Can Spirituality Heal Drug Addiction

One of the most interesting ideas for drug treatment is the use of spirituality. It is well known that human beings are very spiritual and that their spiritual dimensions affect different areas of their lives. The rehabilitation programs that use spirituality might be part of the faith-based alternative to state institutions. It can work as long as the patient is willing to explore their spirituality.

Faith and recovery from substance abuse

The various religions such as Hinduism and Christianity will have a significant impact on the behavior of the individual. Drug rehabilitation is all about changing the attitudes and behavior of the individual. Therefore it makes sense that their spirituality will be used to influence behavior. Some academics have sneered at this option because it tends not to use the scientific method.

In reality faith based programs have been very successful indeed. They are largely funded by charitable contributions and they focus on the background and future of the patient. In many cases the family will also be involved. This creates a network of support that can enable the individual to overcome their personal weaknesses. It might be useful for the general scientific world to pay a lot more attention to the possibilities that arise when faith is used to heal people.

Drug Treatment Programs in Prison

Some people have claimed that the prison system is full of people that have failed to be effective citizens. Drugs play a very important role in offending and persistent offending in particular. A study of British prisons indicated that as many as 76% of the inmates had a substance abuse problem. Higher numbers were actually found to have some sort of mental health disorder.

Making prison programs effective

The treatment for drug abuse and addiction within prison has to concentrate on turning these people into responsible citizens. At the same time the correctional facilities have to play a caring role. For example people that are struggling with heroin addiction will need to go through a methadone therapy stage before completely giving up the habit.

The prison managers have to understand that giving up drugs is hard enough for the general population without the added burden of imprisonment. Sometimes the hopeless sanction regimes for illicit drugs have ironically pushed people into “harder” drugs. A case in point is the urine test which makes it easier to identify cannabis but yet is sometimes oblivious to recent users of cocaine and heroin. Logically the inmates will start going for harder drugs. The rehabilitation program has to address these issues fully.

The Role of the Family in Drug Rehabilitation

Most communities are based on the family. Organization and culture start with the nuclear family and then extend to other elements of society. People rely on their families to deal with problems such as drug addiction. The use of family counseling for recovery is widely known and has been touted as being one of the most effective ways of reaching people that are struggling with this problem.

Strong ties and care

The provision of a family counseling center for recovery can completely transform the prospects of people that are dealing with drug addiction. People spend the majority of their time on earth in the company of their families. Therefore it makes sense that any intervention would start with the family and then branch out to other areas.

Community initiatives can work but they can also institutionalize people. For example there will be cases where the individual will fail within the community and then go into the care of various institutions such as prison. They will then probably end up with mental health services or they might be added to the anti social behavior correctional facilities. It is a vicious cycle that can be broken using the effective intervention of the family.

Is There Such a Thing as Substance Abuse?

Young people have been grappling with the concept of drug addiction as well as addiction recovery. In some instances there is a belief that drugs are not really harmful unless they are used in excess. Other people have opened up alternative cultures that center around the open consumption of intoxicants. For example marijuana has been closely associated with some Caribbean communities.

A culture of disbelief about the dangers of drugs

Some youths have developed a culture of disbelief about the dangers of drug abuse. They believe that the patchy legal framework for controlled substances is an indicator that drug bans are a political tool rather than a social welfare tool. Some young people even believe that taking drugs is part of the process of growing up. The so called “recreational use” has made it acceptable to take drugs on a large scale.

Celebrities do not help the cause either by glamorizing the drugs culture. When a certain famous supermodel had her problems with cocaine, she increased her earnings significantly. It seemed as if the entertainment industry was covertly condoning her behavior. It must be said that there are drugs like GBH and heroin which will have significant physiological effects on the person that indulges in them.

Drug Rehabilitation in Vancouver

Urbanization has meant that Vancouver has to deal with all the substance abuse problems that any conurbation might have to deal with. The migration of a varied and economically mixed population has meant that drugs are sometimes an easy way out. The breakdown of the nuclear family and the failure of state intervention services have meant that there are possibilities for an escalating drugs and crime problem.

How has Vancouver responded?

The first major point to make is that the city is not any different from other cities in the developed world. The second point is that the city is responding to the challenge. The government has concentrated on an awareness program that targets young people. They have also been supportive of community based initiatives that open up new avenues for people to get out of the substance abuse cycle. The main challenge for the city of Vancouver in this respect is the need to ring-fence funding for these projects.

Vancouver is fairly prosperous, even by Western standards. However the state intervention in drug rehabilitation programs can be hampered by conservative ideals that would resist such an intervention. Meanwhile the patients are left to suffer the full consequences of their addiction without any effective assistance.

