We professionals in the field of addiction, have not even come up with an agreed upon definition for recovery. This means we can’t really study the effectiveness of various treatment modalities because we haven’t defined success.
In June of 2007, at the Betty Ford Clinic, a team of top notch addiction professionals assembled to come up with a working definition of recovery. I was lucky enough to hear Dr. Mark Gold speak at the recent conference I attended on obesity and food addiction. He was one of those professionals entrusted with helping us define “recovery” from addiction.
I asked him a very simple question, and got back this long research article about how we are just now trying to define recovery. My question was, “If you are an addict, can you ever really get well or are you just destined to manage your tendency to be addicted to things/people/substances forever?”
The bottom line is; we don’t know the answer to that question. The definition of recovery the committee came up with was this “a voluntarily maintained lifestyle composed characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship.” It involves trading the easy drug/sex/gambling/food/shopping/alcohol high, with something more difficult to attain that is also more meaningful and lasting. Recovery does not just mean sobriety. It is a more holistic experience that involves improving one’s life in various ways.
We do know that some people are more genetically prone to addiction than others. That genetic predisposition, combined with environmental factors, leads one to addiction or away from it.
At this point, the addiction community has chosen to remain silent about nicotine addiction. Many addicts in recovery still smoke like chimneys, but consider themselves to be abstinent. I believe this will change as we, as a society, move away from seeing smoking as socially acceptable.
So I am putting it out there and asking you: Can you go from being an addict to being a non-addict? If so, how have you done it?
If you would like to participate in the research for Irene’s new book on the process of weight loss, please visit www.eatingdisordertherapist.com/ and take the survey.
You can follow Irene on Twitter here.
Irene: A most graceful writer as your attempt to bring a dialog from the mind, to the chalkboard of the professional blueprinting of recover(-y). Recovery is an outcome, yes, its measurements are trackable. However there is a defination already in place and softly becoming an understanding across professional, legislative and more importantly the patients' understanding in thought to action. Recovery is still within the Arc, a degree of illness, therefore, the opposite of illness is, wellness. Wholeness of Wellness or WOW! came from the Greek medics of Sparta and is refered as "Sozo". Therapist in its root word is "healer." The Arc's, planes, points and lines within the wellness-geometry equations is proving the resilience of the phenomna, recover(+y). In a speech to congress last month regarding centric-groups of veterans in a neg-resilience, neg-relapse mode I now have a wellness equation outcome inside the halls at Walter Reed. It is our goal to highten the dialog, to prove 1:1, that all stages, and natures of recover(-y) to wellness, have this as the final outcome measure. The winning factor is the prime number 2, as 1+1=2(n). therefore if isolation is in the case file, that is where you begin your journey to recover. And my 70+ cases with 70 homeless veterans, we now have a 70% success ratio in our goal in two years sampling this equation, r,(ee2). Defining recover(-y) as an opposite to wellness does not define the "natures"..but my friend ,it is a start too an international dialog of the spirit the wow,of wellness. In my speech, "zero-tolerance is a prime number 2 in the veteran ethos " therefore a subtraction of (1) results on-going – illnesses in degrees. Simply put, mentors, LCSW's, MD Ph.d's, cannot do it alone, as 2 hearts are better than 1. And I believe the heart beat of recover(+y) is, wellness of the spirit. And in Greek WOW ,it is proper to share it with others, as the student from(-y,2,+y) now becomes the mentor as it cascades a world of wellness……
Thank you, Mahalo, for your on-going spirit in your blog. I remain,
VR+ jim googolmath
jimwhite@ureach.com
Recovery is a process. To fully recover without transerference of substance is called death, I believe. The best we can hope for is joy, acceptance and hope. Personal progress that measures to no other life, as it is not our life. To not allow ourselves to become mired down in trite idology of recovery that preaches dire consequences if we do not ascribe to co-dependancy with other people verses drug of choice. Faith and an inner-knowing we were born with will propell us further than recitation. Forgivness is a key element. Self-forgivness and acceptance, a place in a community other than the recovering community; where our version of dream/hope self can be realized without stigma.
With all of that said … I sure am glad I don't shoot dope anymore, but your going to have to excuse me … the refridgerator is calling!
Why am I currently obese?
Trauma/surgeries/temporary invalidity (initial onset)
Lifetime of sexual abuse so I like the invisablility (still get hit on though! mystery!)
Quit drugs so I eat
Quit drinking so I eat
Quit sex so I eat
Quit Soda Pop so I eat
Quit fast food so I eat (bit oxy-moronish!)
Quit most dairy so I eat
High stress life (addicted children) so I eat
etc., etc., etc.
So, I have effectively proven I can cope with no dope. It is the night time, when the man would be coming home, or I would be at a bar, or partying. Those are the hours of my most intimate moments with food.
Namaste'
Out beyond the idea of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I'll meet you there. Rumi, Sufi poet
Irene:
Your article has a philosophical element to it. Is recovery the polar opposite of addiction, or are they eternally intertwined in shades of flowery colors and dark sackcloth.
At various times of our lives the substance or stimuli only changes as the seasons do. Work, Romance, Beer, Cigarettes, Vodka, Cocaine, Ganga, Stock Statements, Women et al.
Irene, don't you consider that Zero Tolerance can only be a personal choice, similar to spiritual awareness. At times, I have drank too much, but I also see now that any alcohol has the potential for deleterious affects to me. Yet, I can still accept a drink at parties.
Addiction is simply spiritual immaturity.
It is also a matter of degrees and physical tolerance. Frank Zappa once said that he viewed his tobacco use to eating a beneficial vegetable. He was dying of cancer at the time.
My recovery from a addiction was accomplished by the Patch and increased activity.
Ultimately, a realization of the fact that the pleasure seeking was inhibiting my connection to God, through daily meditation. Whereas, the smoking, and the sensation of burning in my lungs, or tobacco taste was eventually not recognized as a pleasure, but an inhibition of my life's experience.
This is easily recognized if one looks at the old cigarette TV commercials on youtube. The pleasure becomes an illusion and the illusion is pleasure.
I am free and working towards a balance of all aspects of my life.
Best Wishes in your endeavors,
Bill