Busting Addiction and Its Myths

It's one thing to feel your feelings and quite another to have them rule you.

One of the things we talk about in our recovery is the idea of “one day at a time”.  This is a greater challenge for many in early recovery than it appears. While in treatment, we were kept very busy, and we were super-focused on what we needed to do that day.

I asked a wise man in my program his definition of his life's purpose, and he said: “My goal is to stay sober every day of my life, taking one day at a time, and that’s how I’ll make my sobriety permanent.”  There’s magic in living one day, one moment at a time.

One of the most difficult things to do is to resist peer pressure to drink or use. Here are some thoughts on how to neutralise that threat.

In this podcast, we discuss what to do just in case you slip and have yourself a relapse.

Let’s talk about emotions – how to identify what they are and the importance to your recovery of honestly sharing how you feel.

Let’s talk about some of the ways your thinking will change as you get exposed to ideas that may be foreign to you but start to make a lot more sense when you experience the miracle of recovery.

As I alluded to earlier, every person in early recovery needs a toolbox to which he or she can turn and use a tool that could save their sobriety and perhaps even their very lives.

In addition to the basics, I’ve already mentioned which are: attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous (the two major groups for recovering people), get a sponsor who will guide you through the 12 steps, and work the Steps diligently. It doesn't hurt to find a Power greater than yourself to help you on the path of becoming a spiritual pe...

The right way to talk about addiction and/or alcoholism is in the context of: what it was like (how awful was it, really?), what happened (you got so desperate that you finally asked for help) and what it’s like now (you're in recovery and getting better, saner, healthier physically, mentally and for the first time, have gotten in touch with a power greater than your little self).An unhelpful way to talk about addiction and/or alcoholism is to express how badly you might be craving a drink or a hit right now, how it would OK to “just...

It is well said and true that resentments are the #1 killer of addicts and alcoholics. If we lead a life of deceit, manipulation and the direct pursuit of pleasure to the exclusion of everything else, we will find ourselves resenting those who get in the way of our pursuits. None of these resentments are justified, yet we carry them around like a bag of rocks, weighing our spirit down. It is not until we work the 4th and 5th steps that we disclose our resentments and why they feel justified when they are, not. Most of the time, the...

There are some aspects of addiction and alcoholism, which are not readily apparent until you see how these diseases infiltrate the thinking of those who are affected. It’s no wonder that the Big Book of AA says this: “Remember we deal with alcohol (or drugs), cunning, baffling and powerful. Without help, it is too much for us.” This is as true today as it was in April 1939 when the Big Book was published.  So here are a few things to remember for those struggling with the early stages of recovery.

There are four pillars to recovery, and they are: don’t drink or use (between meetings), go to those meetings (several times a week, at least at first) get a sponsor (and follow his or her advice) and work the 12 steps.

Let’s talk about the many aspects of relapse prevention. This is incredibly important if you’re just starting out on your journey of recovery.  This is when you’re most vulnerable to going back “out there”.

Here's our final special episode that we have relaunched as requested by many of our followers.

Welcome back to Busting Addiction and its Myths, and we have called this episode Treatment Doesn’t Work, Or Does It?

Here’s what we cover:

Here's one more special episode that has been requested by many of our followers.

Let’s talk about enabling

In this episode, we discuss how enabling can inhibit the chances of an addict’s recovery by shielding them from the realities of a grown-up life.

The truths we reveal in this episode:

Here we go again with yet another special episode that we have relaunched as requested by many of our followers.

It’s a disease, stupid!
Paraphrasing a famous political slogan from the US, this episode offers slam-dunk proof that addiction and alcoholism are disease states and that the addict has lost his power of choice when the disease compels him to inflict harm on himself and others.

We cover these topics:

This week we have another special episode that we have again relaunched as requested by many of our followers.

In this podcast, we reveal that addiction must be treated as the primary disorder, that families need to retain a trained professional, and that the addict’s crazy decisions are made by a damaged brain. Does that get your attention?

We cover these topics:

Here is another special episode that we have relaunched as it is a subject matter that has been requested by many of our followers.

In this podcast, we reveal more truths about addiction, in that it makes the whole family unit dysfunctional. We also discuss the deadly opioid epidemic and the truth behind the deadliest street drug: Fentanyl.

We cover these topics:

We have relaunched this special episode as it is a subject matter that has been requested by many of our followers.

In this podcast, we bust the myth that an addict who doesn’t get it the first time is a loser, when in fact he is on his way to success. He will, however, duck the issue every chance he gets.

 We cover these topics:

Q: Why does addiction have such a powerful ripple effect on the family?

A: It turns out that the whole family becomes sick as a consequence of alcoholism or drug addiction striking any one individual in the family. Family members carry shame and guilt over their loved one’s disorder. At first, they deny the problem exists. Then they try to control the uncontrollable. They lie to the neighbours, cast blame on each other and the addict and forge an unhealthy co-dependency if it isn’t already a main feature within the family.
...

Q: Do interventions work?

A: Yes and no. Interventions come in two categories: professional and family led. Even interventions conducted by professional interventionists may fail if the subject of the intervention refuses to “get on the plane”. Often this happens because the family has somehow failed in organising its own part, or the intervention somehow provokes anger or blaming over past events. Nonetheless, professional interventions succeed far more often (defined as the subject agreeing to get help) than do family-organised interventions.

