Spiritually and Recovery Running head: Spiritually and Recovery: A stronger view.
Spiritually and Recovery for Substance Abuse A stronger view. Tony R. Smith Regent University
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Abstract
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In many degrees of recovery, we tend to see the process of recovering from addiction, dealing with the addiction, and working to stay away from the addiction. Each process is a process that has helps many people in the past, as well as the future. Almost everyone has the need to recover from or overcome something in their lives. Recovery is a group of recovering people dedicated to mutual sharing, strength and hope as we live each day in recovery. We work to regain and maintain balance and order in our lives through active discussion of the life, and experiences in our own recovery from abuse, family dysfunction, depression, anxiety, grief, relationships and/or addictions of alcohol, drugs. But when you add a little spiritual aspect to the process of recovery it becomes a means to create a new outlook on life.
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The Process of Addictions.
How the remarkable degree of what it takes to deal with life after overcoming addiction is not as simple as it may seem, but to overcome the addiction from a form of drugs abuse is one of the major resources that is truly needed in this society today. Addiction has become a form of a new demon that has come forth into the world and begin to not only take away our children lives, but also the lives of our parents, family members, brothers and sisters, fellow friends, peer’s, coworkers. This addiction is been around for a very long time, from olden days, up until now, and yet we still couldn’t find the right answer to solve the problems that cause addictions, and the reason people turn to drugs as the first or final result to the problems they are experiencing in life. What is addiction: Addiction is a physical or mental dependence on a behavior or substance that a person feels powerless to stop. In many ways you can now say that sin is also a form of addiction, for we are powerless over it, but we have the actually will not to follow its teaching and it will. Shouldn’t this be the same way with addiction? Shouldn’t we have the power to decide to get involved in the aspect of drug use, the dealing with getting so upset that the only way to solve our problems is to feel a different way and the only way to do that is by using some form of illegal drug to change our way of thinking, feeling and actions to the problem. Once again sin is has the same effect as drug addiction, it is here to destroy you, to keep you from the very thing that will save you and that is having a spiritual connection with God. Paul wrote in Romans 12:21: “Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”(New International Version). For just as sin is here to destroy your very mind, body and soul, so is the addiction to drugs, for it was created to take away your life and become a
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control animal for someone else or for something else. In 2003, the rate of substance dependence or abuse was 8.9 percent for youths aged 12–17 and 21 percent for persons aged 18–25. Among persons with substance dependence or abuse, illicit drugs accounted for 58.1 percent of youths and 37.2 percent of persons aged 18–25. In 2003, males were almost twice as likely to be classified with substance dependence or abuse as females (12.2% versus 6.2%). Among youths aged 12–17, however, the rate of substance dependence or abuse among females (9.1%) was similar to the rate among males (8.7%). (Health Line) What is the major cause of this? Why is this happening to the world? The answer that most people use to justify their addiction is the conditions of their lives. From being a young teen mother or father, from not having a job, being poor, living with an abusive or addicted family member. Our children are now using the value of money to lead them into the stage of drug selling, which in the end leads them into the wide scene of the drug’s use. One intention leads to the actual actions of the other intentions. Our fathers, are now using the connection of drugs use to reframe from being a father to their children, and then in turn allow this same addiction to misuse and destroy the same children they have walked away from. Males are the main source for addiction, drug selling, abusing females, children neglect, crimes etc. The proud male who once had a reason to be proud, has become a non-reasonable man who only knows how to lie, confuse and destroy because they proclaim that life has no meaning, and the only way to succeed in this world is to get out there and get it on your own. But the nature of what they are trying to achieve is not on a positive outcome but a destructive method in making quick and easy money, which once again leads to their down fall of prison or death. And even if they do not reach those stages in the physical aspect of it, once they become a part of the drug use and find themselves addicted they have reached the stages of
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death in a moral, spiritual, mental, and emotional complexity of life. Death is still death when you are not producing life.
The Results of Addictions.
Addiction to substances results from the interaction of several factors. Some substances are more addictive than others, either because they produce a rapid and intense change in mood or because they produce painful withdrawal symptoms when stopped suddenly. Some people appear to be more vulnerable to addiction because their body chemistry increases their sensitivity to drugs. Some forms of substance abuse and dependence seem to run in families; a correlation that may be the result of a genetic predisposition, environmental influences, or a combination of the two.
