July13 issue

CHANGEOLOGY FOR ADDICTIONS STAYING THE COURSE Highly-Effective, Scientifically-Proven Therapy for PTSD Sufferers Defining Addiction BELIEF IN OVERCOMING Addiction Family Affair: The Recovery Team’s Family Weekend THE FORMATION OF AXIS BRIDGE: A PUBLIC CHARITY

Attachment Disorders Overdose is Inevitable Going from Addict to Charity Event Director?

EMDR and Addiction: A Reflection of Successes and Failures Long-term Recovery Addiction, Trauma and Transformation: An Invitation to the Soul Back to the Basics of Recovery guidance: Step Twelve

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A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Readers, I welcome you to The Sober World magazine. This magazine is being directly mailed each month to anyone that has been arrested due to drugs, alcohol and petty theft in Palm Beach County. It is also distributed locally to all Palm Beach County High School Guidance Counselors, Middle School Coordinators, Palm Beach County Drug Court, Broward County School Substance Abuse Expulsion Program, Broward County Court Human Resource Department, Local Colleges and other various locations.

Many petty thefts are drug related, as the addicts need for drugs causes them to take desperate measures in order to have the ability to buy their drugs.

Drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions throughout the country and is steadily increasing. Florida is one of the leading States where people come from all over to obtain pharmaceutical drugs from the pain clinics that have opened everywhere.

The availability of prescription narcotics is overwhelming; as parents our hands are tied because it is legal.

Doctors continue writing prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin, and Oxycodone (which is an opiate drug and just as addictive as heroin) to young adults in their 20’s and 30’s right up to the elderly in their 70”s, thus, creating a generation of addicts.

Addiction is a disease but it is the most taboo of all diseases. As family members affected by this disease, we are often too ashamed to speak to anyone about our loved ones addiction, feeling that we will be judged. We try to pass it off as a passing phase in their lives, and some people hide their head in the sand until it becomes very apparent such as through an arrest, getting thrown out of school or even worse an overdose, that we realize the true extent of their addiction.

I know that many of you who are reading this now are frantic that their loved one has been arrested. No parent ever wants to see his or her child arrested or put in jail, but this may be your opportunity to save your child or loved one’s life. They are more apt to listen to you now than they were before, when whatever you said may have fallen on deaf ears. This is the point where you know your loved one needs help, but you don’t know where to begin.

I have compiled this informative magazine to try to take that fear and anxiety away from you and let you know there are many options to choose from.

There are Psychologists and Psychiatrists that specialize in treating people with addictions. There are Education Consultants that will work with you to figure out what your loved ones needs are and come up with the best plan for them. There are Interventionists who will hold an intervention and try to convince your loved one that they need help. There are Transport Services that will scoop up your resistant loved one (under 18 yrs. old) and bring them to the facility you have chosen. There are long term Residential Programs (sometimes a year and longer) as well

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as short term programs (30-90 days), there are Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Wilderness programs, Extended Living and there are Sober Living Housing where they can work, go to meetings and be accountable for staying clean.

Many times a Criminal Attorney will try to work out a deal with the court to allow your child or loved one to seek treatment as an alternative to jail.

I know how overwhelming this period can be for you and I urge every parent or relative of an addict to get some help for yourself. There are many groups that can help you. There is Al-Anon, Alateen (for teenagers), Families Anonymous, Nar-Anon and more. This is a disease that affects the whole family, not just the parents.

These groups allow you to share your thoughts and feelings. As anonymous groups, your anonymity is protected. Anything said within those walls are not shared with anyone outside the room. You share only your first name, not your last name. This is a wonderful way for you to be able to openly convey what has been happening in your life as well as hearing other people share their stories. You will find that the faces are different but the stories are all too similar. You will also be quite surprised to see how many families are affected by drug and alcohol addiction.

Addiction knows no race or religion; it affects the wealthy as well as the poor, the highly educated, old, young-IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. This magazine is dedicated to my son Steven who graduated with top honors from University of Central Florida. He graduated with a degree in Psychology, and was going for his Masters in Applied Behavioral Therapy.

He was a highly intelligent, sensitive young man who helped many people get their lives on the right course. He could have accomplished whatever he set his mind out to do. Unfortunately, after graduating from college he tried a drug that was offered to him not realizing how addictive it was and the power it would have over him.

My son was 7 months clean when he relapsed and died of a drug overdose.

I hope this magazine helps you find the right treatment for your loved one.

They have a disease and like all diseases, you try to find the best care suited for their needs. They need help. Please don’t allow them to become a statistic.

There is a website called the Brent Shapiro Foundation. Famed attorney Robert Shapiro started it in memory of his son. I urge each and every one of you to go to that website. They keep track on a daily basis of all the people that die due to drug overdoses. It will astound you.

I hope you have found this magazine helpful. You may also visit us on the web at www.thesoberworld.com.

I want to wish everyone a Happy July 4th.

Sincerely,

Patricia

Publisher Patricia@TheSoberWorld.com

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IMPORTANT HELPLINE NUMBERS 211 PALM BEACH/TREASURE COAST 211

www.211palmbeach.org FOR THE TREASURE COAST www.211treasurecoast.org FOR TEENAGERS www.teen211pbtc.org AAHOTLINE-NORTH PALM BEACH 561-655-5700

www.aa-palmbeachcounty.org AA HOTLINE- SOUTH COUNTY 561-276-4581

www.aainpalmbeach.org FLORIDA ABUSE HOTLINE 1-800-962-2873

www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/abuse/ AL-ANON- PALM BEACH COUNTY 561-278-3481

www.southfloridaalanon.org AL-ANON- NORTH PALM BEACH 561-882-0308

www.palmbeachafg.org FAMILIES ANONYMOUS 847-294-5877

(USA) 800-736-9805

(Local) 561-236-8183 Center for Group Counseling 561-483-5300

www.groupcounseling.org CO-DEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS 561-364-5205

www.pbcoda.com COCAINE ANONYMOUS 954-779-7272

www.fla-ca.org COUNCIL ON COMPULSIVE GAMBLING 800-426-7711

www.gamblinghelp.org CRIMESTOPPERS 800-458-TIPS (8477)

www.crimestopperspbc.com CRIME LINE 800-423-TIPS (8477)

www.crimeline.org DEPRESSION AND MANIC DEPRESSION 954-746-2055

www.mhabroward FLORIDA DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE 800-500-1119

www.fcadv.org FLORIDA HIV/AIDS HOTLINE 800-FLA-AIDS (352-2437) FLORIDA INJURY HELPLINE 800-510-5553 GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS 800-891-1740

www.ga-sfl.org and www.ga-sfl.com HEPATITUS B HOTLINE 800-891-0707 JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILD SERVICES 561-684-1991

www.jfcsonline.com LAWYER ASSISTANCE 800-282-8981 MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS 800-766-6779

www.marijuana-anonymous.org NARC ANON FLORIDA REGION 888-947-8885

www.naranonfl.org NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS-PALM BEACH 561-848-6262

www.palmcoastna.org NATIONAL RUNAWAY SWITCHBOARD 800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)

www.1800runaway.org NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

www.suicidology.org ONLINE MEETING FOR MARIJUANA www.ma-online.org Ruth Rales Jewish Family Services 561-852-3333

www.ruthralesjfs.org WOMEN IN DISTRESS 954-761-1133 PALM BEACH COUNTY MEETING HALLS central house 2170 W Atlantic Ave.

SW Corner of Atlantic & Congress Club Oasis 561-694-1949 Crossroads 561-278-8004 www.thecrossroadsclub.com EasY Does It 561-433-9971 Lambda North Clubhouse www.lambdanorth.org The Meeting Place 561-255-9866 www.themeetingplaceinc.com The Triangle Club 561-832-1110 www.Thetriangleclubwpb.com BROWARD COUNTY MEETING HALLS 12 STEP HOUSE 954-523-4984

205 SW 23RD STREET 101 CLUB 700 SW 10TH DRIVE & DIXIE HWY LAMBDA SOUTH CLUB 954-761-9072

WWW.LAMBDASOUTH.COM POMPANO BEACH GROUP SW CORNER OF SE 2ND & FEDERAL HWY PRIDE CENTER 954-463-9005 www.pridecenterflorida.org WEST BROWARD CLUB 954-476-8290

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We all marvel at the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely do we consider what it went through to become that butterfly. – Maya Angelou

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CHANGEOLOGY FOR ADDICTIONS

By John C. Norcross, PhD, ABPP

Changing addictive behavior is a journey. Trite as that may sound, those who have traveled the road to sobriety know it to be painfully true.

Obtaining sobriety typically takes multiple attempts over years.

For 30 years now, colleagues and I have tried to understand the structure, the DNA if you will, of behavior change. We have discovered that the journey of change is amazingly similar across diverse addictions. People progress through identical stages for each of the fifty-plus problems now researched. And they use the same core catalysts within each stage to speed their progress. Of course, the techniques within those change catalysts will differ depending on the particular goals—smokers are reducing cigarette consumption, problem drinkers dealing with alcohol cravings. But the step-by-step journey to the goal is virtually the same.

In practically every lecture or talk I deliver, someone immediately raises the challenge: But isn’t there a big difference between changing a bad habit, such as quitting smoking, and trying to become sober? I was convinced that modifying a long-established addiction was fundamentally different from treating other problems.

I was wrong.

Here’s how the science of behavior change—Changeology—works for virtually all addictions and here’s how it can help you get unstuck.

The journey begins with precontemplation or, as most people in recovery call it, denial.

Precontemplation is the stage at which there is no intention to change the addiction in the foreseeable future. Most individuals in this stage are unaware or underaware of their problems. Families, friends, neighbors, or employers, however, are often well aware that the pre-contemplators have problems. When precontemplators present for treatment, they often do so because of pressure from others. Usually they feel coerced into changing by spouses who threaten to leave, employers who threaten to fire them, parents who threaten to disown them, or courts who threaten to punish them. Resistance to recognizing the addiction is the hallmark of precontemplation.

Contemplation is the stage in which people are aware that a problem exists and are seriously thinking about overcoming it, but they have not yet made a commitment to take action. The change catalysts here are to acknowledge the addiction, get ready for change, and psych yourself up.

