadone maintenance treatment, exactly what has that person accomplished, in my estimation, nothing. That person just traded one drug for another, but in a program, it’s legal, ethical you decide, switch one substance for another, get habituated on the substitute drug, and still continue using the original drug, don’t sound right to me.
The high end programs, are just that, high end. Not discounting their services, the prices they charge are to say the least outrageous. Middle end programs run on the average about $6,000 – $7,000 for a thirty day stay, high end $9,000 and up depending on the accommodations. On the other end of the scale is the indigent programs. There is no charge for these programs, the services are equal to the high end programs without all the fancy trim.
The effectiveness of thee programs is not dependent on the location, or the accommodations, but rather on the staff working there. A PhD in Psychology as opposed to a street smart LCDC does not improve your chances of success any more than a fancy Brandy snifter makes you any less of an alcoholic then a guy that guzzles right from the bottle. What I am trying to say is the program does not guarantee success, the people in it and their commitment to the success of the client does.
There is another alternative, usually found in your own neighborhood, Churches are now getting far more visible as a source of help for addiction of all types. The people of the local church body have developed a program called Celebrate Recovery, it is open to anyone, it does not just focus on chemical dependence, but rather a very broad spectrum of addiction related problems. This focus is primarily a God centered recovery program, which by the way is the basis for all the 12 Step Programs in existence.
No matter which type of program you choose, choose carefully, you are betting your life on it. Find out all you can before you commit, it will make a world of difference. See you next week.
Something new check it out at www.addictsr.com, it’s finally live.
April 1, 2009 at 7:08 am |
I like what you said about the program not working. Of course the program doesn’t work! There’s a faith-based addictions program, similar to Celebrate Recovery, that has had a HUGE impact in my life. Some statistics about NA and AA, they only have like a 5% success rate, and most of the people are miserable. I heard a story about a man who went to an AA meeting, and when it came his turn to speak, he said “How do you guys actually stay sober?” and the lady who was chair said “Honey, I’ve been sober for 19 years, and I’ve hated everyday of it.” and so, although they can obtain sobriety through their own character, they do not experience the joy and the freedom that can only be found in Christ. I’m not trying to knock the 12-step programs, but I am saying that they don’t work for everyone. That’s where the local church comes in, which is what God intended to be the local support group. Reformers Unanimous is a program that gets people to come to God as they are, and allow God to change their heart. When their heart changes, the behavior will naturally follow. I mean, if you ask a person “Why were you speeding?” you’ll probably get a lot of responses, but it really boils down to “I do not believe it’s wrong.” OR “I did not believe I would get caught.” where if a person consistently believed “Hey, I am GOING to get caught and get a ticket if I speed.” then they aren’t going to speed. Change the belief, then allow the behavior to follow.
April 1, 2009 at 7:26 am |
What you say about faith based programs is now coming to be a reality in more ways than one. Over the years it has become very apparent that programs based on man’s intelligence and desire for recovery are as transitory as a fleeting idea. For me the only thing that has effectively worked is as you say the coming to God with the burning need to change. Once this has been accomplished, the changes effected are remarkable. For this to happen, more and more the community Church has to take part in the issue and other issues going on around it in the community which it serves. Altogether to many secular based programs are looking for results with methods that have not worked in the past, and are still being tried today. Is not that also addictive behavior? If AA and NA as well as other 12 Step programs are run on the basis of Bill W. and Dr. Bob method, the results there are undeniable, but you see that’s a faith based program also.
Dman