FLP eBook 8 - Alcohol and Drug Addiction and How to Treat It
Ask Yourself. Am I Present? Awaken the Observer and Come Present to Now.
With great gratitude, appreciation and praise we welcome you to the creation space of self love, courage, inspiration and the peace of mind that comes from gently balancing and lowering your brainwaves.
Listening to this THETA wave will assist you in creating a transformative meditative state, that will quiet your mind, relieve tension in your body, soothe your spirit, and help you remember how good it feels to be fully present in this beautiful moment of now.
Listen to this THETA brainwave as you study the following lesson.
Alcohol and drug addictions are frightening and often lethal conditions. This lesson describes some of the issues associated with drug or alcohol addiction and presents a number of treatments.
For a long time treatment has been limited to approaches such as 12-step type programs. Now there are many more alternatives that can be used instead of, or in addition to more traditional approaches. For example, one of the most intriguing newer approaches uses nutrition to address the underlying biochemistry that encourages alcohol and drug addiction. For example more studies than can possibly be described have shown that certain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other supplements specifically target certain things that create conditions that make an alcoholic want to drink. Use of certain combinations of supplements can eliminate cravings for alcohol. A fantastic resource on this subject is Joan Larsen’s book “Seven Weeks to Sobriety”. Other techniques such as therapy, meditation (a couple of creative examples are included at the end of this article) and eve just regular exercise have shown great promise both alone and in combination with other methods. More good news is the growing number of treatment centers that offer combinations of approaches, using a variety of modalities of traditional therapy, nutrition, supplement programs, and exercise.
Why People Use Drugs
The first thing you must understand about drug addiction is that alcohol and addictive drugs are basically painkillers. They chemically kill physical or emotional pain and alter the mind's perception of reality. They make people numb. For drugs such as alcohol, painkillers, cocaine or speed to be attractive to a person there must first be some underlying unhappiness, sense of hopelessness, or physical pain. In today's society, individuals are constantly being bombarded with drugs; whether it is from illicit drug dealers or their local doctor. Many think that it is "cool" and begin to use drugs to "fit in" and become popular.
On the flip side, many doctors and psychiatrists are over- prescribing narcotics to individuals; thus unintentionally creating more drug addicts and fewer individuals who can handle their problems without the aid of drugs. Currently, society has come to believe that all their problems can be solved by a trip to their doctor, leaving with a prescription in hand to "help" them deal with their problems.
This theory of taking medication to "help" solve problems seems quite backwards when you think about it. Now the individuals who needed help and guidance in finding a solution to their problems are covering up their problems and emotions with prescription medications. If this same individual had initially addressed their problem, be it divorce, financial worries, family, school, etc., they could handle the problem and move on with their life. Instead, many individuals feel that their problems are too big to handle are dependent on their prescription drugs to "help" them.
Drug Addiction Often Follows a Cycle like This:
The life cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain a person is experiencing. They find this very difficult to deal with. We start off with an individual who, like most people in our society, is basically good. This person encounters a problem or discomfort that they do not know how to resolve or cannot confront. This could include problems such as difficulty "fitting in" as a child or teenager, anxiety due to peer pressure or work expectations, identity problems or divorce as an adult. It can also include physical discomfort, such as an injury or chronic pain. The person experiencing the discomfort has a real problem. He may feel his present situation is unendurable, yet sees no good solution to the problem.
Everyone has experienced this in life to a greater or lesser degree. The difference between an addict and the non-addict is that the addict chooses drugs or alcohol as a solution to the unwanted problem or discomfort.
It should be acknowledged that an important piece of the cycle is that the drugs feel good. The first uses of the drug are generally because someone told you it would feel good, be fun. Typically what will happen is that not only does the drug feel good but some issue that was already present seems to go away when under the influence of the drug. For example, someone who is normally shy around others may find themselves articulate and friendly under the influence of an “upper” like speed or cocaine. Someone who is very high strung, stressed out and worried much of the time might find relief using a “downer” such as a painkiller or muscle relaxant. The problems begin when we begin using the drug specifically (and remember, this may be unconscious) to mitigate the symptoms of an existing condition that is uncomfortable.