This is where you specify realistic goals and define the new you. Start counting and measuring the behavior you will modify. Think about the consequences of your problem and imagine a new life without it. Harness the awareness and emotions that will propel you into action.

Preparation combines intention and baby steps toward sobriety. This stage is all about prepping. Build your commitment and then make your goal public—tell people about it. Pick your start day and identify people who will comprise your support team. Take a few small initial steps…and prepare for liftoff.

At some point you jump from preparing to perspiring—the work of not using the substance. Action is the stage in which individuals modify their behavior, experiences, and/or environment in order to overcome their addictions. Action involves the most overt changes and requires considerable commitment of time and energy. In this stage it’s essential to develop healthy alternatives to problem behaviors and build new ones.

Reward yourself for a job well done. Cultivate your environment and support team to keep moving forward.

Getting to sobriety is wonderful, but keeping you there entails persevering through slips and persisting for years. Maintenance is the stage in which people work to prevent relapse and consolidate the gains attained during action. For addictive behaviors, this stage extends from six months to a lifetime. All of us are vulnerable to lapses, so we can expect to fumble on occasion. The trick is to manage slips and prevent them from snowballing into a reversion to the old addiction. Learn to say “No” and develop a plan for recovering after a slip. Avoid high-risk triggers, resist the urge, and keep a positive outlook. Slips need not become falls.

It would be delightful if we humans could move through these stages of change in linear fashion only once; however, the cruel reality of addictions is that we move through these stages several times. Behavior change is rarely simple and linear. Rather, most of us move through the stages in a spiral pattern.

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People progress from contemplation to preparation to action to maintenance, but most individuals will relapse. During relapse, individuals regress to an earlier stage. Some relapsers feel like failures—embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty. These individuals become demoralized and resist thinking about their addictions. As a result, they return to the precontemplation stage and can remain there for various periods of time. Approximately 15% of relapsers in our research regressed to precontemplation. Fortunately, most relapsers—85% or so— move back to the contemplation stage and eventually back into action.

That’s why it is not unusual for genuine sobriety to take years of tears and rehabs.

At this point, most people listening or reading will ask something along the lines of “Well, it’s helpful that you have outlined the cycle of change and discovered the structure. But how will that help me exactly?” In three concrete ways: 1. Your stage of change predicts the probability of your reaching sobriety Our recent analysis of 39 published studies, involving 8,238 patients, demonstrated that the further along you are in the stages, the more likely you are to succeed. Moving an addict, for example, from contemplation to action doubles that person’s chances of sobriety. How far you advance in the stages will foretell your success or failure.

2. Your stage tells you what is most likely to work Knowing your stage is vitally important to your success. Once you can identify it, you can complete the tasks and exercises appropriate to that stage. We call this stage matching. For instance, if you’re already moving toward action, you won’t need the work of the contemplation and preparations stages—you’ll have already done that work. In fact, using those change catalysts can actually send you reeling backwards. What works for someone getting psyched to change will not work for someone trying to persist in their sobriety. The science of change tells you what is most useful for that particular stage; what works for a person thinking about change certainly differs from someone trying to remain changed.

3. The stages guide you on the messy, infuriating journey to sobriety Instead of blindly walking the path, let the stages give meaning and structure to your recovery. Trial and error is lengthy and costly; learning from the tens of thousands of research participants and clinic patients in our studies is far more efficient and effective.

It would be unfair for my colleagues and me to claim credit for discovering the stages. In our earliest studies done decades ago, when we tried to determine what methods were used to successfully change, our research participants kept saying “it depends.” “On what?” We wanted to know.

Well, it depended on where they were in the change continuum. At different points they employed different strategies, some of which were only useful during certain stages. It sounds so obvious in retrospect, but researchers and psychologists before us didn’t know this. Now, however, we have the knowledge and the experience to back up what we know is true of successful change: it follows a well-defined, predictable pattern.

And thousands of people we’ve counseled have benefitted from this knowledge.

One thing is for sure: change presents a challenge, but it needn’t prove impossible. Let Changeology guide you through the precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance steps to a lifetime of sobriety. The science can show you a more efficient and effective path through the torturous journey of addictions.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; …. who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.”

John C. Norcross, PhD, ABPP, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Scranton, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, a board-certified clinical psychologist in parttime practice, and the author, most recently, of Changeology: 5 Steps to Realize Your Goals and Resolutions. www.changeologybook.com

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STAYING THE COURSE

By Dick Beardsley

As a boy growing up in Minnesota my whole world revolved around hunting, fishing, trapping, and milking cows. My parents loved me and my two younger sisters but they were alcoholics. I remember thinking “Boy that’s not going to be me when I grow up”. I didn’t smoke, drink, or do any kind of illicit drugs! I’m a loving husband to my wife Jill, a loving Dad to our boys Matthew, Christopher, and Andrew, and I’m a drug addict.

Growing up in a small town where everyone knew everybody I felt like I really didn’t fit in. I was shy but once I hit my junior year of high school, girls started to interest me but I could hardly say hi to one let alone actually ask one out on a date!

I noticed many guys who were in sports had girls all around them so I thought that was my key to getting a date. I went out for football, Big Mistake! I got gang tackled the first day and after I fought my way out of that pile of guys I said to myself “There’s not a girl alive that is worth going through this!” and I quit! My whole football career lasted 45 minutes!

As I would find out later in life sometimes what seem to be our biggest failures turn out to be our greatest successes!

I went out for the cross-country. I’d never run competitively but once I found out there was no tackling involved I thought how hard can it be? The first day of practice our coach had us do the “around the block” run and I failed miserably!

Their “around the block” was 3.2 miles long, I had to walk the last mile!

When I got back to the parking lot all my teammates and coach had gone home! Something magical happened when I crossed that imaginary finish line! I thought if I do everything my coaches tell me to do maybe I could make the varsity team, earn my letter jacket and get the date with a girl! I didn’t make the varsity squad that first season but I trained real hard the following summer and my senior year of cross-country I not only made the team, I was the best runner on it! We didn’t have a very good team but it showed me that if you really believe in something and are willing to work for it the sky’s the limit!

Never in my wildest dreams though did I ever think that 7 years later I would be standing on the front row getting ready for the greatest foot race in the world, the Boston Marathon! On that front row was world marathon record holder Alberto Salazar, four time winner of the Boston Marathon Bill Rodgers, and many Olympians and world class athletes. I was feeling confident but at the same time having some doubts also. As the race proceeded towards Boston, the pack of runners I was with got smaller and smaller until we got to the 17 mile mark and there were two runners left in the lead group, world record holder Salazar and as the Boston Globe Newspaper had dubbed me the day before, Dick Beardsley the country bumpkin from Minnesota!

I was in the lead but Alberto was right off my left hip. Every up and downhill I surged and tried to pull away but he never moved from my left hip. After coming down the last big hill at 21.5 miles I could no longer feel my legs, the thought of having to run 5 more miles at the pace we were running was making me sick to my stomach. I had opened up a few meters on Salazar and I thought “Ok Dick, you need to push like never before!” As I pushed off with my right leg to give one last hard surge I got the biggest charley horse in my right hamstring!

Salazar went flying by me like I was standing still, 5 meters, then 10, 20, at one point he had almost a 100 meter lead! But I learned so much about myself those last 2 minutes of that race that it would later help me through much more difficult times in my life. What I learned that day 31+ years ago is that no matter how difficult the situation you’re in is, no matter how high that so called mountain is to climb, is that you never ever give up! Even if you have to take teeny weeny baby steps, as long you’re going towards that so called finish line there is always that hope! It’s about having faith, commitment, desire, believing in yourself, it’s about being in the right place at the right time! My right place at the right time was a big pothole I didn’t see. It made me stumble and when I did I snapped the knot right out of my hamstring! I got my stride back and went after Salazar and caught him with 100 meters left to go! Now after running over 26 miles it now came down to a 100 meter sprint! We both broke the American and Boston course records, Alberto won the race in 2 hours 8 minutes and 51 seconds and I was second in 2 hours 8 minutes and 52.6 seconds.

Even though I did not win the race, life was good. I got to compete around the world and signed a sponsorship with the New Balance Shoe Company.

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I retired from competitive running in 1988 and moved back to my Minnesota dairy farm ready to raise a bunch of kids, milk a bunch of cows, and life was going to be grand, and it was until November 13, 1989.

That was the day I got in a hurry and got careless and my left leg got caught in a grain auger. I survived but had broken all the ribs on my right side, punctured my lung, broke my right arm, had a piece of steel stuck in my chest and my left leg almost got torn off! I had incredible doctors, nurses, people I didn’t know, the good Lord, and a will to survive!

I eventually was back milking cows and running. Over the next few years things took another turn. A lady ran a stop sign and totaled my car. I was in the hospital for weeks and had major back/spinal surgery.

I recovered and I was running and got hit by a car, more surgery, then months later I was hiking and the ground gave way and I fell off a cliff! More surgery, more narcotics and then the worst part of all, I became addicted!

Never in my wildest of dreams did I think it could happen to me! Over the years people have always made excuses for my addiction, it’s the doctor’s fault, how could you not become addicted after all those accidents and surgeries. Never once have I ever blamed anyone other than myself! I started to doctor shop, then when I couldn’t find any more doctors to give me a prescription I started to forge my own!

I’d never been in any trouble in my life; I had never stolen as much as a piece of bubble gum! I knew I could lose everything I had ever worked for, I could go to prison, but all that mattered was to get the drugs, take the drugs, and make sure I didn’t get caught!

By August of 1996 I was taking a cocktail of Demerol, Percocet, and Valium 80-90 pills a day!

Thankfully before I died I got caught and I knew the only chance I had to get better if there was any chance at all was to take 100% responsibility.

After meeting with federal drug agents I was taken to a hospital where I was locked up in the psychiatric ward for 10 days. I was put on methadone, I became addicted to that. They tried to wean me off of it and the withdrawals were so bad I thought I was going to die!

They put me back on it, tried to wean me off slower, the second time was even worse, and then they put me on it a third time and sent me home.

The withdrawals were the worst! I couldn’t eat or sleep!

I checked into the University of Minnesota treatment hospital. The withdrawals were so bad and I had pain in the bones of my arms and legs, I can honestly say that if I would have had a saw in my room I would have considered sawing them off as it would have had to felt better!