Intervention Models for Drug Rehabilitation

Intervention models for drug rehabilitation tend to follow different patterns according to the needs of the patient. Some people do not like intervention programs because they feel as if it is an intrusion on their private space. Nevertheless it is imperative that the intervention model gets acquiescence from the patient. If they are not committed to the program, then the chances of success are next to none.

Personal development and rehabilitation

Drugs are very difficult to remove from one’s life if they have been a constant companion for a significant period of time. It is almost as if the individual is losing a child. The intervention programs are often met with hostility. Some clients even find ways of frustrating their rehabilitation. There is no doubt that personal development and emotional growth will be very important in the ability to recover from a serious substance abuse problem.

Denial is often a favored tool for people that are facing these problems. They will state categorically that they have nothing to hide and that their hands are clean. Some of them will view the intervention program with suspicion. The specialists that deal in this area will have some intervention techniques that enable them to overcome the resistance that is prevalent in many patients.

The Journey to Drug Free Existence

Although the majority of people do not abuse drugs and other substances, there is a sizable proportion of the population that gets attention from the authorities because of this problem. Rather than burying our heads in sand and hoping that the problem will go away, we need to explore some of the methods that might be used to improve the chances of a drug free lifestyle for members of the community.

Support for people that want to have clean living

The very first thing is to prevent the abuse of drugs. Education is a powerful tool in improving the public awareness of the some of the dangers that are associated with drugs. The second issue is related to the provision of treatment programs for drug addicts. Drug addictions recovery programs require funding and supervision. Therefore the state has to make ample provision for this eventuality.

Above all there has to be a firm commitment from the patient to follow the drug rehabilitation routines. This is an area that is open to negotiation depending on the way that the intervention is managed. People that accept that they have a problem will have a much higher chance of making a full recovery. They differ from those that hide behind excuses.

Faith Based Approaches to Drug Treatment

Faith is a powerful tool in drug rehabilitation programs and addiction treatment in general. We may sneer at the idea that religion can change the outlook of the patient but in reality a spiritual transformation for substance abusers can be the thing that they need to get their life back on track. Notwithstanding some of the negative connotations that are attached to religion, the different sects have been able to open effective alcohol and drug treatment centers.

Alternative approaches to substance abuse

The social networks and government agencies might not overtly encourage the use of religion in drug rehabilitation programs but they certainly understand the value of planned services that support the state sector. The voluntary organizations have been at the forefront of treating drug addiction using spiritual healing and other personal development structures.

The problem for those faith based organizations is that they face some difficult choices due to limitations on funding. They are not formally part of the state sector and therefore their funding is almost surplus to the general stream. That can mean that they are often left behind in the prioritization program. In order to overcome this problem, it is advisable to follow the basic principles that underpin drug rehabilitation through spiritual awareness.

The Role of Professionals in Substance Abuse Rehabilitation

There is an army of psychologists, clinicians and social workers that staff the substance abuse facilities within the local community. There is little argument about the fact that they do a great job in very difficult circumstances. The question is whether they could do better. The process of treatment for drug abuse requires the effective intervention of these professionals. One would hope that their training and experience will be enough to make a significant impact in this area.

A growing bureaucracy

The problem with relying on professionals to deal with substance abuse is that they each have areas of specialism. The psychologists might never be able to help the client to access state benefits. On the other hand the benefits advisor will have no medical treatment for the patient that has been diagnosed with AIDS. The end result is that the client groups are moved from one office to the next without really dealing with their problems.

There is also the growing problem of “officialdom”. In an effort to raise standards, many local authorities have set performance indicators that will enable them to assess the effectiveness of their service units. That is when the bureaucracy overtakes the outcomes for the patient. Instead of dealing with the substance abuse recovery process, the professionals are roped into “form filling” exercises.

Who Funds Substance Abuse Centers

Although the provision of substance abuse treatment centers has long been identified as a crucial national objective, there are still controversies that surround funding. The first responsibility lies with the state. This is then supplemented by charitable organizations and volunteer groups. The faith-based initiatives have also been successful in developing a model that can complement the meager efforts of the state.

Choosing to fund rehabilitation

In an effort to prioritize spending, the funding for drug rehabilitation centers is often linked to the healthcare budget. This might appear to be a logical step in terms of rationalizing the funding options. However the fact that substance abuse rehabilitation is held within general healthcare means that they have to compete with other service sectors such as mental health provision. It is also important to note that the substance abuse centers will also have a relationship with the correctional services.

It makes more sense to separate the funding for these centers so that there is a clear line of accountability from the secretary of state to the unit manager. On the other hand the volunteer services and faith groups will also need some form of government help. The need within urban communities is growing and yet the pot of money is shrinking. This is a deficit that can have serious consequences for client groups.

We are a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center for women located in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada located near Vancouver. We offer full-service alcohol rehab and drug rehab for women and their families seeking freedom from addiction.