Busting Addiction and Its Myths

In this podcast, we discuss the threat that fentanyl represents as the tip of the spear in the invasion of a new class of synthetic drugs. We learn that: Fentanyl has found its way into virtually every class of drug, especially into opiates like heroin. It is cheap, highly concentrated, and easily distributed due to its potency versus weight. It boosts the effects of many drugs, including marijuan...

In this podcast, we elaborate on what makes crack cocaine so dangerous. We learn that: It is extremely addictive, far more than cocaine alone. For some users, one hit of crack gets them hopelessly addicted. Crack addiction destroys the judgment of individual users very quickly and can destroy a life in a matter of a few months. Crack addicts are dominated by their craving for the drug to the point...

In this podcast, we discuss the main characteristics of compulsive gambling disorder and the approaches available to help sick gamblers out of the despair they find themselves in. We learn that: It's an addiction just like any other in that it meets the criteria of uncontrolled, repetitive behaviour that causes serious harm to the gambler and to the family. Compulsive gambling is a progressiv...

In this podcast, entitled ‘Getting Sucked In’ which deals with the insidious effect of co-dependency in dysfunctional, addict-dominated families. We learn that: Even if a family member may start out responding to life somewhat normally, the presence of addiction in the home amplifies the worst aspects of one's personality. Co-dependents do not feel worthy as people and are continually looking...

In this podcast, entitled 'How an Addict Thinks', we cover the major cause of the disease and learn that: Addiction is classified by scientists as a brain disorder, a change in the structure of the brain itself, caused by consistent, prolonged use of drugs and/or alcohol. The addiction causes the addict (or alcoholic) to crave, seek and use the drug regardless of devastating life consequ...

In this podcast, which is part two of Rebecca's Journey from Down Under, Rebecca recalls what she learned in treatment and how she applies that experience to her daily life today. We learn that: It takes surrender to gain victory over addiction, a thought that simply does not occur to us until we experience it ourselves. Treatment transforms the way we think, from warped dishonesty to clear-h...

In this podcast, which is part one of Rebecca's Journey from Down Under, we learn about Rebecca's fall from grace as a high achiever and her courageous journey back from Down Under. We learn that: Material wealth does not protect one from addictive disease; it is an equal opportunity predator. The chase for high social status brings with it a life of pretence which causes a family to pla...

In this podcast, an interview of Bruno J. by Tony, his fellow traveller on the AA highway, Bruno J. shares the wisdom he has acquired over 27 years of his journey in sobriety. We learn that: A common dynamic in recovery is the presence of co-dependency which has one partner trying to control the behaviour of the other, a fruitless venture. Bruno J. advises his fellow alcoholics to seek help from a...

In this podcast, Bruno J. recounts his early days as a budding alcoholic and addict and goes on to show how his surrender to the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous helped pave the way for the next 20 years of a successful recovery. We learn that: Drinking alcohol and using drugs is seen by future addicts and alcoholics as perfectly normal when they first start on their downward path. Even those wi...

In this podcast, Bruno J. recalls in vivid detail his last three years of a personal adventure that saw him start a new high-paying job only to be released after becoming dysfunctional. We learn that: Insanity can be fuelled by the excessive use of alcohol and drugs alone. There need be no other causes. Alcoholics and addicts who are still abusing believe that a change of scene will amount to a cu...

In this podcast, Bruno J. tells the story of how he changed jobs, geography and women in pursuit of satisfying his desires. We learn that: The alcoholic does not realise that they are on a slippery slope for a very long time and assumes their chaotic life is just the way it is. There is a common paradox of high ambitions riding alongside irrational behaviour. Ultimately, sick thinking and destruct...

In this podcast, Bruno recounts his accelerating descent into the hell that addiction was creating for him. We learn that: This is a classic tale of looking for the geographic cure, that "wherever you go, there you are". We can't outrun the disease. This is a progressive disease that accelerates in its downward trajectory. It never stops unless arrested. Denial is a major characteri...