When it was time to get up and get dressed it was a struggle just to get my feet on the outside of the bed. I never missed a meeting with my group to try and learn how to get better. There were mornings I was so sick I could not walk. I had to crawl on my hands and knees like a dog.

One morning I’m crawling on the floor in the hall and I blacked out. I have no Idea how long I laid there, but when I woke up I was laying in my own vomit. I remember looking up and saying “please God, either just take me or please get me better”. That night for the first time in over a week I slept just a little bit more, the next night more, and after being there for 21 days I started feeling what it was like to be me without the drugs in my system and I liked how it made me feel!

Has it been easy? Nope. It’s been without doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it has been worth every ounce of energy I’ve put into it. The last 16+ years of sobriety have been without doubt the best 16+ years I’ve ever have! As you read this I wish I could guarantee that 24 hours from now I will be sober, I can’t make that promise because I don’t know what will happen between now and then but this is what I can promise, as I’m writing this right now. I’m as sober as a person can be and that’s what matters! They say take it “one day at a time”. There were times I took it one minute at a time! Don’t ever give up hope; don’t ever think for a second no matter how bad it is that you can’t get better because I know you can! It won’t be easy but it will be your greatest success story ever!

Dick Beardsley - Motivational Inspirational Speaker, Author, World Class Marathon Runner, Addiction/Dependency Survivor

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Highly-Effective, Scientifically-Proven Therapy for PTSD Sufferers

By John Giordano DHL, MAC

The hell like conditions of combat has a wide range of both physical and psychological effects on even the most prepared soldier. Today’s accepted symptoms of Post-Trauma Stress Disorder were first described by a doctor during the Civil War. Shell shock was a term introduced in the First World War to describe the trauma experienced after intense bombing. Soldiers reported feeling a sense of helplessness expressed variously as panic, or flight, an inability to reason, sleep, walk or talk. The British reported medical symptoms after combat, including tinnitus, amnesia, headache, dizziness, tremor, and hypersensitivity to noise – symptoms normally associated with a brain injury, but the soldiers had no head wounds.

Although PTSD is synonymous with war veterans, psychologists are coming around to an understanding that I’ve known for quite some time. I’ve counseled wounded warriors and law enforcement involved in shootings. Very early in my counseling career I saw the signs of PTSD in people who had experienced an extreme traumatic event. What I’d found is that PTSD is not reserved solely for law enforcement and our wounded warriors. Trauma comes from many sources, such as the loss of a loved one, or a serious accident. It colors the way people look at the world and view their own life.

There were no prescribed therapies for PTSD when I first started counseling, leaving me to develop one that addressed the specific needs of the peoples suffering from this anxiety disorder. I tried a lot of therapies and found a few that showed great promise and better results than others.

However, the real break-through came when I began combining individual therapies into one. The psychotherapy I’ve been developing for decades is called, Trauma Release Technique (TRT) and it has shown profound changes in the people I’ve counseled.

Trauma Release Technique (TRT) is a highly effective cutting-edge psychotherapy designed specifically to eliminate the painful symptoms of PTSD and other traumas. TRT integrates the core rudiments of several evidenced-based, scientifically-proven to be successful therapies into one powerful technique. By fusing these dynamic principles together, the result of the treatment becomes exponential; TRT therapy is greater than the sum of its parts. It has shown far better outcomes in the people I’ve counseled compared to the individual therapies administered on their own.

The four pillars of the Trauma Release Technique are: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Hypnotherapy, Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and Karate/Yoga breathing techniques.

Albeit EMDR is not quite a household term yet, but ‘Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing’ has been scientifically proven to be an effective psychotherapy for eliminating the symptoms of trauma.

EMDR provides the foundation for the Trauma Release Technique. It was discovered by Francine Shapiro, PhD, a psychologist who found that moving her eyes in a pattern relieved her negative thoughts and memories. She tested her theory on volunteers and perfected a procedure for maximum therapeutic outcomes. The International Society of Stress Studies practice guidelines categorized EMDR as an evidence-based level A treatment for PTSD in adults. The Department of Defense and the American Psychiatric Association have endorsed EMDR – recommending it as an effective trauma therapy.

Hypnotherapy was first recognized as a therapeutic agent frequently effective in relieving pain, procuring sleep, and alleviating many functional ailments such as psycho-somatic complaints and anxiety disorders in 1892 by the British Medical Association (BMA). In 2001, the Professional Affairs Board of the British Psychological Society (BPS) reported: “Enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy.” People who have been in a hypnotic state claim they were able to achieve intense focus and concentration with the ability to concentrate solely on a specific thought or memory without distraction and/or interruption. Hypnotherapy has become so mainstream that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, is strongly considering ‘hypno-birthing’ as a natural option for pain management and alleviating the anxiety and fear of labor.

Although there hasn’t been enough scientific research to thoroughly prove the efficacy of Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), the therapy has shown great promise. The root concept that led to the development of NLP is that there is a connection between the neurological processes, language and behavioral patterns learned through an experience. NLP suggests that this relationship can be changed to achieve specific goals through a systematic

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realignment of language. It deals with brain networks associated with language and the impact of language on beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.

Despite the lack of empirical data, NLP is being used with great results by self-help practitioners and psychotherapist worldwide.

I was very fortunate to learn ancient breathing techniques at a very early age. These methods were passed down from master to master for thousands of years. They came in very handy while I was training for National Karate Tournaments. The technique I teach is a combination of Karate and Yoga disciplines designed to hyper-oxygenate the blood and eventually the brain. This method has shown great promise in sharpening mental acuities and cognitive function.

The hallmark symptom of PTSD is the re-experience of a past trauma in the form of recollections, dreams and flashbacks. Our brain records memories much like a digital recording device, such as a camcorder or cell phone, only with much broader detail. It can embed emotions into the image or video in our developing memories similar to a video recording sight and sound. The emotion and image bond together, forming a single entity memory. In addition, every new experience – both good and bad – stored in memory changes how our brain works. This is an essential dynamic for our own growth and development.

The re-experiences a person with PTSD endures are triggered by a cue similar to something encountered during a traumatic event. For example: an Iraq veteran once ducked and ran for cover at the sound of a truck backfiring because the sound is so close to his memory of what gunfire sounded like; thus triggering his survival response. His mind was – at least for an instant and quite possibly longer – transported back to a day when he was on the battlefield. He actually felt the weight of his backpack, the fatigue in his legs and the sweat on his brow. He saw the muzzle flashes from enemy fire and smelled the burnt gun powder in the air as he stood on a sidewalk in downtown Miami in the middle of a hot afternoon. At the moment of the truck backfiring, his memory of a past event became his current reality. It was as real to this veteran as real gets; he was literally living in a past event.

Post-Trauma Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that, comparatively, we know very little about. The term, ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,’ was coined in 1980. Research on the disorder didn’t begin in earnest until the mid 80s; however what we’ve learned is significant.

Recently I collaborated with my close friend and colleague Dr. Kenneth Blum – discoverer of the reward (alcohol/addiction) gene (DRD2-A1) – and other renowned doctors and scientists on a PTSD research project.

The results can be found online at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services / National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Center for Biotechnology Information (URL below). Our study reviewed data on veteran and active duty soldiers who were in combat in Viet Nam, Persian Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan War to determine if there is the potential of a genetic predisposition to PTSD. We reviewed one study of Army soldiers screened up to four months after returning from deployment to Iraq that showed 27% met criteria for alcohol abuse and were at increased risk for related harmful behaviors (e.g., drinking and driving, using illicit drugs) The consensus of the literature we reviewed suggests that interactions between different genes (e.g. DRD2 and DAT1 genes) and between them and the environment make certain people vulnerable to developing PTSD. A process of determining the best role for soldiers could easily be administered by incorporating genotype testing such as Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS). This simple test would show a genetic predisposition to PTSD. Based on what we had found, Dr. Blum and I believe PTSD victims could benefit greatly from two scientifically proven nutraceuticals we’d developed independent of each other. We tested the nutraceuticals on addicts in recovery using qEEG (a digital imaging system much like an MRI that shows changes in brain activity in varying colors) imaging to produce accurate visual results. After administering one oral dose of Dr. Blum’s formulation, Synaptose™ to the volunteer, the image showed the brain turn bright red where it was once as black as night. Similar tests showed my formulation, Mental Clarity’s ability to improve cognitive function and repair.

Additional testing of addicts who have been administered Synaptose™ claim that the nearly insatiable drug cravings felt less severe; while the addicts who were administered Mental Clarity stated they felt less foggy, Continued on page 20

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Defining Addiction

by Kelly Bawden, MS,LADC

This is a typical problem of addiction; this problem is how it is hidden from the people that love and care about you. However, there are signs that scream addiction and once these signs are understood it is fairly easy to recognize when a loved one is deep into their addiction.

up in addiction are reactionary and focus only on the problem but not trying to solve the problem. As the addiction grows, they will have many odd stories and reactions but they will blame everything that happens in their life on someone else.

First, understanding what an addiction is is important because addictions can be so many behaviors besides drugs and/or alcohol. An addiction could be anything that takes control over someone’s life. For instance, eating could become an addiction if the act of eating becomes more of an urge and a way to avoid thoughts and emotions that are considered hurtful. This person may constantly think of food. They eat without being hungry or eat even after they are full. They may try to hide how much they are eating, and they may lie about what they ate during the day.

Usually this will cause a weight problem which can cause negative thought patterns. To get rid of these negative thoughts more food is eaten. Food becomes more of an obsession than eating for energy or for as a natural part of the day. This type of thought is called obsession.

As these obsessions, compulsions, and tolerances increase, the persons’ life is now revolving around their addiction. Their relationships change because the only relationship they have is with the substance, alcohol, or food. The lies will become bigger but many times it isn’t worth confronting because of the conflict it causes.

