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Al-Anon The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics / chemical dependent who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution; does not engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions. Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics / chemical dependent and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic chemical dependent. Al-Anon Help for Families
How to Sabotage Your RecoveryHow To Sabotage Your Recovery
Pretending everything is ok - Reluctant to disclose a difficulty you may be having for fear of looking bad or being judged.
Perfectionism - Having an attitude that you have to be perfect in recovery. Believing having negative emotions means you are not working a good program.
Having unrealistic expectations - Expecting your family or friends to trust you. Setting yourself up for disappointment.
Not recognizing accomplishments - Focusing too much on defects and not acknowledging victories in recovery, which leaves you feeling defeated.
Being in Victim Posture - Blaming others, criticizing others, being overly concerned with others. Focusing on others prevents you from focusing on yourself. Victims do not stay sober.
Being the center of attention - Dominating conversations, interrupting others, insisting others hear your opinion on everything, or wanting to be the center of attention. This is a form of selfishness and prevents you from seeing how you can be helpful to others because you are self-consumed.
Confusing self-concern with selfishness - Interpreting a desired change in your life with being selfish.
Keeping secrets - People who keep secrets in recovery typically do not stay sober. It is a reflection of being dishonest or deceptive.
Minimizing difficulty - Attempting to make an event or incident sound as if it isn’t that big of a deal or it is unimportant to discuss when in reality it needs to be addressed.
Paul Fischer, M.A. © 2000
Disease ConceptDISEASE CONCEPT
PRIMARY
DENIAL
CHRONIC
PROGRESSIVE
FATAL
Primary - Order of development, first in order, first in importance
Denial - Refusal to believe
Chronic - Long duration or frequent recurrence
Progressive - Becoming more severe or spreading to other parts
Fatal - Resulting in death when not treated
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ADDICTION
COMPULSION
LOSS of CONTROL
CONTINUED USE REGARDLESS of CONSEQUENCES
Compulsion - Irresistible impulse to perform some irrational act
Loss Of Control - Mental Obsession, Phenomenon of Craving, Abnormal Reaction, Inability To Stop, Cannot predict what will happen
Continued Use - Person continues to drink or use regardless of consequences
Paul Fischer, M.A. © 1999
RecoveryThe act or state of being that involves being in an active state of recovery from addiction.
HolisticIn simple terms, holistic refers to the whole - or complete - system. Rather than focusing on just the physical body or just the mind, or just the soul, holistic treatment centers, like The River Source, emphasize treating the whole human being- mind, body, and soul.
NauturopathicNaturopathy is founded on the premise that people are naturally healthy, and that healing can occur through removing obstacles to a cure and by stimulating the body's natural healing abilities. The foundations of health in natural medicine are diet, nutrition, homeopathy, physical manipulation, stress management, and exercise.
Naturopathic medical doctors believe in treating the "whole person" (mind, body, soul/spirit) and emphasize preventative care. Naturopaths often recommend changes in diet and lifestyle to enhance health.
Drug DependencyRefers to a state where negative (often very serious) physical withdrawal symptoms occur from abrupt discontinuation of a drug - usually after a period of habitual use of the drug.
Drug AddictionEncompasses both physical addiction and mental addiction. The addicted person experiences a phenomenon of craving (physical) along with a mental obsession. Compounded with with an abnormal reaction, the addicted person becomes powerless over the drug.
HomeostasisHuman homeostasis refers to the body's ability to regulate physiologically its inner environment to ensure its stability in response to fluctuations.
The liver and kidneys help maintain homeostasis . The liver is responsible for metabolizing toxic substances. The kidneys are responsible for regulating blood water levels and re-absorption of substances into the blood among other duties.
An inability to maintain homeostasis may lead to death or a disease, a condition known as homeostatic imbalance.
Drug TreatmentProvides an opportunity for individuals with drug addiction, dependency, or abuse to honestly acknowledge that a problem exists, to learn the tools and information essential for recovery, and to achieve lasting abstinence so they can live happy, fulfilling, productive lives.
Drug DetoxDrug detox (detoxification) is the first step in rehabilitation and treatment of drug addiction. Drug use, over time, eventually causes one to develop an actual physical dependence on the drug(s). Drug detox is the process of managing the body’s physical withdrawal from drugs in order to minimize side effects and prevent potentially harmful consequences. Drug detox can result in severe consequences including: seizure, anxiety, hallucinations, nausea and high blood pressure. Drug Detox should not be attempted without medical supervision and assistance. There are a variety of methods and procedures for drug detox with varying lengths of time and varying intensity of side effects. For most people, drug detox on an impatient basis works best and is highly recommended.
