Drug and alcohol addiction

[Riders]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here? It would seem that we could cure our problems, but we are in a crisis, the medical field, says our opiate and meth addictions are a national Crisis!

 

[kadzbiz]

You can't put the genie back in the bottle I'm afraid.

 

[exchemist]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here? It would seem that we could cure our problems, but we are in a crisis, the medical field, says our opiate and meth addictions are a national Crisis!

I'm not quite sure why you think religions should provide the solution. Both the opiate and the illegal drugs problems are due to commercial activity that has not been wisely regulated. In the case of opiates it has been failure to control the marketing methods of pharmaceutical companies, in a profit-oriented health system. In the case of illegal drugs, it is the futile strategy of making them illegal, thereby driving up the price, making suppply of poor quality drugs highly profitable for criminal gangs.

Alcohol is a different story, as that is sensibly regulated. In most societies there is a level of addiction and harm from alcohol which, though undesirable, seems fairly stable. But then there are other addictions too, e.g. gambling and, in the USA especially, junk food and fizzy drinks, leading to appalling obesity, or addiction to various on-line activities, resulting in psychological harm. I don't think you will ever get rid of addictions. All these things stem from a lack of self-control, I suppose, which is one of things that many religions encourage. But as we know, religions also offer models for imperfect people to aspire to, as well as the virtuous. And by no means everyone follows a religion.

I suspect better health education in schools would help, along with more intelligent government policies, ideally free from the usual cant and pandering to the ignorant (some hope, eh?).

 

[1213]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here?...

Person who doesn't want cure, is not cured. This means, one should think, why people don't want to be cured. For that there can be many reasons.

 

[exchemist]

Person who doesn't want cure, is not cured. This means, one should think, why people don't want to be cured. For that there can be many reasons.

...the chief one being that they are addicted........obviously.....

 

[Mock Turtle]

I suspect we need to concentrate on giving people more self-control, although this rather seems to be part of one's personality more than much else. An addiction I overcame - as to anxiety medication, and after using such for about seven or eight years and well beyond what is recommended - simply came about from gradually reducing the dosage incrementally in a controlled fashion. This was removed from any doctor's input because he apparently was quite happy to just sign prescriptions and let me get on with life. However, I probably tried too quickly at the beginning because I most likely suffered a seizure - like one's brain being electrocuted - and this seemingly being one symptom of doing what I did. When I told the doctor later he poo-pooed this. But I did manage to wean myself off of the drugs in a quite reasonable amount of time.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here? It would seem that we could cure our problems, but we are in a crisis, the medical field, says our opiate and meth addictions are a national Crisis!

Life is extremely rough; we are emotional and physically sensitive beings in a tumultuous Universe. Our intense innate social needs combined with equally intense innate needs for self-preservation lead to all sorts of suffering from which any escape is desirable.

Religion can help, and has helped people overcome addiction, but religion can also become toxically addictive. America would do well to stop the "War on Drugs" and beef up its community responses through better healthcare access, programs that meet the needs of the various addictions, and less emphasis on "pulling one's self up by their bootstraps" (an impossible feat, obviously).

Self-reliance, self-control, and independence are great things and need to be cultivated, but so are communities, compassion, and general welfare.

 

[Ashoka]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here? It would seem that we could cure our problems, but we are in a crisis, the medical field, says our opiate and meth addictions are a national Crisis!

I work in addiction as a therapist and have for three years now. The answers are not as easy to find, sadly. As another poster put it, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. There are ways to reduce it and ways to help people who are seeking help. My city is overrun with opiate use. There are things we could do, but I doubt such a small town in the Bible belt would be interested. But I am a strong supporter of harm reduction. What that means is, needle exchange programs. Harm reduction centers that can provide the drug in a safe manner to people so that they do not overdose. It's controversial, but it could work and help mitigate the problem of street drugs, overdosing, using alone, and victims taking drugs with other drugs mixed in.

In my experience, yes, the 12 steps are beneficial and abstinence is ideal. But if we want to see something different, something that might actually mitigate harm and help those in addiction? Harm reduction. It's crucial, in my opinion. We would see less deaths and overdoses.

 

[RestlessSoul]

There is a solution, in Alcoholics Anonymous (and NA). It worked for me 21 years ago, and it’s been working ever since.

 

[Ashoka]

There is a solution, in Alcoholics Anonymous (and NA). It worked for me 21 years ago, and it’s been working ever since.

Congrats on 21 years of sobriety!

 

[Riders]

I'm not quite sure why you think religions should provide the solution. Both the opiate and the illegal drugs problems are due to commercial activity that has not been wisely regulated. In the case of opiates it has been failure to control the marketing methods of pharmaceutical companies, in a profit-oriented health system. In the case of illegal drugs, it is the futile strategy of making them illegal, thereby driving up the price, making suppply of poor quality drugs highly profitable for criminal gangs.

Alcohol is a different story, as that is sensibly regulated. In most societies there is a level of addiction and harm from alcohol which, though undesirable, seems fairly stable. But then there are other addictions too, e.g. gambling and, in the USA especially, junk food and fizzy drinks, leading to appalling obesity, or addiction to various on-line activities, resulting in psychological harm. I don't think you will ever get rid of addictions. All these things stem from a lack of self-control, I suppose, which is one of things that many religions encourage. But as we know, religions also offer models for imperfect people to aspire to, as well as the virtuous. And by no means everyone follows a religion.