Social learning is considered the most important single factor in causing addiction. It includes patterns of use in the addict's family or subculture, peer pressure, and advertising or media influence. Inexpensive or readily available tobacco, alcohol, or drugs produce marked increases in rates of addiction. Many people begin covering their problems with drugs or alcohol. Their lives become unmanageable because of their using. Until the drinking or drug use is stopped, the underlying problem cannot be dealt with. Those with psychiatric problems have major emotional problems that become worse as their addiction increases. A progressive disease means that the disease becomes worse and more serious over time. The first change one sees is the behavior of the user. Their behavior becomes more unacceptable to those around them and the user is often very impulsive. Emotional growth is slowed and eventually stops. Now, more than ever, young people are showing rapid signs of deterioration. This is due to heavy drug use
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affecting the body of a young person not fully developed. Alcoholism, along with drug addiction is a chronic disease. (Laudet)
Those who abuse drugs have a greater risk for health problems down the road, from neglecting their own health to risk of infectious disease like hepatitis or HIV from sharing needles. Heavy drug use directly affects health as well, including lung disease, arthritis, heart problems, brain damage and death from overdose. Productivity at work often suffers, and eventually trouble keeping a job or even homelessness can occur. The urge to use is so powerful that criminal activity for money or more drugs can be a strong temptation. One of the most powerful effects of drug abuse and addiction is denial. The urge to use is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize drug use. Someone abusing drugs may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs they are taking, how much it is costing them, and how much time it takes away from their family and work. They may lash out at concerned family members, making the family feel like they are exaggerating and overstating the problem. What makes this so frustrating for family members is the person abusing drugs often sincerely believes they do not have a problem, and can make the family member feel like the dysfunctional one.
Sadly, drug abuse and addiction doesn’t only affect the person abusing drugs. It affects friends, family and the entire society. Child abuse and neglect is much more common when there is drug abuse in the family. The abuser may neglect a child’s basic needs in the quest for more drugs, or lack of impulse control can lead to increased physical and emotional abuse. Drug abuse by a pregnant woman affects the developing baby’s health. Domestic violence also happens more frequently. Abusing drugs leads to higher risk of injuries and death to self and others in car accidents.
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Drug addiction implies a loss of choice. The need for the drug is paramount. Drug abuse implies the implementation of a choice to abuse a substance. This choice is born out of a desire to use the substance to help ease circumstances or situation. In this way it is one step further on the road to addiction because it is no longer being used for purely recreational reasons. It is important to pay attention to drug abuse because it has within it the seeds of the compulsivity that leads to dependency and addiction. While the causes of drug addiction are constantly being studied and discovered, the effects of drug addiction are easily apparent to everyone besides the substance abuser. Many people, including the chemically dependent him/herself, choose to ignore addiction, hoping it will go away on its own. Invariably, however, this disease will always rear its ugly head if not treated in a safe, appropriate and timely manner. While most people believe that intervention is the first step to recover from substance abuse, others enter directly into a drug detox or drug treatment center to start their journey to a better life. (Drug and Alcohol Treatment Finder) Yes, those are facts in which we can begin to solve the addiction, but is this the only answer? Can we look further into what is really the problem and why it exist in the first place, are we going to continue to over look the facts concerning this problem, or should we step up and begin to seek a better, stronger, and power answer to it all. To me detox is a step in which you begin to clean out your body, but yet your mind is still focus on getting high, intervention is to confront the person and the problem, and to get them within treatment in the end, but yet it is the possibilities that the person will still come home and begin to use once again. So what works, what can be a solution to help stop addiction, and to prevent others from relapsing back into the addiction that they once fought so hard to overcome.
Spiritually Effect.
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One of the most consistent research findings in this field is that religious and/or spiritual involvement appears to be associated with less use. Religiously involved individuals are consistently less likely to use alcohol and other drugs although there appear to substantive differences among religious denominations in the risk of substance abuse problem.
