SANE SOBRIETY
This is in contrast to being under the influence of drugs that will take you to the edge of insanity where you lose contact with reality. A drug addict needs to be restored to sanity so they can have a Sane Sobriety.
This is also in stark contrast to what they call in AA, a dry
drunk, where a person is looking for reasons, excuses,
and personal injustices in their world that would justify why they must drink or use drugs today to deal with it all.
A new program called Restoration Of Sane Soberity (ROSS) hopefully begins June 13 and have primarily a secular program in addition to a voluntary Christian program for those, who want a Christian approach to a Sane Sobriety.
The focus of treatment would be on emotional healing
and resolving a fixation on childhood traumas while
learning to deal with wounds and pain. To be set free
from all the pain of the past! Trauma is the seed of addiction.
Strong emphasis in meetings on emotional issues like
anger, bitterness, depression, fear/anxiety, jealousy, and
guilt/shame and how they relate to the need for using
drugs to cope.
Emotional trauma is the seed from which addiction grows.
Unresolved and untreated childhood trauma is a primary cause of addiction and relapse. A pain-filled inner world seeks relief. Self-medicating with substance such as alcohol, drugs and food, or behavior like sex and gambling masquerades as a solution to pain but carries a deep human cost. Unrealistic solutions to human problems can lead us unknowingly into the downward spiral of addiction where we become emotionally illiterate, a stranger in our own inner world.
Emotional literacy gives us the language to think through and process emotional and psychological pain that might otherwise get disowned and eventually self-medicated. Emotional literacy is the key to unlocking and learning to read the secrets and tell the stories of our own inner world. We are a stranger to our own inner world.
Emotional literacy, simply speaking, is the ability to put feelings into meaningful words, that occurs as a result of
trauma. When we are traumatized, we lose contact with our real and authentic emotions. They become covered by psychological defenses and emotional armoring. When we cannot access our true emotions, we cannot put them into words and create meaningful scenarios out of the events in our life. Therefore, we become, instead, emotional illiterate, unable to describe our inner world to ourselves or another person.
We must face the source and reasons for our pain that drives us to self-medicate. Giving words to trauma begins to heal it. Hiding it or pretending it isn't there creates the kind of pain that eventually boils over. Traumatize people becomes the proverbial "deer in the headlights", frozen and immoblized. Trauma and addiction go hand-in-hand. Oprah Winfrey once said: "If you don't heal the wounds of your childhood, you bleed into the future."
The Sane Sobriety program will focus on educating and examining the relationship between emotional trauma and
drug addiction. Teaching our clients about emotional literacy and how they can read the secrets of their heart and tell the stories of their inner world. It also means being able to put our feelings into meaningful words!!!
There are certain foundational truths that must be understood in order to have a Sane Sobrity: This is the secular model of this drug program in contrast to the spiritual model.
1. I must be Proactive in battling and in dealing with my addiction. That is, I must be diligent in fighting and resisting my addiction. A focus on actions and effort. Proactive in battling my addiction with a support group,
in counseling, and an Accountality Partner or a Sponser.
It also includes learning to share my feelings about any trauma that I may have experienced in my childhood or any traumatic event that took place in my life as an adult. I am committed to learning about emotional literacy. I understand that emotional literacy gives us the language to think through and process emotional and psychological pain that might otherwise get disowned and eventually self-medicated.
Emotional literacy, simply speaking, is the ability to put feelings into meaningful words, that occurs as a result of trauma.
2. I must understand that I use drugs to alter feelings; therefore I must face and deal with my feelings.
....What do I feel regarding my childhood?
....What do I feel about my father?
....What do I feel about my mother?
....What do I feel about my siblings?
....What do I feel about my life in school?
....What kind of hurt or injustice did I experience as
a child?
....What kind of relationship did I have with the
oppose sex?
....What do I feel about myself
....What do I feel about God
3. I must maintain a constant mental alert mode regarding the triggers that will drive me to indulge in my favorite drug.
....Trigger like feeling rejected or betrayed.
....Trigger like having a conflict with someone.
....Trigger of being angry with a loved one.
....Trigger of feeling overwhelming depressed.