The Drug Addiction Progresses
Analogous to an adolescent child in his first love affair, the use of drugs or alcohol becomes obsessive. The addicted person becomes trapped. Whatever problem they were initially trying to solve by using drugs or alcohol fades from memory. They begin to become preoccupied with getting and using the drug(s) they have become addicted to. They lose the ability to control their usage and disregard the often horrible consequences of their actions.
Alcohol and Drug Tolerance
In addition to the mental stress created by their unethical behavior, the addict's body has also adapted to the presence of the drugs. They will experience an overwhelming obsession with getting and using their drugs, and will do anything to avoid the pain of withdrawing from them. This is when the newly-created addict begins to experience drug cravings.
They now seek drugs both for the reward of the "pleasure" they give themselves, and also to avoid the mental and physical horrors of withdrawal. Ironically, the addict's ability to get "high" from the alcohol or drug gradually decreases as their body adapts to the presence of foreign chemicals. They must take more and more, not just to get an effect but often just to function at all. At this point, the addict is stuck in a vicious dwindling spiral. The drugs they have abused have changed them both physically and mentally. They have crossed an invisible and intangible line. They are now a drug addict.
How do you know you have an alcohol problem?
1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
2. Have you ever decided to have one or two drinks and ended up having many more?
3. Do you drink every day?
4. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
5. Have you ever had withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety?
6. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (as an “eye opener”) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
7. Do you hide and drink alone so no one sees you?
8. Do you hide alcohol so you never run out?
9. Do you become defensive when someone talks to you about your drinking?
10. Do you feel bad or guilty about your drinking?
11. Have you ever blacked out during a drinking episode and don’t remember anything?
12. Are you eating less and drinking more?
Three or more affirmative answers indicate an alcohol problem.
Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, relapsing brain disease. Five percent of Americans die of alcoholism.
Alcoholism is nothing to be ashamed of because it is primarily a physical and genetic disease; not a psychological problem, or something that happens to people “who are weak”. Forty percent of alcoholism is caused by genetic factors and sixty percent by factors we don't understand. If we take identical twins and split them at birth and raise one in Wyoming and one in Ethiopia, if one twin becomes an alcoholic, there is a 40% chance that the other twin will become an alcoholic. Alcoholism runs in families. If you have an alcohol problem it is very likely that other members of your family are addicted.
Some Facts
Alcoholism is lethal: The vast majority of untreated alcoholics will die of alcoholism.
Heavy drinking can increase the risk for certain cancers, especially those of the liver, esophagus, throat, and larynx (voice box). It can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems, brain damage, and harm to the fetus during pregnancy. In addition, drinking increases the risk of death from automobile crashes, recreational accidents, and on-the-job accidents and also increases the likelihood of homicide and suicide. In purely economic terms, alcohol-related problems cost society approximately $100 billion per year. In human terms, the costs are incalculable.
Can I quit drinking on my own?
Four percent of alcoholics stay sober for the next year if they try to quit on their own.
Fifty percent of alcoholics stay sober for the next year of if they go through treatment.
Seventy percent of alcoholics stay sober for the next year if they go through treatment and regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Ninety percent of alcoholics stay sober for the next year if they go through treatment, regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and go to aftercare once a week.
What kind of treatment do I need?
There seems to be no difference in outpatient and inpatient treatment in regard to patient outcome, but there is a thirty percent dropout rate in outpatient treatment compared to a ten percent dropout rate in inpatient treatment. Don't short change yourself. Get the treatment you need to stay clean and sober.
How do I get my loved one into treatment if they don't believe they have a problem?
This is very common because the alcoholic uses defense mechanisms to protect him or herself from the painful truth. No one likes to think they are sick and so they minimize, rationalize and deny the problem. This not only happens in the alcoholic but in everyone intimately involved with the alcoholic. That is why this is a family disease.