These obsessions are part of the addictive pattern. If someone is using prescription pills that are either not prescribed to them, or they are taking these pills in a way that is not how they were prescribed to take them, then this may be considered an addictive pattern. Most addicts have obsessive thoughts and until the thought is acted upon these negative thought patterns will continue to drive the addiction. These obsessions may sound like this to the addictive person. They wake up in the morning and the first thought is about the pill they are taking. The thought becomes more constant and may even be a bit of a conflict within themselves. “I don’t need a pill this morning I feel pretty good right now, but if I don’t take the pill I might start to hurt so maybe I should just take it any way to make sure I don’t feel pain”. The argument in this person’s head will continue until they finally give in and take the pill. Later as the effect of the pill wears off they will begin to think about taking another one even if they don’t really need it or it isn’t time to take it yet. This pill will become a way to get through the day without having to deal with all of the little problems that may happen in their life that day. These thoughts and actions will make their tolerance for the pill become greater and the effect of the pill won’t last as long or taking just one won’t give them the same effect it had previously so they may begin to take two instead of one. This is called tolerance.

With any addiction the tolerance for the substance becomes greater so whether it is food, pills, or alcohol they will need to consume more to get the same effect they were getting in the beginning when first started using the substance. When someone has a high tolerance their behavior begins to become erratic. They may become more secretive or isolative.

They may withdraw from family, friends or anyone they are close to. They may tell wild stories about where they have been or where they are going.

They may seem paranoid and try to deflect these behaviors by focusing on someone or something else. If they are asked about what they did during the day, they may become upset and ask why it matters or just give a generalized answer. This type of behavior is considered a red flag or a warning sign of addiction. When these are the behaviors displayed, the addicted person moves into compulsive behavior.

Compulsive behavior is erratic and is driven totally by the substance, food, drink, or work; they are using to try to stay in some sort of control over their thoughts. They may spend more time in the bathroom than usual, they may run to the store at odd times to get “something”, they may become irritable and easily frustrated, or they may have uncontrollable mood swings. They think that they have control over their life but at this point the addiction is controlling much it. There are many people that can remain functional but there are many that cannot and their life begins to unravel. Either way the warning signs are still there.

When someone’s life begins to unravel everything changes and everyone who knows them can see the changes except the person who is caught up in the addiction. They are actually blinded by their addiction. They may say things like, “Why do you question everything I do”, “why are you changing” or “everyone around me is changing”? They may also say things like “if you would leave me alone I wouldn’t need to go out all the time.” These are warning signs. Other warning signs may be things like money disappearing, jewelry disappearing, and food disappearing, but no one admits to taking it. The addict will generally try to blame someone else and they may be able to make the case sound convincing but if asked later about the incident, the story they came up with before will probably change. These lies are also warning signs. Most addicts that are caught

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Life for someone who has an addiction problem is like being on a roller coaster that goes through fire. The ride is exciting but the heat is burning and hurting their skin. Family and friends are also on this ride. Most families try to make things better but what it generally does is allow the addict the ability to stay on the ride longer. One of the best things a family member or friend can do is to be completely honest with them, and let them know how their addiction affects you. Don’t tippy toe or sugar coat how you feel or how life is living with them. Ask them to be honest and if they think they need help. This may not stop the addictive behavior but at least they know how you feel and that you aren’t going to side step their behavior. Once the person who is in this addictive pattern knows that you know what they are doing; this will help them know there isn’t a need for them to lie to you anymore and then maybe a plan can be put in place to help them.

Remember with any addiction there is a lot of guilt and shame and there is no need to increase the guilt for them or for you. Addiction can be overcome with some work on the obsessive thoughts, the compulsive behavior, support from their friends and family, and a willingness by the addict to get off of the roller coaster that is on fire. Family and friends should never get on the ride with them. Expressing how you feel, and not walking on egg shells around them will help keep you off of their ride.

Kelly Bawden has counseled in the addiction field for over 15 years. She has helped both the addicted and the family find recovery. For more information please contact Kelly at www.repairnlife.com/contact

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BELIEF IN OVERCOMING Addiction

by Mark Scheeren, Chairman and Co-founder of the Saint Jude Program

Belief Is Not Fact – Do you Believe Drugs and Alcohol Have Power?

whether they drank the real thing or not, their performance on the test was slowed down to the exact degree they predicted it would be!

Beliefs can be incredibly powerful, in ways you’d never expect. Take placebo studies for example. In one study, asthmatic patients were told to inhale a mist that contained the very allergens which trigger attacks for them. Most of the patients went into full blown asthmatic reactions. The rub? They had inhaled a harmless saline mist which contained no allergens whatsoever. The test subjects had asthma attacks because they believed they would, and they stopped those attacks when they breathed from another inhaler that they were told contained a potent medicine. Again, the supposed medicine was the same harmless saline mist!

The same test was run with caffeine too, which, as a stimulant, people commonly believe will increase their performance on such tests. The results were essentially the same, the more they believed that caffeine would improve their performance, the more they improved - whether or not they drank real caffeine. [Kirsch]

How do we know that what we’ve learned from our culture about the causes of substance use and the effects of drugs and alcohol is true? Are our beliefs worth challenging? Have our expectations been manipulated like the asthmatics in the example above? When you modify or see through a belief, your entire world can change, so it is our position that these beliefs are worth a closer look. To help you understand the facts associated with the power of drugs and alcohol, we’re going to present some common beliefs about substance use, as well as information that calls those beliefs into question.

Questionable Belief #1: You Can’t Solve A Substance Use Problem On Your Own (without lifelong treatment and/or support group involvement) This is perhaps the most absurd claim pushed by our recovery culture. Reliable wide-scale studies have routinely shown that the vast majority of people with substance use problems inevitably change their habits for the better without ever seeking formal help 75% to be exact. Of the remaining 25% who changed and had sought help at some point, not all of them got the kind of treatment/support regimen which we’re told is necessary (specialty addiction treatment followed up with ongoing lifelong 12-step involvement). Only 17% have ever been exposed to both specialty treatment and 12-step meetings. [Dawson] But wait, it gets smaller! Those support groups teach that you need to be involved with them for the rest of your life or else you’re headed for “jails, institutions, or death”. Despite the dire warnings though, 95% of the people who enter these groups stop attending within (far) less than a year. This means that only 5% of the 17% of the total, or .85% of people who successfully change their drinking problems probably do it with “ongoing treatment and support”.

That’s less than 1%. So much for the myth of needing ongoing support! [AA Triennial Survey] Does anyone else find it strange that we let these people - less than 1% of all Americans who solve their substance use problems tell the rest of us that it’s the only way to get over this problem?!

For every successful person that stays stuck in the recovery culture, there are literally at least 99 more that successfully move on with their lives, not as “recovering addicts”, but rather as individuals living the lifestyle that makes them happy, and is not defined by past problems.

Substance Induced Behavioral Change We put a lot of stock in the pharmacological power of drugs and alcohol. It’s common to believe that substances do everything from giving people courage, impairing motor skills, and increasing artistic ability, to causing violent behavior as well as rape and infidelity. Substances supposedly do all of this as a function of their chemical action on the brain. But is our faith in the chemical power of intoxicating substances undeserved? Yes, it is.

Let’s consider our placebo example again. It wasn’t the presence of allergens that triggered the asthmatic reactions - it was simply the belief that what came out of the inhaler would indeed cause an asthmatic reaction. Could beliefs be in play with the effects of intoxicating substances? You bet. In fact, there are placebo studies involving alcohol. In one, the study subjects completed a psychomotor test, and then they were asked to predict how much slower they would perform on the same test after drinking alcohol.

Then they were given drinks that contained either real or fake (placebo) alcohol, and asked to complete the test again. No matter

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None of this is to say that these drugs don’t have some real chemical effect, of course they do, but it leads us to question whether the chemical effect may actually pale in comparison to the influence our expectancies/beliefs have over how an instance of substance use will affect us. In large part, we decide what the effect will be. Consider this: “Sometimes alcohol may be a relaxant (the martini after the hard day at the office) and sometimes it may act as a stimulant (the first drink at the party).” -Zinberg The effects of substances can be almost whatever we think they will be. Some of the most compelling information to support this view comes from studying other populations across the world to get a more objective and truthful understanding of overall human behavior as it relates to drinking and drug using. It has been found repeatedly and often that people’s behavior upon drinking or drugging is exactly what they expect it to be, and what is expected of them in their culture (or acceptable) - for better or for worse.

Mark Scheeren is the Chairman and Co-founder of Baldwin Research Institute Inc., the alcohol and drug research company that is the original creator of the non-disease, non 12-step model of alcohol and drug education; the Saint Jude Program. For over two decades Scheeren has researched hundreds of different methods, facilities, and cultures worldwide in an effort to discover the many keys to improving the quality of one’s life.

Family Affair: The Recovery Team’s Family Weekend

By Annette Marvin

The Recovery Team strives to do everything possible to help those suffering from the disease of addiction to lead a sober and healthy life. In order to accomplish this goal, it is important for all avenues of recovery to be explored, including the family unit. “The disease of addiction has destructive physical, emotional and social implications not only on the individual seeking treatment but also for the family and significant others,” explains Family Liaison and Program Specialist, Annette Marvin.

“Although family members and significant others may not suffer from the disease itself, it consumes a large part of their lives when someone they care about is suffering from addiction. For this reason, we offer a unique family program to further enhance our client’s recovery and to aid those who have a loved one in treatment.”

“Research suggests that family participation is important and has a direct effect on long term sobriety”, says Marvin. “Our family program was designed to educate family members on the disease of addiction and provide support and suggestions on how to assist in the recovery of their loved one so they can achieve long term sobriety. We understand that any admission to a treatment facility is a major transition for both the client and the family, which is why our family program is there to make that transition as easy as possible and to educate the family on the process of recovery. Without family education there is a greater risk of the addict/alcoholic successfully manipulating the family to help them relapse or leave treatment prematurely.”

“Our convenient weekend program is held every two months (which includes breakfast and lunch) and is where many of the most crucial topics are discussed”, says Marvin. “The main goal is to assist family members to better understand the disease of chemical dependency and to provide an opportunity to discuss concerns and ask questions from the experts.” There are also many activities to take part in, including the chance to listen to guest speakers, attend an Al-Anon meeting, and participate in the reading of impact letters, which are a crucial part in jump starting the recovery process. The family recovery weekend is overseen by two veteran law enforcement workers who have firsthand experience with substance abuse and its effects on family members.

