Addiction is an arrestable disease.

A Summary

A substance abuser is on autopilot; needs to be de-coupled from substance.
Physical de-coupling occurs at the time of detoxification.
Mental, emotional de-coupling is complex, but the only prerequisite is for the person to WANT to decouple. Some of the salient milestones/required actions of this process are as follows: working on 4 planes, being in sink with family, being in sink with ones own identity, coping with his constantly changing reality, sticking only with the winners (in and out of the program), choosing/continuing with the right vocation and hobby, both of which will eventually be more challenging and addictive than any substance could ever be.
To a large extent the disease is one of mismanagement of relationships and self-perception. Relationships: the person expects too much from others. Self-perception: the person perceives self as a giant/midget. Both are unhealthy. A true master of the universe is a humble person who makes others react to him, and not an arrogant person who is constantly hurting others..
On being non-reactive: a non-reactive person is a very good observer and can observe oneself in relation to others.
Overcoming anger: best techniques are to ‘get a location’, tell the person that you’re angry and not react.
Confusing the old patterns in one’s head. Creating new patterns with deliberate action by switching gears constantly, particularly when negative thoughts surface.
Learning to use feelings to one’s advantage; i.e., to feel the feeling and not bypass it as something feminine and unmanly. Bottled up feelings return with a vengeance, hence the best strategy is to acknowledge their power and flow with them only to be on the driver’s seat and maneuver them wherever needed.
Not to be crippled by fear, but to use it as a tool to steer oneself towards one’s goal.
To master the art of ‘fishing’ opportunity in every crisis, and develop antennae that sense damage control.
Daily prayers; there’s no substitute to prayer and it is a necessity, not a luxury.
Exercise a certain amount of selfishness with regards to sobriety, i.e., not to entertain losers/negative people, because they’re static people who only pull others down.
Increase tolerance and turn sensitivity outwards. People who turn their sensitivity inwards are known to be extremely selfish, easily hurt, whereas people who are sensitive to others become givers and masters of their universe.
Lastly, the magic mantra- dilution of the unhealthy component of ‘ego’ is required to be carried out daily, for the rest of one’s life.

Bottom-line: Recovery is all about deliberate action, just like substance abuse is all about deliberate action. Addicts abuse substances, because they 'wanted to' and have chosen the path of recovery because they 'want to'. They must take as much responsibility for their addiction as they do for their recovery.

Life is all about action, those that take deliberate action, move ahead and change with the times through constant learning, those that are passive, are left on the wayside cursing the world with their cynicism.


Dr.Satparkash
Consultant
Addiction Disorders & Rehabilitation Program Specialist
Prottoy Medical Clinic Ltd.
Baridhara, Dhaka.
E-mail: [email protected]