These are the steps you need to take to help someone you love:
1. You need to treat yourself first. Go to an organization such as Al-anon or to an addictions counselor and get support. Alcoholism is an illness that you can't conquer on your own. You need help. You have probably been helping the alcoholic or addict drink or use drugs by covering up for them, possibly in ways that are too subtle for you to understand or see without input of others who are familiar with the patterns--this has got to stop. Once you get support, then you can act.
2. Hire an addictions professional to help you carry out an intervention. Don't try and do this yourself, it's too complicated and risky.
3. With the counselor's help, gather together an intervention team. This is a group of people who have been adversely affected by the person's drinking or drug use (family, friends, employer, coworkers, clergy, doctor, etc.) Talk about the problem and how it has adversely affected you. Agree that the drinking is a serious problem and treatment is necessary. Gather people who are willing and able to intervene. Remember, this will save the alcoholic's life. Don't choose people who are weak or who have an alcohol problem. Chose people who are strong enough to tell the alcoholic the truth.
4. Have each person write the alcoholic a letter detailing exact situations where the alcoholic's drinking hurt them. Then state that they want the alcoholic to go to treatment and then list what they are going to do if the alcoholic refuses. They could say they are not going to protect the alcoholic from the consequences of their drinking anymore. The employer may discharge the alcoholic, the spouse may move out, the children may not let the alcoholic be alone with the grandchildren, etc. These consequences need to be specific and the person willing to carry though.
5. Choose a good treatment center and make sure they have a bed open.
6. Practice the intervention with one of the members of the intervention team playing the patient.Make sure that the professional runs the meeting and everyone tries to be gentle and loving. Expect the alcoholic to be defensive, that's how the illness works. Everyone tells the alcoholic how much they care and why they want him or her to go to treatment.
7. Pack the patients bag and have transportation to the treatment center ready.
8. Pick a time when the alcoholic will be sober, usually in the morning, and take them to a neutral facility so you can meet privately. Don't use the alcoholic's home.
9. Carry out the intervention being honest and loving.
9. The intervention is over when the person agrees to go to treatment or the professional believes that the meeting has served its purpose. Most interventions take about an hour and ends in the person going to treatment, but sometimes the best you can do is plant the seeds of the truth that hopefully will grow later. No intervention is wasted if the truth comes out.
Treatment Options
Treatment of alcoholism can take many forms, including therapy, nutrition, meditation, in- and out-patient treatment centers, 12-step programs, and alternative treatment programs.
For a complete nutritional program with supplements, excellent explanations of alcohol addiction, and clear descriptions of what supplements to take, we recommend Joan Larsen’s book “7 Weeks To Sobriety”. There are also in-patient programs which use her system alone, or in combination with other methods such as therapy.
The Standard 12 Step Drug Treatment Program
1. We admit we are powerless over our dependencies and that our lives have become unmanageable.
2. We come to believe that God can restore us to sanity.
3. We make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.
4. We make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We are entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings.
8. We make a list of all persons we have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.
9. We make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong promptly admit it.
11. We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as revealed through the person of Jesus Christ, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, which is the revelation of Jesus Christ, we try to carry this message to others and to practice these Biblical principles in all our affairs.
Whatever drug treatment method individual’s use is better than no treatment program.
Therapeutic Approaches
The Matrix Model provides a framework for engaging stimulant abusers in treatment and helping them achieve abstinence.
Patients learn about issues critical to addiction and relapse, receive direction and support from a trained therapist, become familiar with self-help programs, and are monitored for drug use by urine testing. The program includes education for family members affected by the addiction.
The therapist functions simultaneously as teacher and coach, fostering a positive, encouraging relationship with the patient and using that relationship to reinforce positive behavior change. The interaction between the therapist and the patient is realistic and direct but not confrontational or parental. Therapists are trained to conduct treatment sessions in a way that promotes the patient's self-esteem, dignity, and self-worth. A positive relationship between patient and therapist is a critical element for patient retention.
