Language That Empowers

In today’s treatment programs, how often do we talk with addicts about what they want to gain in their lives, rather than what they must give up? Most group sessions focus on “abstinence” and the necessary “avoidance” of people, places, and things. Of course, these conversations are extremely important but talking about what sobriety can ADD to a person’s life is just as important, if not more so. This concept, which may appear obvious, is sadly overlooked.

Maia Szalavitz sheds light on this in her book, “Unbroken Brain.” Using her own first-hand experience with drug addiction, Szalavitz challenges the current treatment policies and asks humanity to look at addiction through a different lens. It was while reading her book that I began to see the deep-rooted flaws in our system.

If our goal is to help people recover from addiction, why do use negative language such as “you must give up your relationship with…” “you can’t go to that restaurant anymore…” “you must choose…” “you can’t do this, if you want that…”? Does this type of language motivate you to achieve a specific goal? For me, this language screams punishment, discipline and fear.

Now, what if we sat in a group session and changed the language; “what would you like to add to your life?” “What have you always dreamed of doing but never got the chance to?” “Recovery opens the door to a whole world of possibilities, passions, and dreams. Let’s all imagine our ideal lives.” This language screams positivity, motivation and happiness! It cries love and laughter and relationships! It shouts why recovery ADDS to our lives and not deprives us!

What language empowers others to make their dreams a reality? Use that language.

By Sarah Fichtner, Counselor at Relevance Recovery

Sitting on a Three Legged Stool

Imagine trying to sit on a three-legged stool.  Eventually, if you are unlike me, you may be able to pull it off and balance for a little while.  However, with any slight movement you will fall. It is inevitable. Successful addiction treatment needs to ensure that fourth leg is a vital component of the program.

The treatment community has finally embraced the traditional three-legged approach of physical, mental, and emotional treatment, yet continues to lack the fourth leg, spirituality. The physical level of self involves what we do; the mental – what we think and believe; the emotional – what we feel; and the spiritual – who we truly are.   Without spirituality in recovery, treatment is incomplete and our we will wobble and fall with only the slightest movement.

here are some ideas that can create an opening for a supportive, recovery-based conversation about developing spiritual competencies:

  • A good place to start is just listening to what people have to say about spiritual issues. As simple as this may sound, it’s a step many of us haven’t yet taken since we have not been open to having this conversation.

  • We can ask how people understand the words “spirituality” and “religion,” and if they view them as distinct. Listen deeply to what they say.

  We can ask what gives their lives purpose and meaning. For example, the following questions were developed for use by physicians: “What do you hold on to during difficult times?” “What sustains you and keeps you going?” “What aspects of your spirituality or spiritual practices do you find most helpful to you personally?” “Is there anything I can do to help you access the resources that usually help you?”2

  If people express interest in gaining spiritual competencies, we can describe some practices that many others have found helpful, such as: prayer, meditation, contemplation, reading inspirational books, journal writing, spending time in nature, taking part in religious services, or volunteering services to others.

  We can show interest in and provide support for their spiritual findings and encourage them to stay with practices that support their recovery, and to let go of those that don’t.

Spirituality is different from religion. It has less to do with organized approaches and is more individualized. There are several national polls reliably indicate what our society says and feels about spirituality. They say that spirituality is an important facet in the lives of the vast majority of Americans.

Why would we assume that people with who suffer from addiction are any different? Anything that can support the resiliency of the people we serve should definitely be our business. We must move beyond our ambivalence about including spirituality in treatment programs if we intend to provide holistic, culturally competent, and recovery-oriented services.

Becoming A People Person

By nature, human being are social creatures.  Simply put, we need other people.  If we are addicted to drugs, there is a very good chance that we surround ourselves with negative people.  These are people who will negatively influence us.  This can pose a significant problem when we make the decision to stop using and enter a life in recovery.  No matter how we got there, whatever path we chose to get clean, creating a positive network of supportive people whose are pretty much aligned with our own can be a daunting task and create a bit of loneliness, especially early on.  There is an abundance of research that surrounding ourselves with positive people dramatically increases our chances at maintaining abstinence and living a life in recovery.  The social aspects of developing this network are not always easy for us to develop, especially if we are not a “people person” and would much rather isolate and handle things on our own.  The following are a few simple steps we can follow to develop this network.

1—engage in some type of fellowship program whereby there are people who have and are going through a very similar experience as you.  These can be SMART recovery meetings, Refuge recovery meetings or even a traditional 12-step meeting.  Attendance is beneficial to meet new people.

2—asking for help is another critical step.  This is can be a difficult step that some of us may struggle with.  In the end, we can talk to people, whether at a meeting, or being with family members.  Reaching out for help is a critical step and also helps us create an increased level of self-esteem.

3—choosing new friends is vital. Asking questions in regards to the amount of clean time someone has, whether or not they are in treatment, their views on recovery and their level of social involvement in the recovery environment.

4—being patient is often a difficult thing to do, especially when you our accustomed to using drugs, not trusting people, and wanting to be instantly gratified.

In the end, camaraderie and fellowship will increase the level of success you may have will be increased significantly if you develop a circle of your peers to  lean on.  There is no room for hiding.  Social networking and support will be the key to lasting recovery.  People persons perpetuate promising plans to progress.