Annette Marvin is an active veteran member of the law enforcement community with 26 years’ experience. She facilitates our Family Weekend program and weekly AlAnon meeting for the families of recovering clients within the law enforcement and public safety community, as well as those within the Recovery Team network. www. recoveryteam.org

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We Can Help Intervention • Detox • Day Treatment Intensive Outpatient Treatment Dual Diagnosis • Aftercare Program Family Program • Alumni Program

800-817-1247

www.recoveryteam.org

450 Northlake Blvd., #11 • North Palm Beach, FL 33408 15

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Long-term Recovery

By Diane Cameron

After many years of recovery, years of working the steps, working with sponsors, doing service and being assisted by “outside help”—therapy, spiritual direction and recovery conferences—I had the experience of coming “Out of the Woods.”

It actually felt like that. Other’s have described this as “seeing the light at the end of the tunnel” or as feeling that the wild swings of the recovery pendulum had slowed to graceful arcs. Whatever the metaphor, we know that recovery changes over time.

It changes in the first two years, then in the next three years and then a subtle but significant change happens after ten years.

The period of coming out of the woods is a big accomplishment but surprisingly this is not an easy stage. But it’s important to remember that it is in fact a stage. With stabilization of recovery can also come a sense of distance from the urgency and crisis feeling of early recovery. We wonder if we’re bad or wrong. People in the rooms may ask, “Where are all the old timers”? When we hear that we might doubt ourselves.

The newcomer might be surprised to learn that we “Old Timers” still have problems and struggles. We still continue to learn about ourselves with each year. A changed life brings changed issues. But the good news is that we are also able to see the things that happen to us with just a tiny bit more perspective. By the time we reach double-digit recovery most of us have had at least one or two experiences of something we were sure wasn’t supposed to happen. And in many cases we have the experience of finding that these turn out to be spiritual lessons or stepping-stones to something really great.

Most of us in “double-digit” recovery discover that the 12 steps and a program of recovery are part of a good life but that even these do not protect us from illness, job troubles, problems with kids and family, all manner of loss. Real life happens to us. In fact life can hit harder-simply because we are older—we do keep aging as our recovery continues. That’s something many of us had not anticipated. That is a kind of denial common to most people in and out of the rooms. We also know that not having painkillers—the chemical or the human kind-- leaves us a bit more raw so we have to use recovery tools more diligently.

What people in long term recovery do have however is a set of skills and a richness of sober experience to fall back on. We are able to recognize our patterns; we are able to cut through our defenses sooner; and we learn not to fight the inevitable.

In some ways life gets easier but in other ways it gets harder. If we have learned in recovery to face reality and accept what life brings sooner, we are then able to surrender when we see the wall coming instead of waiting, as we did in the past, to slam into it.

Long recovery gives us a good toolkit and we keep on building.

Diane Cameron is a writer and teacher and speaker about recovery and personal growth. She writes about long-term recovery on her blog at: www.Womeninrecovery. blogspot.com

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THE FORMATION OF AXIS BRIDGE: A PUBLIC CHARITY

By Myles B. Schlam, J.D., CAP/CCJAP

As an Addiction Professional in the field for years, I can personally attest to the fact that the disease of Addiction does not discriminate upon a socioeconomic basis. You’ve all heard the saying, “It doesn’t matter if you came from Park Avenue or a park bench.” There are so many people who need treatment for their addiction to alcohol or drugs but cannot afford it financially or do not otherwise have access. This is a shame, because many of these people actually have the desire to get clean but unfortunately do not have the funds.

Most private treatment centers will only admit people who either have good health insurance (meaning substance abuse/mental health benefits) or are selfpaying. Those who pay cash are looking at an average cost of $12,500/month here in Florida. Many of the treatment centers we work with charge anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000/month. We usually recommend a minimum of 60 days of treatment to really have a good chance at a successful outcome.

I have become increasingly frustrated with only being able to assist those people who have health insurance coverage or are financially well off. Many addicts just do not have the resources to access quality treatment and are left with trying to get into a state or county funded treatment facility which are very limited in beds and have limited resources. Some of these publicly run facilities are excellent, but they can only do so much and are often over capacity with a long waiting list to get in. Government funding for Addiction Treatment is just not meeting up to the demand.

After pondering the idea for years, we have now taken action and formed a new nonprofit charity to assist people financially that have a need and desire for treatment but cannot afford it. The name of the organization is Axis Bridge and will operate throughout the state of Florida. Axis Bridge was officially started on June 1st, 2013. Our plan is to solicit state and federal funding as well as grants from a variety of organizations as well as private donors. The funding we receive will be used to pay for treatment, halfway houses, and even legal defense representation for those who clients who have charges directly related to substance abuse. Presently, our 501 C 3 application is pending with the IRS and we cannot receive grant dollars until

Highly-Effective, ScientificallyProven Therapy for PTSD Suffers

By John Giordano DHL, MAC

Continued from page 10

more energy and were more engaged in their daily routines. The results of these tests were published in Post Grad Medical Journal, a peer reviewed medical publication.

With all of this information at hand, I felt compelled to share it with someone in authority who could influence a positive change for our wounded warriors with PTSD. In May (2013) I visited Camp Lajeune, the Marine training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. There I met with their top psychologists and medical personal. I demonstrated the Trauma Release Technique on an unnamed Special Forces member, and a member of their staff. Each one responded positively to the treatment.

The staff recognized the efficacy of the Trauma Release Technique and requested training manuals and a follow up meeting in the near future. I enthusiastically look forward to helping our men and women in uniform overcome this potentially life threatening disorder.

Post-Trauma Stress Disorder is a silent killer that is on the rise. Its horrifying effects are forcing people into the margins of our society, stopping them from living a full, productive and happy life. PTSD is directly responsible for some alcohol and drug abuse and thought to be partly responsible for the dramatic increase in suicides. The condition is manageable – the bad feeling and emotions can be eliminated. If you suspect that you or someone you know might be suffering from PTSD, please feel free to call me directly. You’ll find my number below.

John Giordano DHL, MAC is a therapist and traumatologist, President and Co-Founder of G & G Holistic Addiction Treatment Center in North Miami Beach and Chaplain of the North Miami Police Department. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me directly at 305-945-8384. Also for the latest development in cutting-edge treatment check out my website: www.holisticaddictioninfo.com Diagnosis and Healing In Veterans Suspected of Suffering from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Using Reward Gene Testing and Reward Circuitry Natural Dopaminergic Activation. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23264885

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it is approved. In the interim, we plan to hold charity fundraisers including galas, golf tournaments, auctions, and other events.

Axis Bridge will accept clients on a non-discriminatory, first come – first serve basis, but there is a screening process and recipients will be chosen by a selection committee. They must meet our admissions criteria and sign a contract agreeing to abide by all terms of both Axis Bridge and the treating facility. If the contract is breached, the recipient may lose financial assistance. A board of directors has been chosen which includes former Drug Court judges, Magistrates, and Prosecutors as well as a couple criminal defense attorneys who will be consulting on a variety of issues. An application will be available online in the near future. There will also be a page on the website where people can make donations online.

Axis Bridge will only be able to assist the number of people that we have funding for. Therefore, until we can secure grant dollars, we are asking for everyone out there who cares about this cause to help us. Anyone who has ideas for fundraising events or knows of people or corporations who may be willing to donate is encouraged to contact us with this information. We have a great network of treatment providers who have agreed to discount there rates for us by 50% or more which will then be paid by the organization. We also have a network of attorneys who have agreed to steeply discount their fees for Axis Bridge clients who have pending legal issues such as DUI’s, Drug Possession, etc, which are directly related to their Addiction.

Pending Axis Bridge’s approval as a public charity, Advocare Solutions, Inc is offering even more discounted rates than we always have and will continue to provide Treatment placements, Intensive Case Management and coordination of both Marchman Acts and criminal defense cases. This is our way of giving back to the community, and hopefully garnering support for this very urgent public health issue plaguing society needing to be addressed…and quickly! *Myles B. Schlam Myles B. Schlam is a nationally recognized expert in Drug Addiction and the Criminal Justice System and an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC). He is one of 100+ Criminal Justice Addiction Professionals (CCJAP) in the State of Florida. Mr. Schlam graduated from the St. Thomas University School of Law in ’02. ASI is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families and operates in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

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Attachment Disorders

By Dr. Silvernail

More and more children are failing to develop secure attachments to loving, protective caregivers. These children are left without the most important foundation for healthy development. They are flooding our child welfare system with an overwhelming array of problems - emotional, behavioral, social, cognitive, developmental, physical and moral - and growing up to perpetuate the cycle with their own children. Research has shown that up to 80% of high risk families (abuse and neglect, poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, history of mistreatment in parents’ childhood, depression and other psychological disorders in parents) create severe attachment disorders in their children.

Since there are one million substantiated cases of serious abuse and neglect in the U.S. each year, the statistics indicate that there are 800,000 children with severe attachment disorders coming to the attention of the child welfare system each year. This does not include thousands of children with attachment disorder adopted from other countries.

Attachment disorder is transmitted from generation to generation. Children lacking secure attachments with caregivers commonly grow up to be parents who are incapable of establishing this crucial foundation with their own children. Instead of following the instinct to protect, nurture and love their children, they abuse, neglect and abandon. The situation is out of control. Consider the following: Children who begin their lives with compromised and disrupted attachment are at risk for serious problems as development unfolds: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Low self-esteem Needy, clingy or pseudo-independent Decompensate when faced with stress and adversity Lack of self-control Unable to develop and maintain friendships Alienated from and oppositional with parents, caregivers, and other authority figures Antisocial attitudes and behaviors Aggression and violence Difficulty with genuine trust, intimacy and affection Negative, hopeless and pessimistic view of self, family and society Lack empathy, compassion and remorse Behavioral and academic problems at school Perpetuate the cycle of mistreatment and attachment disorder in their own children when they reach adulthood.

Secure Attachment If children come to expect that their mothers will be there when needed, they tend to develop secure attachments. We can see this secure attachment in the child’s going to the mother for comfort when scared, concerned, hungry, or sick, for example. What differentiates these children from children with insecure attachments is not how hard they cry when they are upset, or how long it takes them to settle down, but rather their ability to use their parent to help them settle down. A child who feels safe and feels heard is more likely to have a secure attachment.