Treatment materials draw heavily on other tested treatment approaches. Thus, this approach includes elements pertaining to the areas of relapse prevention, family and group therapies, drug education, and self-help participation. Detailed treatment manuals contain work sheets for individual sessions; other components include family educational groups, early recovery skills groups, relapse prevention groups, conjoint sessions, urine tests, 12-step programs, relapse analysis, and social support groups.
A number of projects have demonstrated that participants treated with the Matrix model demonstrate statistically significant reductions in drug and alcohol use, improvements in psychological indicators, and reduced risky sexual behaviors associated with HIV transmission. These reports, along with evidence suggesting comparable treatment response for methamphetamine users and cocaine users and demonstrated efficacy in enhancing naltrexone treatment of opiate addicts, provide a body of empirical support for the use of the model.
Supportive-Expressive Psychotherapy is a time-limited, focused psychotherapy that has been adapted for heroin- and cocaine-addicted individuals.
The therapy has two main components:
Supportive techniques to help patients feel comfortable in discussing their personal experiences.
Expressive techniques to help patients identify and work through interpersonal relationship issues.
Special attention is paid to the role of drugs in relation to problem feelings and behaviors, and how problems may be solved without recourse to drugs.
The efficacy of individual supportive-expressive psychotherapy has been tested with patients in methadone maintenance treatment who had psychiatric problems. In a comparison with patients receiving only drug counseling, both groups fared similarly with regard to opiate use, but the supportive-expressive psychotherapy group had lower cocaine use and required less methadone. Also, the patients who received supportive-expressive psychotherapy maintained many of the gains they had made. In an earlier study, supportive-expressive psychotherapy, when added to drug counseling, improved outcomes for opiate addicts in metha-done treatment with moderately severe psychiatric problems.
Individualized Drug Counseling focuses directly on reducing or stopping the addict's illicit drug use. It also addresses related areas of impaired functioning such as employment status, illegal activity, family/social relations as well as the content and structure of the patient's recovery program. Through its emphasis on short-term behavioral goals, individualized drug counseling helps the patient develop coping strategies and tools for abstaining from drug use and then maintaining abstinence. The addiction counselor encourages 12-step participation and makes referrals for needed supplemental medical, psychiatric, employment, and other services. Individuals are encouraged to attend sessions one or two times per week.
In a study that compared opiate addicts receiving only methadone to those receiving methadone coupled with counseling, individuals who received only methadone showed minimal improvement in reducing opiate use. The addition of counseling produced significantly more improvement. The addition of onsite medical/psychiatric, employment, and family services further improved outcomes.
In another study with cocaine addicts, individualized drug counseling, together with group drug counseling, was quite effective in reducing cocaine use. Thus, it appears that this approach has great utility with both heroin and cocaine addicts in outpatient treatment.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy is a client-centered counseling approach for initiating behavior change by helping clients to resolve ambivalence about engaging in treatment and stopping drug use. This approach employs strategies to evoke rapid and internally motivated change in the client, rather than guiding the client stepwise through the recovery process. This therapy consists of an initial assessment battery session, followed by two to four individual treatment sessions with a therapist. The first treatment session focuses on providing feedback generated from the initial assessment battery to stimulate discussion regarding personal substance use and to elicit self-motivational statements. Motivational interviewing principles are used to strengthen motivation and build a plan for change. Coping strategies for high-risk situations are suggested and discussed with the client. In subsequent sessions, the therapist monitors change, reviews cessation strategies being used, and continues to encourage commitment to change or sustained abstinence. Clients are sometimes encouraged to bring a significant other to sessions. This approach has been used successfully with alcoholics and with marijuana-dependent individuals.
Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents incorporates the principle that unwanted behavior can be changed by clear demonstration of the desired behavior and consistent reward of incremental steps toward achieving it. Therapeutic activities include fulfilling specific assignments, rehearsing desired behaviors, and recording and reviewing progress, with praise and privileges given for meeting assigned goals. Urine samples are collected regularly to monitor drug use. The therapy aims to equip the patient to gain three types of control:
Stimulus Control helps patients avoid situations associated with drug use and learn to spend more time in activities incompatible with drug use.
Urge Control helps patients recognize and change thoughts, feelings, and plans that lead to drug use. Social Control involves family members and other people important in helping patients avoid drugs. A parent or significant other attends treatment sessions when possible and assists with therapy assignments and reinforcing desired behavior.
According to research studies, this therapy helps adolescents become drug free and increases their ability to remain drug free after treatment ends. Adolescents also show improvement in several other areas (employment/school attendance, family relationships, depression, institutionalization, and alcohol use). Such favorable results are attributed largely to including family members in therapy and rewarding drug abstinence as verified by urinalysis.
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for Adolescents is an outpatient family-based drug abuse treatment for teenagers. MDFT views adolescent drug use in terms of a network of influences (that is, individual, family, peer, community) and suggests that reducing unwanted behavior and increasing desirable behavior occur in multiple ways in different settings. Treatment includes individual and family sessions held in the clinic, in the home, or with family members at the family court, school, or other community locations.
During individual sessions, the therapist and adolescent work on important developmental tasks, such as developing decision making, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. Teenagers acquire skills in communicating their thoughts and feelings to deal better with life stressors, and vocational skills. Parallel sessions are held with family members. Parents examine their particular parenting style, learning to distinguish influence from control and to have a positive and developmentally appropriate influence on their child.
Dietary Help to Address blood sugar imbalances: Most alcoholics have imbalances in their blood sugar, which, if addressed, can significantly decrease cravings for alcohol as well as decrease depression and anxiety. Here are some details on a diet for correcting blood sugar imbalances.
These ideas are offered as a suggestion. Any health advice should come from your doctor and if used is for use by individual discretion only.
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, contributes to more symptoms of anxiety than any other condition. Anxiety and the condition of low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, are virtually the same. A controversy prevails among health care professionals about whether hypoglycemia even exists! Most medical textbooks explain hypoglycemia as a condition due to organic causes such as a pancreatic tumor, a liver glycogen storage disease or an insulin overdose. The average physician will miss the diagnosis of hypoglycemia due to the rarity of these conditions. However, in most instances, appropriate treatment relieves most of the debilitating symptoms. Patients report that treatment of low blood sugar alleviates anxiety.
The best way to experience the relief of anxiety symptoms would be to go a hypoglycemic control diet for a month and see how much improvement that yields. There are no "side effects" except increased energy, clearer thinking, and better ability to deal with all types of real stress. The philosophy behind the suggested diet is that only you can decide if the diet is worth being on, i.e. if the benefits are worth the sacrifices. To make an informed decision, you have to try it and experience the results. A high level of vitamin C is a huge help in reducing withdrawal discomfort from alcohol, coffee, sugar and other drugs.
Drink plenty of water! 8 glasses a day.
Eat as often as you feel hungry. Keep health snacks around you. Plan ahead, it may be difficult to find the healthy food, you need on a "fast food" basis.
Read the ingredient labels on everything you eat. Minimize all carbohydrate consumption. You are trying to stabilize the blood sugar levels in your body.
Don't worry about fat consumption.
Choose any foods from the following list
Meats and Fish:
All meat
All fowl and game
All fish and shellfish
Dairy Products:
Eggs, any style
Any natural cheese (bleu, Roquefort, cheddar, cream, gouda, swiss, etc.