In this podcast, Bruno J. recalls his early life leading up to the beginning of his journey into alcoholism and drug addiction. He concludes that: It doesn't matter that a young man has a great upbringing if he develops a sense of being exempt from the rules. The desire to escape reality is not a conscious choice; it arises from an immature mind coming to twisted conclusions at the time. Alco...

In this podcast, between Tony and Bruno J., they discuss what a family can do to get the help they need when they are faced with addiction and/or alcoholism in their family, whether their loved one is living under the same roof or not. We learn that: It is only by educating ourselves and the family that we come to understand that what is happening is indeed a disease and illness. Once this takes p...

In this podcast, we talk with Tony and he shares his experience, knowledge and advice in different areas on how to seek help. We discuss that help is not only needed for your loved ones but also for yourself. We learn: It is often the family who notices changes and differences in their loved ones first and there are usually several patterns and specific characteristics which could identify that ad...

In this podcast, the conversation between Tony and Bruno J. is all about educating oneself, that is: It's only in the latter stages of the disease's progression that the family member(s) actively seek help from the outside. Up to that point, they rely on their own resources without effect and are then subject to confusion and despair. The family becomes as sick as the addict, reverting t...

In this podcast, we discuss how with the benefit of four years of continuous sobriety, Tony is able to recollect with some objectivity his downward spiral and his path to recovery. Here we learned that: Parents are always at a loss of what to do, as they are not educated on the nature of the disease that has taken over their child. Tony's mom, burdened by anxiety and fear, was nonetheless rea...

In this podcast, we learn from the dialogue on Vital Matters between Adam and Tony that: Living one day at a time eases the fear of having to stay sober forever, as it focuses one on the here and now. Connected to that idea is the peace that comes with attaining present-moment awareness, a concept that has been taught over the centuries and applicable to today, right now. Perhaps the most Vital of...

This podcast is an interview with Adam and Tony, two young men who share the story of recovery from a potentially deadly disorder. The occasion was Adam's two-year milestone beginning with his entering residential treatment in Thailand. We learned about the conversation with Adam and Tony that: In early sobriety, we ourselves don't notice that we are changing for the better, but the peop...

In this podcast, we describe what the chaos of "desperate enabling" looks like, how it starts and how it can be arrested by a wake-up call. We learn the following from Alice, the mum in this story: A family's journey down the slippery slope toward desperate enabling starts slowly and imperceptibly, without the slightest suspicion that there is anything brewing. Enabling is well-mean...

Adam, our young recovering addict, relates his escape from the hell that addiction had confined him in: "There was a point where I had become a rageful person, but I didn't really know who I was. I would wake up and wonder what I would do that was crazy or violent. Plus, I was scared all the time - of what hurt I would inflict on an innocent person". "Here is the irony: I ended...

In our interview with Adam, a 32-year-old recovering addict, he recalls the early years which led him down the path to severe addiction. He was plagued by deep resentment toward his father who was, in Adam's young view, not attentive enough to his desire for love and affection. Despite, or because of, being part of a very affluent family in Dubai, he was let loose on the "streets" w...

Frank's story continues with his conclusions based on his recollections, in his own words. "If I weren't then using, I would not have found myself in bizarre situations like a house of prostitution in Jakarta. I ended up with a fellow Canadian buying heroin to sell it later in Thailand. The penalty for that could be death. I shudder about that to this day". "I still strugg...

We learned in Part One of our interview with Frank that: Addictive behaviour is hardly ever recognized for what it is early in the process; it is seen simply as hurtful, especially to innocent people like children in the family of an adult addict. Frank's story clearly shows that one does not always become an addict despite the abuse of drugs. He had not lost the power of choice after all and...

In this article entitled "You're Not Thinking Straight", we discuss the undeniable fact that addiction takes over the addict's thought process and that there is merit in seeing the addict and the addiction as separate entities. We cover the following topics: Family members need to make the distinction between the person as an addict and the addiction as an entity that warps his...