Do Individuals with Alcoholism (Addiction) Have a Spiritual Deficit Disorder?

Although there is in the 21st Century much science and research defining alcoholism (addiction) in scientific and cognitive behavioral terms that can be useful, in my view, researchers and scientists often ignore the spiritual aspect of addiction and recovery. In addition to the mental-emotional and physical-medical-neurological-aspects of addiction, the spiritual effects of the disease of addiction must be addressed. Alcoholism is a "spiritual malady" per the basic text of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 64). There is a growing body of research examining the role of spirituality and religion in the development (or not) and treatment of addiction. This blog post, however, will just briefly look at the anecdotal (based on experience, not scientific research) evidence suggesting that the alcoholic or addict may have an innate spiritual deficit disorder.

Abraham Twerski, a noted psychiatrist and researcher in the addiction and mental health field has said: “When a person is not feeding his spirit properly, it’s not like an iron deficiency or a Vitamin A deficiency. They suffer from SDS — spirituality deficiency syndrome. *** Spirituality means being the best human being you can be. *** My work with alcoholics and drug addicts has convinced me they can’t recover without spirituality...” (speech, 11/02/2009, Saint Peter's University).

Based on my years of counseling alcoholics and addicts and participating in 12 Step meetings, it is clear to me that most alcoholics and addicts trace feelings of personal alienation and emptiness to times in their lives that predate their use of alcohol or other drugs. Indeed, many seem to have felt they “were on the outside looking in” from their earliest memories. Some of the other words used to describe this spiritual deficit include these: “hole in the soul”; “soul sickness”; “alienated”; “numb”; “empty”; “fear-filled hopelessness”; “fear of impending doom.” If I were a philosopher, I might say that all human beings have an emptiness or existential pain (angst) that they strive to fill with activity (jobs, careers, hobbies), sex, relationships, and the like. Fortunate individuals are able to develop a personal relationship with a God, Higher Power, or other source of spiritual strength early in life and the willingness to nurture that relationship throughout their lives.

Some individuals, however, fill their spiritual vacuum with alcohol or other drugs, or other addictive behaviors. These individuals describe their early reactions to use of alcohol or other drugs something like this: “For perhaps the first time in my life, I felt normal, unafraid, beautiful/handsome, smart, able to be social and interact with others.” This reaction to drugs or alcohol can be overwhelmingly attractive for someone who had spent life in fear of being crushed by a cosmic rock at any moment, resulting in an ongoing effort to achieve that reaction through drug or alcohol use, ending in addictive disease. In a loose sense, the alcoholic or addict has found a reason for being through use of alcohol and other drugs. As is well known, seeking meaning in life through addiction leads to spiritual bankruptcy and, for some, actual death. In my experience and the experience of many in the addiction field and in the 12 Step communities, addressing the spiritual aspects of addiction is essential to long term recovery.

So, perhaps it may be helpful to look at the alcoholic or addict (or potential alcoholic or addict) as an individual who has a spiritual deficit disorder.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams,www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 01/09/2014.

Retirement: New Beginning

I just retired after 24 years at Loyola University Maryland as the Director of Alcohol and Drug Education and Support Services. I have mixed feelings, of course; going to miss my colleagues, but feel privileged to have had the opportunity to help many young men and women over the years to address their drug and alcohol concerns. I started my professional career in the addictions field when I was two years sober and now have over 36 years of continuous abstinence and recovery. Reflecting on this new change, I am grateful. When I began my recovery journey in 1977, I was in despair of ever doing anything worthwhile again in my life. With the gift of spiritual strength that comes with 12 Step recovery, I have been able to "give it away to keep it" through active 12 Step meeting participation, and to make a difference in the lives of individuals hurt by addiction through my professional career.

Although I will continue my private addictions counseling practice, in person (for those near Baltimore) and online (Skype, email, telephone), I will no longer be going to work every day. So, this is a new beginning for me, and I have committed myself to attending a 12 Step meeting most every day, daily exercise, and being available to help out my wife. I look forward to new opportunities for spiritual growth during this new phase of my life.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 12/29/2013.