Cream (heavy and sour)
Cottage and ricotta (1/2 cup limit)
Butter and margarine
Fruits:
Fresh coconut
Avocado (limit 1/2 per day)
Cantaloupe (limit 1/4 per day)
Strawberries (limit 6-8 per day)
Lime or lemon juice (limit 2 tsp. per day) for flavoring
Vegetables
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (limit 1 cup per day)
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Chinese cabbage (limit 2 cups per day)
Chives
Cucumber
Daikon (long, white radish)
Eggplant
Endive
Escarole
Greens (Mustard, beet)
Jicama
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce (any type)
Mushrooms
Okra
Olives
Parsley
Peppers (green, red, yellow, etc.)
Pickles (dill, sour, limit one)
Pimiento
Radicchio
Radish
Rhubarb
Sauerkraut
Scallions (green onions)
Spinach
Squash (yellow or summer only)
String beans (green or yellow)
Snow peas
Tomatoes
Water Chestnuts
Watercress
Zucchini
Nuts (within reason):
Almond
Brazil
Butternut
Filbert
Hazel
Hickory
Macadamia
Pecan
Pistachio
Sunflower seeds (small handful)
Walnut
Desserts:
Sugar-free Jell-O
Custard (made with cream and artificial sweetener)
Drinks:
Club soda
Decaffeinated coffee
Weak or decaffeinated tea
Caffeine-free diet sodas
Sugar-free Kool-Aid
Condiments and Spices:
All spices including seeds (fresh or dried)
All imitation flavorings
Horseradish
Sugar-free sauces such as hollandaise, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup
Sugar-free salad dressings
Oil and vinegar (all types)
Worcestershire sauce
Miscellaneous:
All fats
Foods to Avoid Strictly:
Sweet wines, fruit brandy and champagne
Baked beans, refried beans
Black-eyed peas (cowpeas)
Bananas
Lima beans
Potatoes
Corn
Dried fruits
Barley
Rice
Pasta (all types)
Burritos and flour tortillas
Tamales
Sweets of any kind
Products that contain Dextrose, Glucose, Hexitol, Maltose, Sucrose, Honey, Fructose, Corn Syrup or Starch, or caffeine.
Each hypoglycemic's tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.
If cholesterol is a problem, avoid cold cuts except turkey, cheese, cream, solid margarine, hollandaise sauce, and macadamia nuts. Use egg whites or Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs. Use liquid margarine only. Nuts should be dry roasted. Trim all visible fat from meats and remove skin from poultry. Use canola or olive oil.
After a month these foods may be added to the Control Diet if tolerated
Fruits (limit: one piece of fruit every four hours. No fruit juices.)
Apples
Apricots
Blackberries (1/2 cup limit)
Blueberries (1/2 cup limit)
Boysenberries
Casaba melon (1 wedge limit)
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon (1 wedge limit)
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Tomato juice
V8 Juice
Vegetables
Artichokes
Beets
Carrots
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin
Squash, winter
Turnip
Nuts
Cashews
Peanuts
Soy Nuts
Dairy Products
Whole, non-fat, low-fat milk and buttermilk
Desserts
Sugarless diet puddings (1/2 cup a day limit)
Breads
Three slices a day of whole wheat, sourdough or light rye. No more than two slices at one time.
Gravy made with gluten or soy flour only
Wheat germ
Puffed rice, shredded wheat or other sugar-free cereals
One cup popcorn (popped)
2 tacos or 2 enchiladas (2 corn tortillas only)
The Recovery Medicine Wheel
The term “medicine” as it is used in the term Medicine Wheel refers to a healing, a teaching, an enlightening, spiritual energy. A Medicine Wheel can best be described as a mirror within which everything is reflected…
The Medicine Wheel encompasses the Four Directions, Four Winds, Four Grandfathers, Four Elements (earth, fire, air, water), four races of people in the human family (Black, White, Red & Yellow). We the people have four aspects to our nature, four major realms of human existence.