I suspect better health education in schools would help, along with more intelligent government policies, ideally free from the usual cant and pandering to the ignorant (some hope, eh?).

Religions claim to not only have the answer to world problems but be the answers to these issues.

 

[Riders]

We had more religious communes in the 70s would communes help?

 

[exchemist]

Religions claim to not only have the answer to world problems but be the answers to these issues.

Nonsense.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Religions claim to not only have the answer to world problems but be the answers to these issues.

That is too simple as far as I can tell.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

There is a solution, in Alcoholics Anonymous (and NA). It worked for me 21 years ago, and it’s been working ever since.

Can you specify what are some things the AA and NA has done that kept you sober? Things you’ve learned or practices?

 

[Curious George]

Substance use disorder is a major problem in our society. It impacts so many facets. Investing in addressing this problem should be a paramount concern.

I would say that the best way to address this problem is complex and will take the me. This is not surprising because the problem did not occur overnight, we should not expect a solution to work overnight. Step1: Make services more accessible. This includes paying for more social workers, more counselors, more teachers. Step 2: Lower trauma especially early childhood trauma. This would entail more programs to address poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect. Step 3: better regulate advertising and prescription of drugs and alcohol. Step 4: shift cultural norms away from drug and alcohol use.

What’s more, I imagine these efforts would go a long way in addressing many other issues.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Can you specify what are some things the AA and NA has done that kept you sober? Things you’ve learned or practices?

Well the first step in the 12 Step recovery program, is to admit complete defeat, and accept that you are powerless over drugs or alcohol. We call that “surrendering to win”. No addict can get well until he or she owns up to the scale of the problem, and many of us are very reluctant to do that at first.

 

[PureX]

What is the right answer to change our problem? Why do we have it? We have all these vivacious religions here, over-friendly Jewish Temples friendly churches, and Mosques, and yet we as Americans can´t find a cure with all our religions here? It would seem that we could cure our problems, but we are in a crisis, the medical field, says our opiate and meth addictions are a national Crisis!

Addictions are fueled and maintained by hopelessness. The realization that you're trapped and there is no way out. That God and fate have conspired to make your life miserable and there is nothing you can do about it.

Addictions are also fueled and maintained by the idea of the quick fix. The momentary magical cure. Blissful escape.

Even if it's false, and costly, and short-lived, it's better than nothing. It's better than the ugly truth of what we see and experience as 'real life'. when we're sober. But while we're under the influence all that goes away. We're free, and happy, and insulated from the ugly facts of our own reality. It's magical!

It's been 30 years and I can still remember that feeling of excitement when I was about to leave reality and go to my "happy place". That place where I felt OK, and nothing else mattered. A few hours of bliss that made an otherwise miserable life worth living.

We have created a culture in this country that really fosters and promotes addiction in every way possible. We isolate everyone by making everyone compete with everyone else for everything they need to live and be happy. And we blame and label those who come up short in that battle as "lazy" and "stupid" and "losers" because we don't want to admit that we are complicit in their failure to thrive. And then we have a 24-7 industrial strength propaganda machine constantly preaching the virtues of the quick feel-good fix. "Buy this, buy that, and you'll be rich, pretty, and happy just like these models in these pictures!" Constant, and incessant: this stuff we sell will fix you! Will cure you! Will make you very happy!

And of course we also have plenty of greedy business enterprises that are more than happy creating and selling ever more powerful and addictive drugs to an unsuspecting public for as much profit as they can get. Drugs that are so potent, now, that people become addicted to them is a matter of days. And what is saddest of all is that most of the people that fall into drug and alcohol addictions will die from it. They will never get free of it. They will not be saved no matter what we do for them. They are dead men and women walking, chasing after the blissful oblivion of death even while they're still breathing.

 

[syo]

Too much pressure, I'm afraid.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Think of the self divided into two parts: one of high faith and one of low faith. As a young child, the world can fulfill both the high and low faith self. The self is united and all is good.

As the child grows up and their world gets checked by reality, eventually the high faith self (HFS) is no longer fulfilled by the world. This creates a kind of hell for the self, even for the low faith self (LFS) who is well adjusted enough to the new version of the world if not for the pain of un-fulfilled desire experienced by the the LFS via connection to the HFS.

This results in the LFS cutting off the HFS and casting it into the darkness of unconsciousness in the name of pain relief. While the self is now more adjusted to the world, there is part of it that longs to reunite with the HFS.

Drugs and alcohol have multiple affects, but one is the temporary fulfillment of the HFS and reunification of the self. The HFS is brought back into the light with a renewed hope for the world. However, it brings with it a bunch of baggage that has accumulated over the years from being an outcast in the darkness, including a deeply cynical view of life and the world along with resentment towards the LFS. In short, there is a new hope but also a new hell. Reunification of the self but also deep conflict.

The faith path is supposed to gradually and consciously reunite the self by descending into the darkness and reconnecting with the HFS. Then the two parts reconcile and continue on together. Drugs make chaos out of this process, but if we don’t challenge people to consciously descend into the darkness voluntarily, then this is what we get since the desires of the entire self can’t be suppressed forever. Especially when that door is flung open with substances.