Avoidant Attachment When children come to expect that their parents will not be there when needed, they develop insecure attachments. Children whose parents and caretakers are rejecting of their bids for reassurance tend to develop avoidant attachments. There are a number of ways parents might be rejecting. Take, for example, a boy who falls off a chair and comes crying to his mother. Rather than hug the child, one mother says, “Look at the bird in the tree”; another mother says, “You’re a big boy, you don’t need to cry”; whereas still a third says, “I told you not to get up on that chair.” In all three instances, the child has gotten the message that he will not be reassured when hurt. If this characterizes the mother’s usual response to the child, the child will then develop the expectation that the mother will not be available when he is distressed.

Such children tend to develop avoidant attachments. For example, they may first look to the parent and then turn abruptly away (seeming to remember that they should not look to the parent for reassurance), or may just appear indifferent to the parent’s presence. This strategy makes sense, and can be seen as adaptive with this parent - the child is asking no more of the parent than the parent is willing to give. Mothers of children with avoidant attachments are often dismissing or devaluing of their own attachment experiences (Wilson) Resources for Attachment Disorders www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/attachment_disorder.htm www.attachmentdisorder.net/ aacap.org/page.ww?name=Reactive+Attachment+Disorder&section=Facts+for+Families www.helpguide.org/mental/parenting_bonding_reactive_attachment_disorder.htm Dr. Silvernail is A Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a PhD in Psychology and Addictionology Counseling. Darlene has held post in the United States Army, was a Police Officer for the Harford Police Department before finding her calling as a counselor of human services. In the last 15 years Darlene has held numerous leadership positions in outpatient programs, residential treatment programs and counseling centers. She has over 26 years of experience developing and implementing quality educational programs in the field of addictions treatment and psychology. Dr. Silvernail teamed up with the women of PWN Books to write a series on empowerment. In all Darlene has authored and co-authored ten books. This series has not only found a steady following, but woman across the nation have experienced the Empowerment Series first hand through the seasonal conferences and workshops. www.SilvernailConsultantServices.com

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Overdose is Inevitable

By Christopher J. O’Brien, MS

The word commonly associated with “overdose” is “accidental”. What we will suggest here is that, for substance abusers, overdose is not accidental, but a logical milestone in the progression of addiction. That is, the only alternative to overdose is abstinence and recovery.

Research into the causes of overdose identifies several pathways.

Tolerance, recent drug treatment, multi-drug use, and homelessness.

Tolerance- For example, for FDA approval, if the effective dose of a sedative is one milligram, the lethal dose might be 10 milligrams, or10 times the sedative dose. An extra pill in error will not cause substantial harm. Therefore, the likelihood of accidental overdose is slim, under normal circumstances. For the substance abuser, however, tolerance increases the dose required to get high. After one year of use, he or she might be using 9 milligrams, but tolerance increases the lethal dose only slightly. Therefore, if such a person is high and forgets how many they took, a second dose of 9 milligrams puts them at 18 milligrams which might be 3 milligrams over the lethal dose. But that is not the worst of it. In some cases, the tolerance to the drug can increase until the dose to get high is a fatal one. The lethal dose might have increased to 15 milligrams, but the dose to get high becomes 16 milligrams, and breathing ceases. Therefore, the progression of addiction and tolerance moves the user ever closer to a lethal overdose.

Multi-drug use- The use of multiple drugs increases the likelihood of a lethal overdose. This is because multiple drug interactions do not cumulate; they “may combine synergistically”. For example, if one were to take their normal dose of an opiate with an effect of 50%, they feel unsatisfied, so they take a benzodiazepine for the other 50%. The two drugs do not add, however, they multiply. That is, a 5 opiate and a 5 benzodiazepine do not add up to a 10 high. They might multiply and become a 5 x 5 or 25, which might be two times the lethal dose of 12.

Recent drug treatment- During periods of abstinence, as the body adapts, tolerance decreases. In the previous example, where tolerance had taken the lethal dose from 10 to 15, and an addict had been using 12, there was danger, but no overdose. During abstinence for drug treatment or incarceration, tolerance decreases, and the lethal dose might return to 10.

The addict, unaware, relapses at their previous dose level of 12, and the result is respiratory suppression and death.

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Homelessness-The idea that homelessness increases the likelihood of death from overdose seems, at first, irrelevant. But a closer examination reveals that homelessness means using drugs alone. The active addict should be aware that using drugs alone increases the likelihood of death from overdose.

Fatality is more likely when there is no one around to assist in the event of overdose. Strang, et. al. (2008) “Examined the impact of training in overdose management and naloxone provision… (for)… opiate users.” (abstract) Subsequently, 18 overdoses were reported between the training and the follow up. In six overdoses, naloxone was not used and one death occurred. In the other 12 overdoses, where naloxone was used, all 12 resulted in successful reversals. Of these 12, the client’s own supply of naloxone was used in 10.

Conclusions Of course, abstinence and recovery are the best remedies against death from overdose. But the reality is that not all people will get clean and sober today. A further realistic viewpoint is that many people relapse at least once before attaining long term recovery. Therefore, in the interim, the following recommendations might save a life.

1) Don’t use alone.

2) Learn how to recognize and what to do when a friend overdoses. (Call 911) 3) If you leave AMA, or relapse, be aware that the usual dose might kill you.

4) Be aware of drug interactions, and the idea that poly-drug use is a desperate and dangerous remedy for tolerance on the road to overdose.

5) Further study and thought might be applied to examine the social obligation and/or consequences of a program where naloxone and training in its use might be offered to the addict.

Christopher J. O’Brien holds an M.S. in Counseling Studies, and a postgraduate certification in “Contemporary Theory in Addictive Behavior”. He is a “Certified Addiction Professional” (CAP) in the state of Florida. He has 29 years in recovery, 25 years of active participation in the recovery community, and experience as an addiction counselor. He has published the book: “Understanding Addiction”: Propensity, Progression, Crisis, and Recovery” which is available from Amazon.com, direct from the publisher at Medallionpublishing.com or by phoning Mr. O’Brien at 561-863-1090.

He operates a private practice offering interventions and recovery counseling in North Palm Beach Florida.

Going from Addict to Charity Event Director?

By Suncoast Rehab Center

Derek lived the life of an addict. His abuse of drugs and alcohol lost him his job, his family, his home, his self-esteem, his self-worth, his health … he was an addict in every which way they come.

For him, his years and years of drug and alcohol abuse finally ended on the day he entered the program at Suncoast Rehabilitation Center.

Since July, 2010 he has been a part of this incredible treatment center in many different facets and Charity Golf Tournament Director is one of the many great things he is fortunate enough to be able to do this year.

Here he would like to tell you a little bit about what this tournament means to him & the rest of the staff at SRC. “Everyone who has suffered from addiction or has been in some way affected by addiction can appreciate how difficult getting into the proper treatment center is, especially a private facility, due to the cost. I was fortunate enough to have my family to pay for my program which has given me a chance to be a part of helping others overcome their addictions.

“In a nutshell, this tournament is a way to assist those who are without financial ability get the help they need through the Suncoast Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will help pay for part or all of the program costs for someone who needs treatment. For me personally, I could not imagine doing two greater things at the same time; playing golf and helping save lives.

“The best part about this event is what it allows us all to be a part of: helping someone get back to the person they were before their addiction took control. Helping someone have the opportunity that many of us at SRC were given: a second chance at life.

“I will make you a promise as Tournament Director and as an avid golfer, this golf course and this event will be one of the best you have ever played by far. Take the challenge & come to Cypress Run for golf and giving at its best.”

Sincerely, Derek A. Queener SRC Golf Tournament Director Come meet Derek and join us at our Annual Golf Tournament. Register for the tournament or become a sponsor, at www.LiveDrugFreeSRC. com. Come up on Friday, August 23rd and make a weekend out of it. See you on the green!

Cypress Run Golf Club 2669 St. Andrews Blvd.

Tarpon Springs, Fl 34688 August 24, 2013, 1pm.

GOLF TO SAVE A LIFE!

“If you are a golfer like me who uses this game to get away from the pressures of everyday life and to challenge yourself to achieve perfection in something that can’t be perfected then I challenge you to come join us at Cypress Run. This golf club is heaven on earth for any golfer of any level with a beautiful lay-out and course conditions second to none.

Even if you are not a golfer, but have that place deep inside you where you reach out just to make another person’s life better, sponsor us at this tournament. There are a variety of levels to fit your interest.

To Advertise, Call 561-910-1943

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EMDR and Addiction: A Reflection of Successes and Failures

By Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS

My initial exposure to EMDR was shortly after I celebrated two years of sobriety. Returning to graduate school at the behest of my recovery sponsor, I began my program in an eager place, but as soon as I reached the practicum/internship phase of my program, I got triggered left and right.

Working with children and adolescents at an adolescent treatment center, I found myself zoning out to protect myself from the internal disturbance I experienced when I saw how staff members treated certain children.

One of my co-workers knew exactly what was going on with me, yet I was reticent to resume counseling. Between having so much 12-step knowledge, previous counseling experience, and now book-learning about theories and techniques, I just assumed there was something wrong with me for not “getting it” all. It was an odd place to be; here I was, two years sober and studying to be a helper myself. I didn’t want to drink or use, yet there were some days when I still flirted with suicide.

“Maybe it’s time to try some different kind of therapy,” he challenged.

After asking around, I became acquainted with a therapist near my town who tried many innovative approaches when it came to trauma, most notably eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). I was comfortable with her right away because in addition to being a mental health counselor, she also had experience with addiction. It felt good to have my addiction recovery validated. Secure that I was stable enough in my recovery and that I had access to a sponsor, regular meetings, and a support group, she recommended EMDR as a first-line intervention. I agreed because it seemed different than the “let’s talk it out” cognitivebehavioral norm of previous attempts at therapy.

We began the treatment and I knew that I was in for a ride, in an intense yet ultimately positive way. EMDR was the first therapy I experienced where the therapist was actually interested in my body and did not try to confront my negative statements or self-deprecating emotions at every turn. She just wanted me to get everything out. Even this catharsis proved challenging since I wanted to be working towards the healthy answers, yet I quickly learned that to be healthy, I had to honor the emotional sludge blocking the healthy flow of emotions. A great deal of crying and somaticlevel release went on during the sessions, yet somehow the feeling of pleasant bilateral (two-sided) sensations that guided the process, in my case through the use of a machine my therapist controlled, always helped me to efficiently come to a healthier place in my thinking.