North — the physical realm
East — the realm of knowledge & enlightenment
South — the spiritual realm
West — the realm of introspective thought
WALKING THE STEPS
Walking the steps of the recovery medicine wheel means choosing a starting point & continuing in a sun wise direction & back to your beginning place. A circle has no true beginning nor ending point, so when you have traveled through the wheel back to where you have started; you are ready to begin again… with new understanding. This is a life long quest…
This Medicine Wheel concept is ancient, passed through the generations. It is a spiritual, emotional, psychological & physical improvement model. To be used by & for those who seek inner peace, spiritual strength & a healthier mind & body. It is a powerful tool with which a person can utilize to maintain sobriety & sustain recovery. It is especially beneficial to ACOA, Co dependents& people with addictions.
Think of the steps as you would the paddle of a canoe. The paddle has great potential for moving you along a river. But it is up to you to put the paddle in the water, push forward & adjust to the current. In the same way, the steps of the Recovery Medicine Wheel will have great potential for moving you along the “River of Life” to recovery. BUT, you must apply them sincerely!
NORTH
Physical Realm
The north is the place of beginning because it the place of rebirth. You must make a decision in your life to stop physically abusing your body.
1. Beginning today I will take good care of myself.
If you are abusing; drugs, alcohol or food, you must start by recognizing the damage you are doing to your body. You must take aggressive steps to get treatment for your addiction.
2. Beginning today I will regain a balance in my life by developing an understanding of the important connection between the physical, emotional, psychological & spiritual parts of my existence.
This means you will begin to see the entire picture of your life. In so doing… come to understand that the physical well being involves the need to become enlightened. It also means to become aware of the important connection between; emotions, life stress, sense of self & the effect these life elements have on your physical health.
3. Beginning today I will stop inflicting pain (physical/emotional) on myself & others.
If you hurt inside… if you have anger/pain you must release it at a safe time & in a safe manner. If you are causing pain in any form… it must stop… beginning today.
4. Beginning today I will come to an understanding that change is a process.
People from dysfunctional families are NOT accustomed to process living. They go from Crisis to Crisis. Recovering people must LEARN to live life as a process. Understand & accept that this learning takes time & the changing takes time. You may not be able to expect an overnight miracle but you can expect a miracle over time…
EAST
Realm of Knowledge & Enlightenment
The east is the morning direction. New day, new, light, new thought & resolve…
1. Beginning today I will reawaken to all creation & all of the beauty that exists in the world around me.
Like everything worthwhile, opening up again takes work. Open yourself up to new experiences, new persons & new awareness.
Begin today; to be… to become… to live…
2. Beginning today I will release myself from a Narrow view of life & begin to grow, learn & gain new knowledge.
You must now begin to give up you narrow & self destructive view of life. Venture forth. Challenge yourself to learn… to grow… & to gain new knowledge… Go beyond fear to begin feeling that you are worth while, that you can make a positive life change.
3. Beginning today I will remember that I have a sacred right to live my life as I wish & need to bring harmony & balance into my existence by respecting the life rights of others.
You have the right to be you. You do not have the right to play a role assigned to you by your dysfunctional family. We need to have love & respect for others as well. We must learn to balance our rights, needs & desires with those of others in order to achieve harmony. You need to have love & respect for others as well. We must learn to balance our rights, needs & desires with those of others to achieve harmony.
4. Beginning today I will work on understanding the changes I must make in order to achieve personal harmony, balance & freedom.
Consider the cognition & behavior changes that will bring you freedom from your addiction. Move away from old, dysfunctional, destructive life patterns to new balances, functional ways of living. Fear must be replaced with a feeling of personal strength through the caring support of the self by the self & of the self by others. Co-operation must replace tyrannical control & love must replace self hatred.
SOUTH
Spiritual Realm
The south is the realm of existence where we will make a connection with a spiritual power greater than ourselves. Some may see this greater power as the collective essence of all people. Others may see this as being pure energy. What matters is that every recovering person connects with a spiritual essence, a power that is greater than him or herself.