Dual DiagnosisRefers to an individual who is afflicted with both a substance abuse diagnosis and a psychiatric diagnosis.
SpeedballCombination of both Heroin and Cocaine mixed together and injected (IV). Highly addictive. Extremely dangerous.
Self-Delusion & Denial in Chemical DependencySELF-DELUSION and DENIAL IN CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY
Paul Fischer, M.A. © 2000
WHAT IS SELF-DELUSION?
Self-delusion is a mechanism by which human beings protect themselves from something threatening to them by blocking knowledge of that thing from their awareness. It is an unconscious process, which can be seen, for example, when a person is suffering from an obviously terminal illness, but seems unaware of that fact. It is a buffer against unacceptable reality.
The self-delusion of alcoholics/addicts consists of their lack of awareness of their excessive and/or inappropriate use of chemicals and the harmful consequences. They do not have the basic understanding that they have an illness. The reason for this blindness is that, along with the gradual development of the illness, a denial system develops which protects them from knowledge that this is happening.
The alcoholic/addict does not know they are deluded and are incapable of identifying their self-delusions on their own. It would be like asking a fish “What is water?” The fish cannot answer because it is surrounded by water all the time. The fish cannot distinguish water from itself.
WHAT IS DENIAL?
To deny is to have knowledge of something and to ignore its consequences. The alcoholic/addict may acknowledge they have a problem with alcohol or drugs, yet they continue to drink or use in spite of the consequences.
Denial is a core element of the illness. It can be found in all alcoholics/addicts. Denial is the fatal aspect of alcoholism and drug addiction. It impairs the judgment of the alcoholic/addict and results in self-delusion, which keeps them locked into a destructive pattern.
Here are some of the most common forms of self-delusion and denial:
SELF-DELUSION
Maintaining that something is not so, which is in fact so; insisting that alcohol or drugs is not a problem despite obvious evidence that it is a problem and is so perceived by others. The alcoholic/addict’s dishonesty is a form of denial. He or she frequently does not tell the truth but is unaware of this.
MINIMIZING
Admitting to some degree a problem with alcohol or drugs, but in such a way that it appears to be much less serious or significant than is actually the case. The alcoholic/addict will use terms like “the only time”, “except for”, “it wasn’t that much”.
BLAMING
Denying responsibility for certain behaviors and maintaining that the responsibility lies with someone or something else. The behavior is not denied, but its cause is placed “out there”, not within the person.
RATIONALIZING
Offering reasons and excuses before engaging in behavior. The alcoholic/addict may acknowledge the action is unsound, yet they proceed with the behavior they are rationalizing.
JUSTIFYING
These are the reasons and alibis the alcoholic/addict provides after engaging in destructive behavior. They provide a reason other than alcoholism/addiction to explain behavior related to chemical usage. The behavior is not denied, but an inaccurate explanation of its cause is given.
INTELLECTUALIZING
Avoiding emotional and personal awareness of the problem of alcoholism/addiction by dealing with it by being general, analytical, or theorizing. A person who intellectualizes is often referred to as “Being in their head”.
DIVERSION
Changing the subject to avoid a topic that is threatening to the chemical usage.
HOSTILITY
Becoming angry and irritated when reference is made to chemical usage and related behavior. This is a good way to avoid the issue as it serves to back people off. If you are angry with someone when he or she talks about a certain topic, that person is going to change the subject or avoid bringing the topic up to you again.
SELF-DELUSION IS AUTOMATIC
Self-delusion is not a matter of deliberate lying or willful deception. It is a serious psychological mechanism, which operates unconsciously. The alcoholic/addict does not know what is true or false concerning their usage and its consequences. The denial system distorts their perception and impairs their judgment so that they become self-deluded, incapable of accurate self-awareness.
DENIAL IS PROGRESSIVE
The denial system becomes increasingly more pervasive and entrenched as the illness of alcoholism/addiction progresses. In the early stages, it is minimal. By the time an individual’s illness is sufficiently advanced, the problem begins to appear serious in the eyes of others and the denial system shields the alcoholic/addict from seeing what is really happening.
Paul Fischer, M.A. © 2000
Residential Treatment CenterRefers to "inpatient" as compared to "outpatient" treatment. Provides individuals time to reprioritize and restructure their lives in a healing environment without the distractions of daily life. Because addiction is chronic and progressive, intervention and residential treatment; in a comprehensive, multidimensional facility; is often essential to provide the individual a real opportunity for change. With change, there is hope.
DetoxShort for "detoxification." Detox is the process of removing toxic substances from the body.
In a treatment center environment, detox refers to the period of withdrawal during which a person's body returns to homeostasis after long-term use of an addictive substance.
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