The EMDR was helping me so much that I knew that I had to get trained in it myself, as a budding therapist, to more effectively work with my clients. I learned that the EMDR approach was discovered by a California psychologist named Dr. Francine Shapiro, herself a cancer survivor who was interested in body-mind interaction. One day, while taking a walk in a park, she made some casual observances about how moving her eyes bilaterally and diagonally along a body of water caused some disturbing thoughts to dissipate. After the eye movements, the thoughts no longer produced the same charge when she brought them back up. Inspired by her discovery, she then tested the process on some of her colleagues, and then she conducted a randomized controlled research study on her process which premiered in 1989. Initially met with controversy within many facets of the helping professions, the results of EMDR therapy continued to speak for themselves. Regarded as the most researched therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to date, EMDR continues to develop as an approach to psychotherapy. For instance, soon after the initial discovery, Shapiro realized that you did not necessarily need eye movements for the therapy to be effective; other bilateral mechanisms like stereo headphones or “tappers” (the machine-generated tactile devices) can work just as well, and are even more comfortable for clients than conventional eye movements. Many therapists (myself included) have deviated from Shapiro’s initial protocol by making modifications and integrating with other approaches as necessary with great success, while other therapists continue to resist EMDR, insisting that because there is no clear-cut evidence on the exact mechanism of action, it is not acceptable treatment. Nonetheless, a variety of major clinical bodies, most notably the American Psychological Association (APA) and SAMHSA list EMDR as a highly efficacious, evidence-based practice.

The jury is still out in addiction treatment circles on the efficacy of EMDR in the treatment of addiction. There are very few specific studies on the use of EMDR to treat addictive disorders, yet research exists, especially of a qualitative variety, on the implementation of EMDR into addiction

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treatment programs, whether it for craving/urge control, or for the treatment of PTSD as a relapse prevention issue. Many highly regarded addiction treatment centers in the U.S. have staff trained in EMDR and routinely promote their offering of the therapy. However, other treatment centers remain skeptical, either because of its relative newness/ weirdness as an approach, or out of fear that the therapy will destabilize people who are fragile in their recovery.

My perspective is somewhat unique and multi-faceted since I am a survivor of trauma in addiction recovery who first had EMDR done as a patient, and I’ve gone on to offer it as a professional in both outpatient community addiction treatment settings and private practice. There is definitely a place for EMDR in the treatment of addictive disorders, especially as a relapse prevention measure, as long as it is safely and appropriately applied. For instance, if you forge into EMDR with an addict who is still using with the assumption that resolving the trauma will resolve the addiction, you are misguided. I must admit that even with my knowledge of addiction, when I first got trained in EMDR I did more intense, trauma exploration with the therapy than I probably should have with people who weren’t optimally committed to their recovery. The nice thing about EMDR is that you can use gentler versions of it, often called resource building, to prepare a client for deeper trauma work. Resourcing is essentially holistic coping skills training using the bilateral stimulation, and I’ve found that resourcing can be done no matter where a person is at in their recovery. Many clients I’ve done EMDR resourcing with over the years maintain that these skills help them to attain and maintain initial sobriety.

However, I clearly feel that to go deeper with resolving trauma with the EMDR approach, a person must have a modicum of initial sobriety and commitment to recovery. I have done EMDR with people who are not optimally committed to the lifestyle changes necessary for recovery and they have only gone so far, or they still relapse. For instance, I had a client who had some clean time, thus, I felt safe enough to work on past material using EMDR. She processed through traumatic experiences in a textbook fashion, but months later she still relapsed. When she came back for services, she admitted to me that she was not totally committed to living a recovery lifestyle, so no amount of therapy, even EMDR, would have helped her during that treatment episode.

Sometimes the EMDR can help with the attitudinal changes that are required for sustaining long-term recovery, a key finding of my own research on the use of EMDR in treatment settings. When EMDR is done in the context of a recovery program that includes support from others, the results can be phenomenal. I have routinely seen the EMDR approach help people work through cognitive traps that have kept them stuck in complacency for years. Nancy, one of the first cases I ever treated with EMDR, needed the work she did with EMDR to help her finally do a 4th and 5th step in her 12-step recovery program. With five treatment episodes in twelve years that never yielded any more than a few months of sobriety, Nancy’s inability to do a 4th and 5th step was largely due to her inability to put her life into perspective.

“Because of the trauma,” she shared with me, “Everything I saw was garbage.”

The last time Nancy checked in with me, she had over 5 years of sobriety.

Addicted survivors of trauma are notorious for taking on responsibility for what is not ours to take, yet we resist taking proper responsibility for what is ours to take. Although the steps can help some people in having a perspective shift, they leave others wanting, and this is where a therapy like EMDR can help. For Nancy, and scores of others I’ve treated over the years, EMDR did not replace the working of recovery steps, rather, EMDR complemented the steps and helped them to work recovery programs more fully.

Jamie Marich, Ph.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS is the author of Trauma and the Twelve Steps: A Complete Guide to Enhancing Recovery and EMDR Made Simple: 4 Approaches for Using EMDR with Every Client. She is the founder of the “Dancing Mindfulness” practice. Marich travels the country teaching on trauma, addiction, spirituality, and mindfulness.

A multi-faceted clinician whose career began in post-war Bosnia, her clinical, training, consulting, and retreat services now operate as her newly formed company, “Mindful Ohio.” To access free resources for trauma and addiction services, please visit www.TraumaTwelve.com, and for general inquiries go to www.mindfulohio.com

ADDICTIONOLOGY AND CO-ADDICTION

By Karen R. Rapaport, Ph.D, ABPP

Confronting Addiction or Self-Defeating Behavior: Stress begins with the sense, or perception, of things seemingly not under our control.

Guidelines to gain an effective sense of control include: 1) Identify negative emotions. Track these to the situations that trigger the emotions and develop a plan to cope with them.

2) Reflect on one problem at a time. In this way, you can plan a constructive response to it.

3) Develop a form of relaxation.

4) Deal with others in a manner which meets your own needs.

Then, you can respond appropriately to the needs of others.

5) Develop a plan and take action in work, relationship and life goals.

6) Appreciate yourself and your ability to accomplish these goals.

7) Reward yourself for achieving these things, especially when it is without “self-medicating” with food, alcohol, drugs or addictive relationships.

This list is based upon suggestions in Stanton Peele’s The Truth about Addiction and Recovery.

Karen R. Rapaport, Ph.D, ABPP is a Fellow of the Academy of Clinical Psychology (FACLINP), and Board Certified in Clinical Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology.

She has been in private practice in Palm Beach County at CME Psychology Consultants for over 25 years, specializing in Psychotherapy and EMDR for the treatment of trauma, addiction and mood/anxiety disorder.

To Advertise, Call 561-910-1943

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Addiction, Trauma and Transformation: An Invitation to the Soul

By Rivka Edery, L.M.S.W.

There have been many developments in addiction medicine over the last few decades that have made us question the effectiveness of old practices and led to the development of new ways to treat addiction. In fact, the separate branch of medicine with a view at addiction is already unique. While we know today so much more about addictions than decades ago, we are still far from finding effective approaches that would eradicate the suffering of many people who are addicted.

The disease of addiction is neurophysiological, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, spiritual or none at all. The reality is that human beings have been consuming drugs and alcohol for thousands of years. The last few thousand years of human evaluation has been a stupor for which today we, the descendants, are paying the price.

The active addict knows all too well the capacity that this interlocking and reciprocal relationship has on their tenacious hold on their drug of choice.

However, addiction is as much an individual disease as it is a family disease.

Addiction is an obsessive compulsive, repetitive problem that is dramatically hindering a person trying to live a satisfying life. Since the user is unable to permanently sustain a state of Euphoria, he/she locks self in a destructive cycle.

Over the last three decades, medical research has advanced extensively in the field of addiction medicine, revealing the biological mechanisms of addiction, and the pathway leading from experimentation, recreational use, and dependency.

Clinical work has been changing the Freudian view of addiction as explained by drive psychology, to more humanistic approaches of addiction. At this point in time, human beings are no longer viewed exclusively through the lens of Freudian drive psychology. But rather, there is an increased emphasis on the soul of the person, and the role of spirituality, as critical factors. Under the umbrella of the humanistic framework, spiritual approaches to recovery have provided an increased understanding that along with behavior, psychology, and physiology, spirituality is another domain that cannot be left out while working with individuals suffering from addictions. Such a domain must be addressed regularly, thoroughly, and with care.

In one approach to recovery the addict’s decision to begin a process of recovery from substance abuse begins with the admission that they are powerless over their disease, and they need a different source of power other than the drug. At this point of complete surrender, the addict creates for themselves an internal space where they can let go of their delusion that they have power over their substance, and begin their healing process. An important factor for people who are struggling with addiction is the understanding that they are powerless over the mind altering substance. There is no chance to exercise any form of control once the individual is locked in a cycle of addiction.

The application of spiritual principals can aid in their spiritual growth, so the person can unlock the vicious cycle of addiction that encourage abstinence, which is critical. Some addicts do not consider themselves having a spiritual dimension, and will find no need to investigate the needs of their soul. By applying spiritual principles and tools, one can significantly alter a life of pain and confusion. Such an investigation instigates a truly effective treatment process. This person can then show the next suffering addict spiritual tools that can help to surmount the challenges one has to face in order to heal.

The primary goal of healing from addiction is to remain completely abstinent from any mood-altering substance, and to utilize the potent power of spirituality to unify your inner and outer life. Each of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous serves as a guide in self-honesty and soul-searching. The ultimate theme of the steps is to connect with your True Self, live a life that is meaningful, and free from bondage of the past. I view the Twelve Steps as Twelve Lamps, each shedding light toward a meaningful life, free from unnecessary pain and suffering, filled with hope and possibility. Since the Steps were formulated by men in 1939 for alcoholics, the language and structure of the steps can seem dated and even intimidating. I hope to carry you beyond some of the stilted language to the profound usefulness of these spiritual principles. I also hope to accentuate the need for spirituality as the empowering invisible cord underlying addiction recovery.