A Way To Prevent Craving in Recovery from Addiction?

In recovery from addictions such as cocaine addiction, craving can be a major cause of relapse. Researchers are exploring the possibility of modifying the ability of the brain to develop specialized nerve cells that cause powerful drug cravings. ScienceDaily for December 17, 2013, reported on a recent rat study wherein the researchers examined how the synapses (signal relays) in nerve cells in a portion of the brain responsible for reward, emotions, motivation, and addiction (the nucleus accumbens) react to cocaine. Use of cocaine stimulates the brain to create synapses specific to cocaine that are silent (called "immature" by the researchers) in terms of activity, until the individual stops use of cocaine. At that point, these "silent" cocaine synapses mature and develop the ability to send signals resulting in the characteristic craving for cocaine when the individual is exposed to environmental triggers, such as being in the presence of the drug or seeing paraphernalia used to take cocaine.

The researchers' goal in the study was to see if they could intervene to change the matured nerve cells capable of causing cocaine cravings back to "immature" cells with no signaling capability. So, in the study, the scientists removed a portion of the nerve cell that is needed in growth of the nerve synapses, and found that doing so caused the mature cocaine craving cells to revert to their previous immature or inactive state. Without the mature cocaine craving cells, the theory goes, cocaine craving will not occur.

So, we have another attempt through science to find "biological and pharmacological strategies" (words of an author of the study) to improve recovery from addiction. Please note that these strategies do not address the emotional and spiritual aspects of addictive disease.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 12/19/2013.

More on Dangers of Alcohol Use during Pregnancy

In ScienceDaily of December 03, 2013, there is yet another scientific study suggesting that alcohol use during pregnancy can have adverse effects especially on the frontal cortex of the brain which regulates motor skill learning, decision-making, planning, judgment, executive function and sociality. The study, which was published in the November 27, 2013 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, was of the effects of alcohol in pregnant mice whose mammalian brain is similar to the human brain.

The lead author of the study, Kelly Huffman, assistant professor of psychology at UC Riverside, stated: "If you consume alcohol when you are pregnant you can disrupt the development of your baby's brain ... This research helps us understand how substances like alcohol impact brain development and change behavior," Huffman explained. "It also shows how prenatal alcohol exposure generates dramatic change in the brain that leads to changes in behavior. ... Based on her earlier research, Huffman said, she expected to find some disruption of intraneocortical circuitry, but thought it would be subtle. "I was surprised that the result of alcohol exposure was quite dramatic," she said. "We found elevated levels of anxiety, disengaged behavior, and difficulty with fine motor coordination tasks. These are the kinds of things you see in children with FASD [Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders].... The bottom line, Huffman said, is that women who are pregnant or who are trying to get pregnant should abstain from drinking alcohol."

So, to be safe, a pregnant woman should probably abstain completely from alcohol use.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 12/11/2013.

Recovery Tips for the Holidays

Persons in recovery from addictive disorders such as drug or alcohol addiction, gambling addiction, internet/gaming addictions, as well as those recovering from the effects of a relationship with an addicted individual, tend to be especially vulnerable to emotional upsets during the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving, and continuing through Christmas, Hannukah, and the New Year observances. These emotionally trying times can lead to relapse into active addiction, if not prepared for. Here are some ideas that may be helpful:

1) A holiday need have only the emotional impact that you allow it to have. In other words, the individual has a lot of control over how he/she thinks about the holiday and the resulting emotions. Begin thinking about the particular day, for example, New Years Eve, as just another 24 hours of recovery during which you need to stay abstinent, sober, or emotionally balanced.

2) The recovery tool that I believe to be very helpful here is living one day at a time or just for today. There is no need to give a day that hasn't yet arrived any control over your thoughts or actions. You can, as I said in Item 1), think of upcoming holiday events as just another 24 hour segment that you do not drink, use, gamble, or fret.

3) In regard to attending events where there may be alcohol or other drugs or emotionally stressful situations, remember that you always have the choice to not go to the event. In early recovery (six months to a year), it may be advisable to put distance between you and the first drink drug, or other addictive behavior, and not attend the event.

