Addiction

Dealing with Addiction

Addictions are family dis-eases.  Everyone suffers, the person addicted to the substance or activity, as well as those around them.  All addictions are diseases, whether the addict seeks prescription drugs, other drugs, alcohol, nicotine, food, gambling, or shopping.  An Oriental Medical practitioner uses many modalities to help people with addictions.  There is an acupuncture protocol, called NADA (which originated at the hospital in Brooklyn) that has been used successfully for the last 30 years to help in “detoxing” people from their cravings for drugs and alcohol.  In addition to acupuncture, I highly recommend 12-Step groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) which have been helping people get sober since 1939!  12-step support is also available for gamblers at GA, and for smokers at NicA.  Other options for smokers include calling the Quit Line, where information is dispatched to help you get started, or receiving hypnosis by a trained hypnotherapist for smoking cessation.  Being addicted does not mean a person is a “bad person,” but an addicted person may do “bad things” because of the addiction.  They have an illness, and it can be treated.

If you are among those dealing with the addiction of another, PLEASE seek help.  There are 12-step groups called Alanon or Coda that deal with your situation.  Consider counseling by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who also has the “CAP” distinction, which means Certified Addictions Professional.  They can really tell you what you are dealing with and what is in the scope of your influence.

Pain is a sign from the body that something is wrong, that something you are doing is not OK, or that something is out of balance.  Taking an OTC (over the counter) drug pushes the symptom somewhere else and tells the body that you are not paying attention.  The body will give you louder signs next time.  It is unfortunate that we are all faced with a growing number of people that see medication as the first and only way to deal with any discomfort.  Because of this, we are over-medicating as a society.  Be careful, because the cycle of addiction is cunning.  For many addicts, it started with powerful drugs prescribed in response to real ailments.  Ask your doctor if you need the potent prescription, or if there is an alternative that will serve.

Whether you are in physical pain, or in pain from living with the addiction of a loved one, come and seek help.  As long as there is breath, there is hope.