So, When Can I Burn My Bridges Again? Dealing With Toxic Relationships in Addiction Spaces

Moving out and on and using lived experience and earned resiliency to be a proactive agent for prevention, not just recovery.

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Abstinence: Not the only option, but clearly the best one for your well-being – In the U.S. in 2016, 54% of adults in recovery reported continuous or current abstinence, and 46% reported current use of a secondary substance, primary substance, or both. Lower risk substance use statuses (i.e., continuous abstinence, current abstinence) were associated with more years in recovery, greater recovery capital, self-esteem, happiness, quality of life, and less psychologcal distress. Higher risk substance use statuses (i.e., current use of secondary substance, primary substance, or both) were associated with younger age of substance use initiation and a greater number of psychiatric diagnoses.

For complete research

Alcohol is the most common principal drug of concern for people accessing treatment, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW’s) new report.
            

a)  Almost two in five (37%) treatment episodes for people accessing support for themselves were for alcohol, followed by
b)  amphetamines (24 %),
c) cannabis (19 %) and
d) heroin (4.6 %).

Between 2011–12 and 2020–21, alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern in treatment episodes provided to people for their drug use. This number has increased by 24 per cent, from approximately 67,000 episodes in 2011–12 to approximately 83,000 episodes in 2020–21

For complete Report

(What is Needed, What It Will Take, and the Overwhelming Realization That Prevention is Better Than Cure)

The emphasis in the recovery literature has tended toward an exploration of recovery capital (the accrual of positive strengths, resources, and assets), therefore this paper will explore the pains of recovery alongside strengths, resources and assets (pull factors) to permit a more comprehensive insight into the recovery journey.

The recovery journey is experienced in both positive and negative ways and as such this paper attempts to integrate the ‘pains of desistance’ approach into a recovery capital framework (Nugent and Schinkel 2016). The ‘pains’ of recovery are defined here as negative factors and forces that act either as barriers that impede a person’s capacity to overcome substance misuse problems (or negative factors and forces that are used by the individual as a means or motivation to make positive change).

Therefore, we will firstly identify which pains of recovery (push factors) are present, and which strengths, resources and assets (pull factors) are present, within the three domains (of personal, social and community recovery capital), at two phases of the recovery journey (early and stable recovery). Given that the likelihood of relapse reduces from the early recovery phase to the stable recovery phase (Best 2019), we are keen to observe what recovery capital looks like in these two phases of recovery, by exploring what happens to the number and nature of both the pull factors and the pains of recovery in each phase and how the pains of recovery are managed and overcome from the early phase to the later phase. Secondly, we will explore which push and pull factors and forces either promote the growth of recovery capital in the three domains or impede it. Of interest here will be an exploration of whether the pain of recovery act as a push factor for positive change.

The Three Domains of Capital

Personal capital: overcoming and managing adversity (All five themes relating to personal capital in early recovery were identified as pains of recovery._

• The pains of uncovering unresolved Trauma
• The pains of low self-esteem

• The pains of uncovering alternative addictions
• The unexpected pains of sobriety
• Pains of purposeless and hopelessness

Social capital (Two of the three themes relating to social capital in early recovery were identified as pains of recovery and a pull factor was also identified.)

• The pains of family relationships and dysfunction
• The pains of leaving old social and friendship networks
• Mutual aid groups: gaining new friendships and tools for recovery

Community capital (All four themes relating to community capital in early recovery were identified as pains of recovery.)

• The pains of housing transitions
• The pains of securing meaningful employment opportunities and managing their recovery around work
• The pains of negative professional experiences
• The pains of stigma as negative community capital

• 2. Stable recovery: the ongoing successes and challenges

Personal capital (There were three pains of recovery and two pull factors for the personal capital domain in stable recovery.)

• Living a life beyond what was envisioned
• The ongoing pains of self-esteem
• The ongoing pains of mental health
• The pains of relapse
• Post recovery identities: front doors and good exits

Social capital (Two of the three themes relating to social capital in stable recovery were identified as pains of recovery and two were identified as pull factors. Family provoked mixed responses in that it continued to be a source of dysfunction and therefore a pain of recovery but for many it was now a stabilizing form of recovery capital.)

