Busting Addiction and Its Myths

Whether we like it or not, we are all susceptible to co-dependency - the need to control another person in our life. In this podcast, we offer the following insights on the various aspects of co-dependency, especially important when addressing what happens in families who are experiencing addiction at home. I'm only OK if you're OK Let's stretch this concept just a little further. L...

Whether we like it or not, we are all susceptible to co-dependency - the need to control another person in our life. In this podcast, we offer the following insights on the various aspects of co-dependency, especially important when addressing what happens in families who are experiencing addiction at home. The illusion of control There's something to be said for the idea that we have the ult...

Whether we like it or not, we are all susceptible to co-dependency - the need to control another person in our life. In this podcast, we offer the following insights on the various aspects of co-dependency, especially important when addressing what happens in families who are experiencing addiction at home. Co-dependency - We've all got it Every person on earth has at least some form of co-de...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: Do recovering people have to go to meetings their entire life? One way to look at the question is: "You have to go to meetings until you want to go to meetings and then you don't have to go to them anymore".  What starts as an obligation turns into a desire. Taking the "forever" view ob...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: What freedoms are allowed in treatment? Treatment programs require a balancing of structure and the right level of freedom, so as not to signal license to behave irresponsibly. The freedoms that are allowed consist of the things that make a client feel at home, such as the freedom to call home, watch anything t...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: Why is my loved one like this? Addiction often isn't recognised until it's too late to prevent it from taking hold. By the time it rears its ugly head, it has already caused confusion and anxiety. Family members will often attribute their loved one's behaviour to causes that they can relate to ot...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: Does treatment take into account cultural and social differences? Addiction is an equal opportunity predator. It strikes anyone and everyone regardless of race, social class, religion, gender, age or any other category of human you can name. It is said by AA that "we are people who ordinarily would not mix...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: Does treatment address cross-addictions? Cross-addictions are becoming more common as a result of the increasing availability of cheaper and more potent street drugs such as fentanyl. The data shows that alcoholics are now much more likely to also be addicted to another substance, than in the past. The only way...

In this podcast, the producer of our podcast series, Tony, asks the following question: What is the family's involvement in the treatment process? The family has been more severely affected by addiction than they realise. They need to understand that family dynamics have to change so that all in the family can recover. The family also needs to know that their loved one needs to own his or her...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth: Myth: Addiction is the addict's problem. Addiction is also society's problem, as is alcoholism. Half of the 30,000 vehicular deaths in the US every year can be attributed to drink-driving, and countless other deaths can be attributed to driving under the influence of drugs as well. Another dimension to the problem is the effect...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth: Myth: The Twelve Steps are all about God. Although the word "God" actually shows up in the Twelve Steps themselves four times and twice more by referring to "him", AA principles nonetheless allow for a very broad conception of the "God" idea. At the very beginnings of AA, the co-founder, Bill Wilson, resiste...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth: Myth: AA meetings are secret. Some AA meetings are known as "closed" meetings which are private (not secret) affairs open to those who would prefer to keep their membership private. The second type of AA meeting is called an "open" meeting which is open to the public. This is where an AA member, and often an Al-Anon m...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth:   Myth: Rehabs are all work and no play. The point of rehab is to allow an addict/alcoholic to make a U-turn, to turn their life around to something approaching normalcy. Instead of a life tilted entirely to drinking and using, expending all their energy in pursuit of the high, now we seek a life that is balanced. First, however, they ne...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth:   Myth: You are to blame for their addiction. "You”, as the family member (say the mum), are as powerless over your loved one's addiction as they are themself. This concept is the hardest thing to accept. You have tried to control their behaviour, using every means at your disposal, from threats to pleading, and all your effort...

In this podcast... we confront and smash the following myth: Myth: All an addict has to do is just say no. This myth goes back to the 1980s when Nancy Reagan launched her "Just Say No" campaign, and the phrase has lingered in the lexicon ever since. The idea that an active addict retains the power of choice is a misguided illusion. They are in the grip of a brain disorder, as defined by...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Be honest, do rehabs genuinely offer an aftercare service? There is a big difference between offering an aftercare service and actually having one in place that fully supports the person who has gone back home and is now faced with the challenge of dealing with the "real world". There isn't a single rehab that doesn't mention "aft...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Is commitment to recovery a make-or-break deal after leaving treatment? By all means, yes. Those of us who have been practitioners of the principles of recovery pay attention to the wisdom expressed in the literature and read at the AA and NA meetings. A good example: "Some of us tried to hold onto our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go...

In this podcast, we answer the question... How important are Anonymous meetings? One of the myths about the AA or NA programs is that they are just about staying clean and sober. The programs are built around the 12-Steps, and only the first step mentions alcohol or drugs. The rest of the steps are all about character development that will make us better people. To quote an AA speaker: "We ca...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Will the treatment program prepare me for life after rehab? This is a question that is often asked by the family but is less frequently asked by the potential client. The client is looking for an end to their suffering; they want to know what you can do for them now. The family is looking at a bigger picture beyond today. The last thing they need is for J...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Can you explain in more detail why a longer treatment program is recommended? Our experience and data clearly show that the odds of clients staying sober for a longer period (five years or more) rise with the length of treatment. Said another way, relapses are less likely to happen the longer one stays in some form of treatment, either primary or secondar...

In this podcast, we answer the question... How long does a typical treatment program last and what is recommended? Most treatments do not last as long as they should, either for practical reasons such as work, or because families and clients underestimate the amount of work that still needs to be done to make a full course-correction. Clients may come into treatment believing that treatment is a q...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Are treatment programs all about hard work? Treatment programs take their charter seriously, so one should expect work to be an essential part of the treatment process. For the first time in a long time, clients are forced to confront their attitudes and their behaviour that got them into treatment in the first place. That takes something they have not do...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Are all treatment programs 12-step based? The 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-Step programs such as Narcotics (NA) are viewed by many recovering people and professionals as indispensable to life-long recovery. Opinions differ, however, as to their role in treatment programs, depending on the philosophy of the management. Some rehabs tre...

In this podcast, we answer the question... Why is structure so very important? Clients and their families look at the daily schedule of a residential treatment program and remark on the high level of structure that appears to be imposed on clients. There is a reason for this. Clients come from a world of self-imposed chaos, a world where they violated every norm and every rule of decent behaviour....

In this podcast, we answer the question... What are the benefits of group sessions? There is more power in group therapy than meets the eye. The very fact that recovering people are sitting together and getting honest about their feelings is remarkable in and of itself. Group therapy gives individuals the opportunity to relate to people experiencing the same problems; they no longer feel isolated...