Those of the Jewish faith are typically found to have relatively low rates of alcohol problems and dependence despite low rates of total abstinence. When looking at those who currently drink, the risk of problems and dependence appears to be highest among conservative Protestant denomination where abstinence is the norm; however, even in this highest-risk group, the risk for drinkers is only 40% of that for drinkers with no religious affiliation. Irish Catholics are another group with high rates of alcohol abuse and dependence. (Alcohol and medical scholars)
Spirituality and religion have an important role in medicine especially in the addiction field. The data presented have demonstrated that spirituality and religion play an important role in the lives and health of patients. Also, the lecture has highlighted potential bias that clinicians may have regarding spiritual issues. An overview of research in spirituality and NA, AA, CA & now M.A has been provided with suggestions for future research. Why is this change so important, even though CA, NA and AA has been based on a more knowledge about using the term “Higher Power�, it has been more effective now, allowing each individual who attend these group meeting to understand that the higher power method is a knowledge based on knowing the will and love of God, and allowing the principles to lead you on the right path.
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There are no more conditions of being afraid, or having a fear of people refusing to attend meeting because of the conditions of knowing God, but has become more powerful in the effort to change the thoughts and process of recovery by including the degrees of mental, emotional, physical, and truth spiritual effects of what it takes to maintain sobriety. There are “Four Paradoxes in Recovery�. (Bohlin)
In recovery, paradoxes become evident. We surrender to win. We give away to keep. We suffer to get well. We die in order to live.
We SURRENDER TO WIN. We need to totally surrender unconditionally. We acknowledge that we cannot win the battle against addiction and have totally made a mess of our our life. We are better off if we stop running our life and let God run it for us. We pray in Step 11, "asking only for God's will and the power to carry it out." We are like a prisoner of war who who surrenders with our hands up and we do whatever our higher power tells us to do. We GIVE AWAY TO KEEP. This strange expression identifies our selfishness and understanding that we can only be healed as "we give away what God has given us." "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) When we are hoarding, greedy and stingy we are likely to use our addiction again as we have left a state of Grace. We SUFFER TO GET WELL. There is no way to escape pain or suffering in this life. It is a truth that most alcoholics as well as most people try to ignore. The alcoholic, drug addict and sex addict use their substance to avoid suffering. This is why they use. Many people reserve the term alcoholic for those that really suffer--shaking, needing another drink, getting sick from drinking. But perhaps they are numbing themselves in minor ways and are too out of touch with themselves to identify that they are drinking as a form of self medication. To recover, we must go through the pain. We must learn to be mature and to face reality. Thankfully, the 12 steps help us face reality with the Grace of God.
We DIE TO LIVE. This beautiful paradox comes right out of the biblical idea of "losing our life" (Matt. 10:39) and denying one's self and carrying one's cross. (Matt. 16:24) The harder we hold on to our life, the more it slips through our fingers without us realizing it. (We call this white knuckling it) But when we empty ourselves of our ego, and die to our dreams, our will and our ways, God will give us life. We must die daily. While we may decide to surrender at a certain point of time, we must surrender every moment, so as to acquire God's grace to keep us sober. This only comes through death, his and ours. (Bohlin)
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We can't beat addiction on our own, and if we're honest with ourselves, our actions leading up to rehab make this pretty clear. But it doesn't matter! In Christian rehab, a fundamental tenet of recovery is that you don't have the strength on your own, but God does, and He will help you. The first 2 steps of the Christian 12 have you accept that you are powerless to control your addiction, and accept that although you can't beat it, that God can. Let go and let God. It's an incredible sensation to let go of your worry, to accept in the power of the Lord, and to truly believe that He is going to get us out of this hole we've dug. He will too. It doesn't mean that we don't have to work at it, and it doesn't mean that our recovery is going to be easy, but it does make it possible.
In Christian Rehab you will learn humility, you will take a fearless moral inventory and in doing so you can't help but realize your deficiencies, and realize how far from the perfection of Christ you walk. You will also learn the power of prayer and that the answers to our troubles all lie within the word of the Scriptures. Working the 12 steps is a great way to beat addiction, and it's also a great way to bring the Lord back into our hearts and lives. (Shire).
If religious and spiritual involvement can act as a protective factor, it should come as no surprise that it could act as a means of ridding oneself of an addiction. Well-designed studies using quantitative methods have also documented the importance of spirituality to attaining and maintaining recovery. A handful of long-term studies documented the association between increased involvement in religion and remission among alcoholic / drug use individuals.