4) If you choose to attend an event that may be a trigger for your addiction, prepare yourself emotionally, remind yourself that there is no valid excuse to pick up a drink or drug or engage in any other relapse behavior, give yourself permission to leave at any time that you begin to feel your recovery is at risk, and have your own transport or an individual willing to transport you at any time.

5) Increase your recovery supports such as 12 Step meetings attendance, communication with recovery sponsors (mentors), hanging out with recovering individuals and those supportive of your recovery, recovery coaching, and therapy, and rededicate yourself to other recovery tools such as prayer and meditation, church or other religious institution.

6) Remember that regardless of any emotion (loneliness and alienation are big ones), happening, or behavior by others, you do not have to take a drink, drug, or engage in any addictive behavior.

These are only a few recovery tips for the holidays. As always, I invite comments from others. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 12/02/2013.

It's Never Too Late To Benefit from Stopping Smoking

Just a brief research note. According to a report inReuters for November 20, 2013, even seniors 65 years of age and older, who quit smoking cigarettes will experience a reduction in risks of death from heart related maladies, much faster than previously thought.

Previous research had shown that older former smokers who were heavy smokers could reduce their risk of dying from heart disease to the level of lifelong nonsmokers after 15 years.

The current research study found that a significant percentage of the older former smokers had a reduction in heart related problems within eight years after smoking cessation.

So, it's never too late to benefit from stopping smoking.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 11/22/2013.

Recovery Guidelines for the Person with Alcohol or Other Drug (AOD) Addiction

Here are some basic guidelines that I have developed to help the individual seeking to recover from alcohol or other drug (AOD) addiction through complete abstinence and use of support from attendance of 12 Step meetings:

Avoid Access to AOD

1. Avoid AOD and AOD users completely.
2. Do not stay in the same room or at a party, while someone is preparing to use or is using AOD.
3. Do not help friends find AOD or go along to watch.
4. Do not touch or handle AOD at any time.
5. Do not accept or fill any prescription without verifying the substance to be free of abuse potential. Do not rely upon the physician for this information; ask an addictions expert.
6. Read labels of over-the-counter medications; avoid liquids, such as cough and cold preparations, with alcohol in them, and choose "non-drowsiness" formulations.
7. Do not go to a place you know will result in access or put you in an environment normally frequented by users.

Avoid Unstructured Time

1. Avoid boredom, long periods of time with nothing to do, and isolation from persons who support your recovery. Get a job; go to AA/NA meetings; make friends with recovering people; develop new, or brush off old, hobbies, which you do not associate with use.

2. Especially avoid empty, unplanned periods at those times when you used to do AOD. Plan positive activities for dangerous times, preferably with persons who support your recovery.

Avoid holding large sums of money. For example, on payday, arrange for direct deposit and go to an AA/NA meeting right after work.

Identify and Prepare for Craving Triggers

1. Identify your personal cues for AOD craving/hunger, relative to sights, smells, sounds, events, people, and avoid if possible. Some common examples are music, sex, after work, payday, weekends, when significant other is away for a period of time, etc. Develop a survival plan for those (unavoidable) situations in which triggers are present, or craving/hunger occurs.

2.Brand into your brain that obsessions(recurring thoughts) or compulsions (craving or drug hunger which seems physically based) are normal and need not be acted on! In other words, just because you want to get high does not mean that you have to or should!

Learn To Handle Emotions

1. Mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, depression, anhedonia (pleasurelessness; present especially in cocaine addict), loneliness, feelings of worthlessness, fear of impending doom, are all common in early recovery. Remember that feelings need not be acted on destructively, and will pass.

2. Learn new tools to deal with "negative" feelings, such as, calling someone in recovery, going to an AN/NA meeting, using spiritual tools (prayer, meditation).

3. Ask for help from professionals (if not already in treatment) if negative feeling states continue to the point where you feel on the verge of relapse or other destructive behavior.

4. Remember that your basic recovery tool is involvement with recovering, supportive persons. Substitute healthy reliance on people for AOD.

The above guidelines are simple, practical suggestions that can be helpful to the individual recovering from any addiction.

As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com, 11/11/2013.