1. Beginning today I will come to an understanding of my special relationship to Mother Earth & release my pain to her.
We see the Earth as the Mother to all living things. The soil provides us with food, the stone & soil that trees are in the earth can provide shelter for us. If we know and respect the earth, she will always provide for us. In your recovery, Mother Earth will heal you with her beauty & energy. Touch Mother Earth & ask her to remove your inner sadness, anxiety & fear. Ask her to allow you to let go of negative thinking & negative self perception. Release your pain to Mother Earth & you will be refreshed, released, reborn & freed.
2. Today I will come to understand my relationship with Father Sky.
Father Sky is wind, rain, snow, thunder & lightening, stillness, movement, clarity & cloudiness. It can either take or give life. Father Sky will act as a reminder of the feelings within you; both gentle & destructive. If you watch & respect the ways of Father Sky, you will understand the meaning of balance & feel within you a sense of strength & ability.
3. Today I will seek the connection I have with all of the universe.
This step teaches us to understand humility & belonging. We can continue to heal ourselves by sharing knowledge & love with others. This love & connectedness must be supportive & uplifting. It must be unconditional love. It should not be the kind of love you expected in the past or had expected of you when drugs & alcohol were involved. That type of love is not love at all. You must say; “I am going to begin caring for myself & accept the love & support from others.”
4. Today I will reconnect with & nurture my own spirit.
This is the most direct, yet difficult step within the spiritual realm. This step asks you to nurture your own spirit. To do this you must connect with your inner self, with that most private part of you. You must be able to acknowledge your fears, desires, emotions & feelings of distress. Most of all; you must learn to care for your own spirit. Think of your spirit as a child. Find out what can be done to help that child. See if the child needs love, reassurance or comforting. Is the child angry? If so let the child express some anger. Find a safe time & place for that child to let that anger go. That safe time may in a therapists office or in a sweat lodge, in a support group or in the solitude of your own room. You should find someone who will be caring, supportive & nonjudgmental. Treat your spirit, yourself, with love. Seek out your inner self. Heal your spirit…
WEST
Realm of Introspective Thought
This is the realm where we must look within ourselves & be honest with what we see or find.
1. Today I will speak honestly with myself.
This step is asking you to stop suppressing feelings, stop turning off emotions & stop denying that problems exist. For example if you are an adult child of an alcoholic, you may want to appear helpful, calm & in control. In reality you'd be acting helpful as a means of avoiding rejection. You may appear calm. But it is a way of showing inner tension & fear. Your controlled exterior is likely an attempt to cover up your feelings of failure & inadequacy. In order to be healed, you will need to begin speaking honestly with yourself. As you become aware of the truths of your current life experiences, path to recovery the choices you make will be clear.
2. Today I will look at my problems & my accomplishments with a willingness to commit myself to positive growth & change.
A person's ability to look at both problems & accomplishments can be an indicator of his/her sense of self. At this point in the Medicine Wheel, acknowledgement of both problems & accomplishments return balance to your life. Commitment to positive growth & change provides the path to healing.
3. Today I will examine the ways in which I have tried to manipulate, control or manage the lives of others. I will make a commitment to stop this behavior.
This step has a great deal of meaning for recovering addicts, adult children of alcoholics, co-dependent persons as well as those from dysfunctional families.
The person must realize that when performing the controlling behaviors that he/she is bringing harm to them self as well as the individual they have infringed upon.
Let the addicted person or significant other fix their own problem. The responsibility of owning their own problem & facing the consequences will be the other persons problem. You need to stop attempting to manage others & focus on taking responsibility for your own life, your own recovery.
4. Today I will acknowledge that change in my life must begin with me.
This step is an action step in which you empower yourself to make positive life changes. No one else but you can make changes in your own life. No one else can stop your addiction. Others can help you, encourage you, support you, but only you can stop your addictive process.
Discover your personal path to recovery. A recovery/support group, a therapist or trusted other & your own insight will help you unravel the meaning of each step of the Recovery Medicine Wheel. Many traits of this medicine wheel are like other therapeutic healing methods; 12 step, reality therapy & behavior modification therapy to name a few. We hope you have been enlightened as to the use of the medicine wheel in healing through this information paper.