• The pains of social events
• Romantic relationships
• Family reconciliation and the pains of ongoing trauma

Community capital (Both themes relating to community capital in stable recovery were identified as pull factors.)

• Stable and secure accommodation
• Work: seniority and broadening social networks
• Employment broadening social networks

For full article

(Dalgarno Institute Comment: Drug Use Exiting Therapeutic communities are key resources in addressing all of these areas I.e. Fresh Start’s P.H.R.E.E. project has had these elements in play for decades…

Physiology – Housing – Relationships – Education – Employment

The staggering amount of resources necessary to walk a substance user out of the tyranny of addiction even to a baseline of ‘normalcy’ is staggering. To monetize the above resources alone is staggering. #Prevention and #Demand Reduction must be the imperative of drug policy, not just to merely curtail the crippling financial costs, but much more, spare the pain to the drug user and their families and communities.)

According to this model of addiction, some people may find it harder to resist developing addictions than others, and those with addictive personalities are inherently more likely to have an addiction than the rest of the population.

However, the concept is controversial, and many addiction experts argue it is harmful.

No major health organization recognizes addictive personality as a medical diagnosis.

What the research says

While health organizations do not endorse the idea of addictive personalities, there is some evidence that certain traits may make addiction more likely.

A 2018 study of 109 mostly male participants found that impulsive behaviors correlated with a higher risk of addiction. Impulsivity may increase a person’s likelihood of taking risks or using substances, thereby elevating their risk of becoming addicted.

A 2019 paper also highlights some other traits and behaviors that researchers have linked to addiction, including sensation seeking, nonconformity, and tolerance of behavior that breaks social rules.

However, the 2019 paper also emphasizes that most researchers oppose the idea of addictive personalities because it is deterministic. In reality, addiction is a complex, multifaceted illness related to many factors.

For example, there is also an association between addiction and temporary emotional states, such as feeling stressed or alienated. People not having the opportunity to learn healthier coping skills for dealing with these emotions may also play a role.

A 2021 study of 94 people with addictions aged 14–32 living in Switzerland, France, and Quebec observed similar trends. Participants often reported alienation, discomfort in social situations, anxiety, or depression.

An insecure attachment style was also common in this group. This occurs when a person does not develop a secure attachment with their main parental figure during childhood, which then affects their relationships and ways of coping with adversity throughout life.

For complete article go to What is an addictive personality? Risk factors and myths (medicalnewstoday.com)

(Dalgarno Institute Comments: You will note the repetition of the entrenched definitions of addiction as an ‘illness’ that are the presuppositions of this article.

It is interesting that substance dependency/addiction is one of the only ‘illnesses’ that behaviour change can end. Yes, indeed, it is a complex maelstrom of factors, that involve much more than mere biochemical interactions and disrupted brain anatomy.

You will notice that all the factors that may contribute to this psuedo-medical condition are behavioural issues.  All behaviours are learned, so they can be unlearned. Of course, once psychotropic toxins are part of the mix they may only add to or amplify, poor impulse control, inability to delay gratification and the externalizing of blame that can also all spring from selfishness, laziness, pride and other egocentricities – all character flaws that does make walking back out of this mess more difficult, but not ‘incurable’ (to stay with the disease motif).

If we are to remove stigma properly, then we must empower agency and capacity again in the whole person – Body, Mind and Soul.

‘Illness’ models, we now understand only disempower the former humanity enhancing aspects and lead to a further capitulation, not rejuvenation. Better health and well-being require not mere triage and damage management, but a full anthropologically based suite of human recalibration process.

A broader scope of understanding is needed and drug use exiting vehicles, and their attending capacity building measures are key not simply to ‘managing a sickness’ but exiting a disorder that no longer has to have dominion over the individual.)

See Drug Use, Stigma and Proactive Contagions to Reduce Both.

Communications Team – Dalgarno Institute