What about the addict who has not survived a trauma, and does not see a need for spirituality as the primary solution? For the majority of addicts who are in touch with their conscience and emotions, the consequences of active addiction are clear and in some cases, too frightening to linger on their details. In evaluating the disease of addiction, we can all agree that the most common defense mechanism involved, and the toughest one to work through, is denial. Throughout human history, lack of knowledge of addiction as a disease has placed the suffering of addicts behind an armored wall, and in some cases, literally, as they were locked up, isolated, banned from family, community, and society at large.

True healing and recovery cannot take place behind any barrier of ignorance,

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silence, and with the lack of appropriate interventions.

Since 1939 when the Twelve Steps were organized and adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous, there was scant information on addiction, none of the numerous self-help groups, treatment centers, knowledge and programs that are abundantly available for today’s addict seeking treatment. What these original pioneers discovered, was the amazing power of applying spiritual principles to their “alcohol problem”. The experience, strength and hope of those that have applied the steps to their life, speak to the certainty of their power. Especially, in a time period where little else was available and they were shunned, rejected, and discarded as “drunks” without any hope for answers or recovery.

Conversely, it is imperative to acknowledge that the Steps were authored by men predominantly for their needs in recovery, at a time when there was little known about addiction or trauma and its effects.

Over the course of each addict’s life, there will be people who will undermine or impede their attempts to seek treatment for the toxic effects of substance abuse. In some unfortunate cases, those in the addicts circle will criticize their efforts to deepen their understanding of their condition, or investigate the strong link between substance abuse problems and the power of spirituality. There will never be a shortage of nay-sayers accusing people in recovery who seek to examine the evidence, that they are wasting their time. In examining the source of such criticism, it is easy to attribute it to limited empathy, or to one’s own denial about the power of spirituality: their own or that of others. Properly credentialed and qualified professionals in the field of addiction science can attest to the fact that the overwhelming effects of addiction create a terrible burden on the addict.

My impression is that the role of spirituality in addiction sits uneasily with a lot of addicts themselves, especially ones that have been abused or mistreated within the religious order. While parents often do the best they can, religion is often passed down and taught with a sense of force, forbidding, and with the threat of punishment and annihilation if deviated from. It is no wonder at all that spirituality is so often misunderstood, minimized, feared, or outright rejected.

Let us now bring into focus the value of, and need for, an open mind when we speak of spirituality and its application to addiction and trauma recovery. We begin this discussion with suspending judgment on our original teachings, and contain our urge to judge, reject, or fear this concept. The human mind is an incredible entity, along with its defensive strategies, patterns of adaptation and twists and turns; further complicated by unconscious behavior. However the addict gets there, the open mind will help him/her find true control and understanding, for the ultimate goal, which is freedom from the ensnarement of their disease and subsequent Soul-Anguish. This ensnarement to which I refer to, includes not only the disease of addiction, but for those who suffer from co-occurring disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and other brain disorders that need psychiatric intervention.

Addicts, as with trauma survivors, usually have a difficult time experiencing their vulnerability and their feelings of having once been profoundly helpless and alone.

The process of unearthing one’s memories and re-experiencing anguish requires the help of skilled, knowledgeable and spiritually grounded professionals who have done healing work on themselves. With issues as delicate and sensitive as deep emotional wounding, each survivor and counselor must approach the recovery path with patience, self-love, self-care and the development of an appropriate spiritual support network.

The Twelve Steps comprise a spiritual program used to treat alcoholics and other individuals with a range of self-destructive and addictive tendencies. Inviting the soul into one’s recovery process is heeding a faint, unanswered cry. A cry, that once answered, will take the addict and the trauma survivor, into a powerful spiritual process. This process is available to help in healing the physical, mental and spiritual wounding caused by both addiction and traumatic experiences. I hope the reader will be able to understand that recovery just like addiction is highly unique for each individual. Although society has been plagued by substance use for thousands of years, each addict has a unique opportunity to end their suffering and live spiritually happy.

Rivka Edery, L.M.S.W. is a resident of Brooklyn, New York since 1994, and a native of Montreal, Canada. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Social Science and a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. She is a highly intuitive and sensitive licensed social worker and a first time author specializing in trauma recovery and spirituality. She has been active in the treatment and recovery field for more than sixteen years.

To contact Ms. Edery for speaking or consulting, please call (646) 691-7771 or e-mail info@rivkaedery.com. www.rivkaedery.com Author of: “Trauma and Transformation: A 12-Step Guide”.

Available from: www.amazon.com

To Advertise, Call 561-910-1943

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Back to the Basics of Recovery Guidance: Step Twelve

By Wally P.

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

In the previous eleven articles, I have described the simplicity and workability of the Twelve Steps. I have presented the key “Big Book” passages that were used by A.A. pioneers to take newcomers through the Steps in a couple of hours.

Now it is time to look at how we carry our lifesaving message of recovery to others. Once we have made our surrender, cleared away the blocks, and started listening to the “One who has all power,” we receive the greatest gift of this program—a spiritual awakening. The Power greater than human power is now guiding us “in a way which is indeed miraculous.”

When we take the time to listen to, and allow ourselves to be guided by, the “Indwelling Spirit,” we enhance and expand our connection to the spiritual solution to our difficulties. On page 568, the “Big Book” authors state: “Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it ‘Godconsciousness’.”

We expand our “God consciousness” by taking others through the process.

We now know how easy it is to take the Twelve Steps, and as a result, we can be of real service to those who are still suffering. On page 89, the authors state that working with others also protects us from a relapse:

Taking the Steps “quickly and often” produces dramatic results. On page 143, the “Big Book” authors write: “To return to the subject matter of this book: It contains full suggestions by which the (newcomer) may solve his (or her) problem. To you, some of the ideas which it contains are novel. Perhaps you are not quite in sympathy with the approach we suggest. By no means do we offer it as the last word on this subject, but so far as we are concerned, it has worked for us. After all, are you not looking for results rather than methods?”

All I ask is that you keep an open mind with regard to this “Introduction to the Twelve Steps.” This is just the beginning, the “spiritual kindergarten” of recovery. Join a “Big Book” study. Take the Steps in more depth and detail.

Work with others. Bring a Beginners’ Meeting into a prison or aftercare facility. As Bill W. writes, “It works—it really does.”

On page 132, the authors describe what we can look forward to now that we are living in the solution and taking others through the work: “. . . We have recovered and have been given the power to help others.”

Yes, we “have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,” and we have been given the tools to assist those in need. On page 94, the “Big Book” authors write: “ . . . It is important for (the newcomer) to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him (or her) plays a vital part in your own recovery.”

“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from (relapse) as intensive work with other(s). It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other(s)! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail.”

By taking others through the Steps, you just might save a life or two, starting with your own.

When WE work with others, OUR lives change. Some of these changes are described in the second paragraph on page 89:

Wally conducts history presentations and recovery workshops, including “Back to the Basics of Recovery” in which he takes attendees through all Twelve Steps in four, one-hour sessions. More than 500,000 have taken the Steps using this powerful, time-tested, and highly successful “original” program of action.

“Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends—this is an experience you must not miss. . . . Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.”

In the first paragraph on page 94, the “Big Book” authors provide guidelines on how to present our solution to prospective members: “Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful.”

At the top of page 100, the authors tell us we grow spiritually when we work with others: “Both you and the (newcomer) must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen. When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned.”

On page 102, they even provide us with a new job description: “Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand. Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed.”

All that’s left is to practice the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous each and every day. What are the principles? The Twelve Steps! These are the principles we rely upon in order to remain in the “sunlight of the Spirit” for the rest of our lives.

We are now ready to take Step Twelve. The Twelfth Step question is in the first paragraph on page 89. It reads: “Will you carry this message to (others)?”

If you can answer in the affirmative, you have taken Step Twelve. According to the “Big Book” authors and the A.A. pioneers, we have now taken ALL Twelve Steps. Nothing more is required other than to go through the process again and again and again and again. As I have mentioned throughout this series of articles, many A.A. old-timers suggested we take the Steps, “quickly and often.”

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Wally P. is an archivist, historian and author who, for more than twenty-three years, has been studying the origins and growth of the Twelve-step movement.

He is the caretaker for the personal archives of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith.

Back to Basics Basics--101 An introduction to the Twelve Steps of Recovery

During this seventy-five minute DVD, Wally Paton, noted archivist, historian and author, takes you through all Twelve Steps the way they were taken during the early days of the Twelve-Step movement. Experience the miracle of recovery as Wally demonstrates the sheer simplicity and workability of the process that has saved millions of lives throughout the past seventy years.

Wally has taken more than 500,000 through the Twelve Steps in his Back to the Basics of Recovery seminars. He has made this “Introduction to the Twelve Steps” presentation hundreds of times at treatment centers, correctional facilities, and recovery workshops and conferences around the world.

This is a DVD for newcomers and old-timers alike. You can watch it in its entirety or divide it into three segments: Surrender (Steps 1, 2 and 3); Sharing and Amends (Steps 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9); and Guidance (Steps 10, 11 and 12).

The accompanying CD contains twenty-four pages of PDF presentation materials for facilitators and handouts for participants.

Here is everything you need to take or take others through the Twelve Steps “quickly and often.”

Wally has modified the “Big Book” passages so they are gender neutral and applicable to all addictions and compulsive disorders. In keeping with the Twelve-Step community’s tradition of anonymity, he does not identify himself, or anyone else in this DVD, as a member of any Twelve-Step program.

This DVD was recorded at the Public Broadcasting Service television studio in Tucson, AZ using high definition cameras, flat screen graphics, and PowerPoint overlays. It is a state-ofthe-art production that is both instructive and enlightening. “It works—it really does.”

To order this DVD plus CD, please contact: Faith With Works Publishing Company P. O. Box 91648 ~ Tucson, AZ 85752 520-297-9348 ~ www.aabacktobasics.org DVD+CD Price: $79.95 + $11.05 (priority s/h) Total Price: $91.00

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The contents of this book may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of publisher. Every effort has been made to include accurate data, however the publisher cannot be held liable for material content or errors. This publication offers Therapeutic Services, Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitative services, and other related support systems. You should not rely on the information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health care professional because of something you may have read in this publication. The Sober World LLC and its publisher do not recommend nor endorse any advertisers in this magazine and accepts no responsibility for services advertised herein. Content published herein is submitted by advertisers with the sole purpose to aid and educate families that are faced with drug/alcohol and other addiction issues and to help families make informed decisions about preserving quality of life.

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