Individuality in Addiction Treatment

As a child, most of us were given a choice of a variety of toys to play with.  Some just for play, others to help us develop certain skills.  They would help us develop our hand-eye coordination, our understanding of colors and numbers, and even a basic working understanding of shapes.  As we grew older, those early teachings were expanded upon in school and maybe even through family members.  Our foundations were laid and built upon with more information.  (Follow me here as I make this connection…)

One of those early teachings was about shapes.  Simply put, we learned that the square blocks, no matter how hard we tried to make them fit, would not fit in the round holes.  To delve a bit deeper, we also learned (although we didn’t realize at the time) that there were circles, and rectangles, and stars as well.  Other shapes, all different and unique.  (ok, ok, I will land the plane)

Fast forward to adulthood. Currently our country is faced with battling the worst drug epidemic the world has ever seen.  Too many lives are lost every day to the evils of addiction.  Lives are lost, families are destroyed. The “just say no” campaigns and the “war against drugs” have proven to be simply not enough.  Treatment for addiction, if we really think and look at it, has not really evolved all that much. Six or seven decades ago, two men started a group which would be later known and generally accepted as the standard for successfully treating alcoholism and drug addiction.  Twelve-step programs were born.  Then came the therapeutic communities, which the Eagles sang about in “Hotel California” (research it, it’s true).   Oversimplifying a bit, there were a few other theories that came out until a few years ago, we as a country thought we arrived at THE answer.  Fueled by many things, including the prevalence of addiction, the reduction in stigma, and even the financial needs of big pharma and commercial insurance, addiction was now a Disease.  This was HUGE.  We, as a society, felt as if we have made headway, and we did.

Addiction was finally getting the attention it needed.  No longer was society turning a blind eye.  Treatment programs wanted to help.  Many still held on to the successful tenets of 12 step, while others looked to develop new ways of thinking about addiction treatment only to really all wind up doing very similar things.

If you have read this far, stay with me, my wheels are down and I can see the runway…

A few years ago, we started hearing the some catchphrases in the addiction field.  Good treatment programs were going to be “holistic”.  That even sounded cooler.  But what did that mean, unfortunately for many, even those with the best of intentions, it meant simply nothing more that eating granola and meditating to a CD for an hour a week in “meditation group” and then back into a step-group or Big Book meeting.

While that may work for the round blocks, putting them in the round hole, what about the squares, the stars, the triangles.  Where do we put them?  What do we do?  Now more than ever, our society has realized the differences in the needs of our population and treatment must mirror this.  Now more than ever, good treatment programs need to provide the square holes, the stars, the triangles and even the circles too.  Yes, treatment for addiction needs to be all-encompassing.  What we have done up to this point, has not worked.  Let’s do it differently.

Let us embrace the idea of differences and true individualized treatment whereby what works for one may not work for another.  Some may do very well in 12-step while other may do better in a SMART recovery meeting.  Further to the point, others may do well with medication and psychotherapy.  The idea is simple, good treatment programs must offer it all.  Meet folks where they are at, find out what it is will best help them, and do it.  Get away from treating from a “one-size-fits-all approach” to something truly individualized gives us all the best chance to succeed in making a difference.

Thanks for flying, you may now exit the plane.

Understanding Multiple Pathways

There are many paths of recovery. People will choose their recovery pathway based on cultural values, socio-economic status, psychological and behavioral needs, and the nature of their substance use disorder. With such a personal and varied stake it is impossible to categorize every single type of recovery. However, there are several large areas that recovery falls into.

Types of Recovery Paths:

  • Natural Recovery

  • Recovery Mutual Aid Groups

  • Medication-Assisted Recovery

  • Peer-Based Recovery Supports

  • Family Recovery

  • Technology-Based Recovery

  • Alternative Recovery Supports

This is a refreshing approach to treatment as most centers are focused on a singular pathway. At Relevance, clients are exposed to all of them and allowed to choose which they want to practice and apply.

We teach the following pathways at Relevance

SMART Recovery Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) is a science-based mutual-support program to help people overcome addictions. SMART empowers people to assume responsibility for their recovery using a 4-Point Program: 1. Building and Maintaining Motivation, 2. Coping with Urges, 3. Managing Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviors, and 4. Living a Balanced Life. Using the four points as a framework, people create a course of action tailored to their own interests and needs. SMART meetings are led by trained facilitators and are highly interactive, action oriented, positive, and focus on the present and future.

Refuge Recovery is a mindfulness-based addiction recovery community that practices and utilizes Buddhist philosophy as the foundation of the recovery process.

12-Step Fellowships is a twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Bill Wilson to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. The method was adapted and became the foundation of other twelve-step programs. Some of the largest and most widely used 12-Step fellowships include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Cocaine Anonymous.

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered program with foundations firmly established in Biblical truth. The 12 Steps with accompanying Scriptures and the 8 Principles based on the Beatitudes offer participants a clear path of salvation and discipleship; bringing hope, freedom, sobriety, healing, and the opportunity to give back one day at a time through our one and only true Higher Power, Jesus Christ.

Recovery 2.0 is a global movement that embraces a holistic approach to recovery from addiction of all kinds. The community honors all effective paths to recovery and emphasizes the importance of mind body practices such as yoga and meditation, athletics, nutrition and community as part of an effective path to recovery and joy in life

Often called ‘self-help’ groups or ‘support’ groups, these groups are small scale community-oriented groups where people suffering from Substance Use Disorders meet and provide support to each other. These groups provide a safe space for people to share stories, talk about challenges, or share personal achievements, often with an overarching framework guiding the group purpose. Mutual Support Groups are often an initial destination for people hoping to find recovery, and also serve to help people maintain long-term recovery. Most mutual aid groups meet face to face, but there are web-based groups as well.

CFC Loud N Clear Foundation offers open and free multiple pathway meetings seven days a week.

Open Meetings
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William White Papers

Healing in Recovery

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Self-Esteem in Early Recovery

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