Substance Abuse and Brain Chemistry
The following article discusses the several prescription medications being developed and used to treat drug and alcohol addiction. There is much work being done to investigate the brain's chemistry during addiction and how to restore it. The article states that we are a long way off from finding a pill to solve addiction. One reason is simply because addiction destroys far more than brain chemistry, what medication can fix. At Gatehouse we believe in a combination of the Clinical approach and 12 step recovery process. In addition to treating the physical, we strive to treat the emotional and spiritual aspects as well.
"It's not just the physical piece. It's not just the emotional piece or the spiritual piece. The whole self is involved. To have true sobriety, you have to address all these areas in your life. There are certainly some folks who stop drinking. Their lives don't drastically change if they don't address the other things, too."
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December 12th, 2007 at 12:40 am
I like how this article addresses the fact that regardless of whether or not alcoholics and addicts stop drinking or using, the behaviors and problems remain. My experience going through the Gate House program included education on how my alcoholic thinking needed to be addressed, aside from not drinking. While at Gate House, I learned how to live a sober life, not just how to stop drinking.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:02 am
This is an interesting article.Could there really be a drug that “cures” addiction?
For me being in recovery is more then just not drinking or using. In my first 6 months I remember thinking to myself “all I have to do is not get wasted and that makes me all better”. The only thing that changed with me at that time was I was not getting messed up. I was still lying, full of anger, very fearful, and in a lot of pain.
For a long time I wanted the perks that come with sobriety without actually making the changes in my behavior and thinking which is what what continually working the 12 steps solves.
Without the foundation of physical sobriety I would not have been able to get to a place of true emotional& spiritual surrender.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:03 am
The old timers in AA often said it was in their experience that there are no quick fixes for the disease of alcoholism and no replacement for doing the work that the 12 steps suggested. After a brutal relapse at age 18 that I barely survived and through the miracle of working the steps of AA, I found that to be true.
It took nearly 5 years of continuous sobriety before I saw the hills and valleys of moodiness consistently level out for me. Surely there were periods of “knowing peace and comprehending the word serenity”, but it took patience, work and accountability with others in AA before I saw the healing in me others spoke of. For years I pushed chemicals into my body in a way that counters the human instinct for survival and it took a while for my body to reconcile the abuse I put it through. Recovery through the steps and adjunct counseling and therapy provided a foundation for me to walk through difficult phases of healing without using, drinking or allowing hopelessness to take me out in other ways. In retrospect, my family and others in AA saw progress in me long before I could see it in myself. It was through the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous and the care of a loving God that I found hope and strength enough to facilitate the transformation of physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing and growth that I continue to strive for today, 18 years later. As far as I can tell, science has not developed a life skill pill, or a spirituality pill, or a trust pill, or a hope pill, or a healthy choice pill, etc. ect. that could replace what I have found while “trudging the Road of Happy Destiny” in AA.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I was able to quit cold turkey from Meth 10 years ago and did fine with that for about the first week. Then all of the sudden reality sank in and it was too much. How can I face the damage I had done sober ? the depression was too much for me to take and I then entered my first treatment center for depression. They gave me these magic pills that made me so numb I could no longer even cry. So, I started abusing alcohol and sleeping pills after that first treatment program. I then entered the second treatment center and quit the pills. I don’t disagree with people that choose to be on pills because I am sure some truly need them to get through the disease, but like my fellow addict said they will never make that perfect pill for a perfect life. I love watching how these resident’s and staff really work the 12 steps. I think it is a great way to help with anyone struggling.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I was prescribed Suboxen to “cure” my heroin addiction. Suboxen did help me with the physical aspect of my addiction. I did stop using Heroin. However, I used cocaine as a substitute. The only thing that was able to help me with all of my drug problems was the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I learned how to work a program of Alcoholics Anonymous at Gatehouse Academy. I am grateful for the lessons and skills that I learned at Gatehouse. I feel without the long-term exposure to the program of AA; I would not be sober today.
December 18th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Our society seems fixated on discovering a pill for every ill, thereby relieving us of the responsibility of self-care and accountability for our actions. However, it does not seem wise to ignore the author’s contention that human beings are complex, and so is recovery. Given that there is a biochemical component to addiction; medication can be a helpful tool in early recovery. And given that many addicts use to numb emotional pain, therapy to discover the roots of and resolve those feelings can mean the difference between continued sobriety and relapse. Therapy and medication will never be a successful replacement for a solid program of spiritual recovery; they are tools to help address the issues underlying substance abuse. The long term solution seems to lie in treating all areas of the dis-ease.
December 20th, 2007 at 11:26 am
As we understand more we see addiction as a holistic illness. This is also true in the process of recovery. This becomes a difficult piece to understand – recovery as a process. A continual growth in being human, physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:53 am
One thing that really stuck with me in this piece was the quote “It’s not just the physical piece. It’s not just the emotional piece or the spiritual piece. The whole self is involved.” One thing I’ve learned being here is that I must change everything about myself in order to succeed in my recovery and lead a happy and content life. One thing that I thought before coming here was “how exactly can AA and a treatment program solve any of my problems?” Being my first program, this did not come very easy for me. I have found that the obsession did not go away instantly, nor does it still never come up, but I have picked up many tools through my stay that has changed my entire life. I have changed many of the physical, mental, emotional, but any success that I have had can only be credited to a Higher Power and action, something completely different than that of my old way of living. It is a contant process that has had its ups and downs, but through my stay at Gatehouse, it has been a process that has changed my view and purpose of life dramatically.
December 28th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
My drinking was only a symptom of the underlying soul sickness that I had. Without consistent spiritual practice my soul sickness re-emerges and I am quite sure to wreak havoc in the lives of others and in danger of picking up again.
In regards to magic pills, well I’m of the opinion that none exist. The deal is that when we WANT to drink we will drink. We’ll stop taking the pill so we can drink! It’s a physical, mental and spiritual disease.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I agree with the other comments in the column. For myself I had to change all of the elements of my using behavior. I had to learn a new way of life. When I came to Gatehouse Academy I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I was under the impression that the drugs where my problem. Little did I know that my using was but a symptom of all my problems.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Gatehouse helped me to learn how to live well while at the same time giving me the basic foundation to start building my recovery on. Being at Gatehouse i got the tools necessary and the atmosphere i needed to really begin the process of changing my life. Today i maintain my sobriety by going to AA meetings, working the steps and talking with my sponsor, it’s a very good deal!