Unless the family reads the same guidelines (such as Debra and...

Q: Will an addict get the help he needs from a psychiatrist?

A: It depends. There are two main factors involved. One is the fact that addicts will often lie to the psychiatrist if the addict is there for reasons other than having an honest desire to get clean. The active addict is an expert liar and has (he thinks) fooled everyone so far, and now he just wants some Xanax. The second factor is that the psychiatrist may not be an addictionologist, i.e., trained in addictive disorder, and therefore is not...

Q: How knowledgeable are physicians about alcoholism and drug addiction?

A: On average, not very. The fact is that fewer than 25% of physicians are given any course work in medical school on alcoholism and addiction. Recognition of this failure in light of the overdose crisis in the US which has now claimed over 108,000 lives in 2023 led to the Medication Access and Training act of 2022 (MATE). It requires physicians and other health care professionals who prescribe controlled substances to complete a one-time-only eight hours of training on the treatment and management of patients with...

Q: Why do some people hate AA?

A: It mostly comes down to the idea of a “higher power”, frequently expressed as “God, as we understand him”. The co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson, was closely related to a Christian evangelical group during the 1930’s known as the “Oxford Group”. From their teachings stemmed the idea of a “higher power” which became a central thesis in the 12 Steps of AA. While there is no obligation to believe in a higher power, many who reject AA do so because they claim to be atheists, or believe that AA...

Q: How important is AA?

A: Alcoholics Anonymous is the world’s largest support group with 115,000 chapters worldwide and an estimated membership of over two million. Moreover, it is endorsed by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) as an accepted evidence-based behavioural therapy. It carries much weight among many practitioners and treatment centres and is often recommended by therapists to help alcoholics take the next step in their recovery following front-line treatment.

AA is the pioneer of 12-step programs all over the world. From it stem over 30 other 12-step programs, in...

Q: Is Alcoholics Anonymous, aka AA, a proven recovery method?

A: The scientific evidence, based on research conducted by the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, emphatically proves that it is a cost-effective, evidence-based treatment that stands the test of time. AA is made effective by its members’ active involvement in their own recovery, by the lack of rigid rules (contrary to popular belief), and by the fact that there are no dues or fees for AA membership.  Furthermore, an AA-based recovery program performed even better on...

In this podcast, we discuss the Four Agreements, a Buddhist-inspired way of thinking that can readily apply to anyone who aspires to live a spiritual life, free of the self-imposed burdens of addiction or alcoholism.

We discuss the Four Agreements as follows:

In this podcast, we discuss the power of toxic shame and its effect on the children in the family, including an addict or alcoholic.

We learn that:

In this podcast, we discuss the power of living in the now, of living in the moment as a means of attaining peace of mind for anyone living with the stress of an addict or alcoholic in the family.

We discuss the following:

In this podcast, we discuss the ripple effect of addiction on the family.

We discuss the following:

In this podcast, we continue to explode the myths surrounding addiction.

Example myths include:

In this podcast, we do a quick Q&A on the myths of addiction and address other questions posed by our readers and listeners.

These questions revolve around:

This podcast, is a story about a man named Tim and it demonstrates the power of perseverance.

We learn that:

In this podcast, we discuss the deadly consequences of addiction and alcoholism:

We learn that:

In this podcast, we discuss new ways of thinking and behavior that help with moving the alcoholic/addict toward treatment.

We learn that:

In this podcast, we discuss the impossibility of escaping the here and now.

We learn that:

1. It’s common for people to be constantly thinking about something other than the reality of the present.

2. There is a huge difference between planning for the future and living there. 

3. There is ultimately much joy in living in the moment regardless of a person’s circumstances, but it takes commitment and practice.

In this podcast, we examine why the truth is so elusive for family members of alcoholics and addicts.

We discuss how people who have an addict or alcoholic in the family:

1.   Deny the very existence of the disease.

2.   Become too ashamed to admit the truth to themselves.

3.   Ultimately need to confront the truth in order to heal.

You’ve probably heard the term “enabler”. It’s one that’s often charged with judgment and stigma. That’s because one feels accused of aiding and abetting addictive behaviour and it doesn’t feel at all fair because you do what you do out of love. More than a role, enabling is a dynamic that arises in specific scenarios. People who engage in enabling behaviour behaviours aren’t the “bad guy”, but their actions have the potential to promote and support unhealthy behaviours in others.

In many cases, enabling begins as an effort to support a loved one who may be...

Love has this wonderful ripple effect, emanating its warmth and power from you to your family and well beyond, and it seems miraculous in its infinite ability to heal.

Think for a moment about unconditional love: loving someone regardless of what they look like, what they do for a living, how much money they have, or whether or not they are doing what you want or expect them to do.

This kind of total love - the unconditional kind – is put to a severe test when it comes to loving someone who is a substance ab...

When you are talking to a full-blown alcoholic or addict or one who is both - and the list of cross-addicted people is growing – you might not be too surprised to learn that they speak an entirely different language than you do.

An example: an addict is confronted by his mum who says that he has a big problem. The addict doesn’t hear that. He thinks to himself that his mum is the problem because she stands in the way of him getting more dope.

When an addict or alcoholic does something that is reas...