Evidence that among recovering individuals, higher levels of religious faith and spirituality are associated with cognitive processes previously linked to more positive health
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outcomes including more optimistic life orientation, higher resilience to stress, lower levels of anxiety, and positive effective coping skills. Recovering persons often report that religion and/or spirituality are critical factors in the recovery process. Psychotherapy in general, and with addictions in particular, places an emphasis on personal growth and development, including spiritual growth. Definition of "spiritual" is a broad and humanistic one. I strongly believe that there are many paths to spiritual growth. For some, this may include involvement with organized religion; for others, it may involve breaking away from organized religion.
Some individuals may choose to seek a personal relationship with God or some other "higher power(s);" others find spirituality in nature, or in a strong sense of "belonging" to the universe; still others find their serenity in an eclectic humanism. To find that the essence of what we call "spirituality" usually involves valuing one's own and others' freedom, a sense of belonging to a "whole" that is greater than the individual, the discovery or creation of some kind of constructive community, belief in personal and social growth and healing, and a commitment to service to others. (Laudet)
Discovering your spiritual Self usually helps counteract the unhealthy self-centeredness of addictive behaviors. We are also aware that some supposedly "spiritual" paths can ultimately lead to self-destruction. A 1992 research study investigating the role of spirituality in nursing offers a more comprehensive definition: “Spirituality refers to the propensity to make meaning through a sense of relatedness to dimensions that transcend the self in such a way that empowers and does not devalue the individual. This relatedness may be experienced intrapersonally (as a connectedness within oneself) interpersonally (in the context of others and the natural
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environment) and transpersonally (referring to a sense of relatedness to the unseen, God, or power greater than self and ordinary resources.
It has been well documented that spirituality and religion are key sources of strength and tenacity for African Americans. The results of a recent study on spirituality among AfricanAmerican women in recovery from substance abuse revealed that spirituality--a key component of African personality and culture--had a significant correlation with positive mental health outcomes for these patients. (Britt)
Conclusion
As I bring this to a closer, even as I begin to look over the survey that was permited within this study, I have noticed that even individuals who have not been a part of any form of addictions, or have had any connection to drug use, still find its importance, and essences of spiritually as a new and improved step to opening the minds of those who are either recovering from addiction or counseling those who are fighting addictions. The time has come to look at more than the natural fact that drug is a problem within our cities, towns and states, but understand that the cause of drugs is the conditions of being without faith in something strong in your life.
Having the lack of knowledge of what it is to have a decent life, to understand that you don’t have to live the way others may chose to live, and that you do have a purpose within this world comes from the negative voices of those who don’t have any form of faith within themselves or within a higher power. I use them terms higher power right now, for not only are Christians stepping up and beginning to help those who are fighting addictions, but also
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Muslims, and other religious ministries, for the light has been shinned upon to show the world that change can come if and when you allow faith become the source of your life.
Can spiritually truly change the process of helping those in recovery? Prevent those from fall back upon the path they once fought so hard to stay away from? Can it give a person a new meaning to life, a stable ground to stand upon and help them redeem their soul? I say yes, and I say yes not because of the fact I have study and have chosen the field to help those in recovery, but because I am also a person who was once had a strong addiction, and it took the knowledge, the faith, the wisdom and the compassion of knowing God, to open the door of recovery, and place me back unto the life that was chosen for me.
I am a living testimony to how spiritually can and will grant you a new way of life as you fight the conditions and the addictions of substance abuse.
References:
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1. Bohlin Erik, (1998). New Hope Counseling, Retrieved on February 27, 2009 www.erikbohlin.net/addiction 2. Britt, Alice, African Americans, Substance Abuse and Spirituality. Retrieved on March 1, 2009, www.minoritynurse.com/substance-abuse/african-americans 3. Drug and Alcohol, Treatment Finder. Retrieved on March 1, 2009, www.alcoholmedicalscholars.org/outlines/originals/spiri 4. Health Line, 2008, Retrieved on March 1, 2009, www.healthline.com/galecontent/addiction?utm_medium=ask&utm_source=smart&utm_ campaign=article&utm_term=Addictions&ask_return=Addiction 5. Laudet, A. (2005) THE ROLE OF SPIRITUALITY, FAITH AND LIFE MEANING IN THE ADDICTION RECOVERY PROCESS. Retrieved on February 27, 2009, laudet@ndri.org 6. Romans, verse 12. Bible 7. Shire, C. Letting Go and Letting God in Recovery, Retrieved on February 27, 2009, www. ezinearticles.com/?Christian-Rehab---Letting-Go-and-Letting-God-inRecovery&id=839119