....Trigger of feeling alone or unloved.
....Trigger of feeling like a failure.
....Trigger of feeling afraid or very anxious.
4. Do I understand the potency of my favorite drug?
How powerful is my favorite drug?
....Crack Cocaine is a powerful euphoria that
last only 3-5 minutes and then I need more.
This drug will damage my heart. It is like having
constantly too much adrenalin.
....Methamphetamine is so powerful that I can
go 10-12 days without food or sleep. Your body
becomes a skelton and it rot out your teeth. Your
entire immune system is affected and you cannot
fight off viruses or infections. Your face will be
sunken in especially in the area of the eye
sockets.
....Oxycodine has such a powerful euphoria that
it will take you to the edge of death and beyond.
Your head and your heart feels like it is going to
explode! Eventually, it will happen!
....Alcohol has a double edge sword effect.
It is a powerful depressant and it inflames your
passions that you become quickly angry and out
of control.
....Xanex is a prescription drug used for anxiety
and usually is mixed with alcohol by young people
that leads to a wipeout state where the person is
almost asleep while walking. They will eventually
pass out. Many fatal car wreak takes place
because the driver has passed out while on Xanex.
....Pain pills like Perocet or Loratabs gives a light
buzz or euphoria and the person who becomes
addicted to them will have to take handful of pills
to maintain their previous euphoria that they got
from two pills. Their life becomes at great risk
because they are taking more pills than our body
can tolerant. Often, they will end up taking 20-25
pills and end up as a drug casualty. Pain pills are
very popular today and very addicted.
....Marijuana is often considered like a garden
snake-very harmless when in fact it is more like
a rattle snake-very dangerous. It is considered
a gateway drug. A light buzz or euphoria that
creates a desire for a greater euphoria. The
worst affect is that marijuana will strip you of
your motivation to excel. You become content
with "mellowing out" or becoming like a
Zombie. If you're not a self-starter or well
motivated in this world then you will not
suceed at anything. You will become a failure!
....Nicotine is very addictive and dangerous. It is
very harmful to your lungs and heart. It has an
adverse effect on your central nervous system.
Cigarettes will kill. The addiction is so powerful
that people will continue to smoke even though
they are dying of lung cancer. It is also dangerous
to your heart and can create a heart attack.
5. Do I believe that I am no match for my favorite drug?
....These drugs will always lead to a person being
dominated as they gradually lose touch with
reality and believe that they can quit using drugs
whether they want to. They will live in denial,
desperation, and secretacy. Do I ever think about
suicide or dying? Have I had any episodes of drug
overdose?
6. My attitude will color my world: Is my world dark and
bleak? Or, is my world bright and pleasant? I must
improve my attitude!
....Always aware of my mental state of mind. What I
am thinking?
....Always aware of what I am feeling. I must
become emotional connected to loved ones and not
shut down, emotionally. It is a learning process.
....My thinking and my feelings together form my
attitude.
7. Did I have childhood traumas that have caused me to
internalize my pain and constantly drives me to numb
my pain with drugs. Seven broad traumas: Iisted in
the order of its significant.
....Rejection from a parent or primary caregiver
....Incest
....Sexual molestation
....Emotional abuse
....Physical abuse
....Divorce of the parents
....Death of a primary caregiver
8. I must be honest with myself that I will be most vulnerable to drugs whether I alienate myself and withdraw
from others. It will always lead me to a self-contained world (like a cocoon) where I will not allow anyone to enter into it but my favorite drug. One-on-one with my King Euphoria, that will soon become king of kings in my world. I cannot afford to be a disconnected person!
9. How did I relate to Father figures and authority in my
life?
....Was my father abusive, absence, or abandoned me?
....How did he treat me? What did he say about me?
....What authority did I have the most problem with?
10. How do I see myself in regards to my self-image?
....Do I have a positive or negative self-image?
11. How has love/hate became a factor in my life?
....Did I feel loved by someone?
....Do I hate someone in my life?
12. How has fear became a factor in my life?
....What is the major fear in my life?
....What other fears were factors in my life?
A brief summary of foundational truths:
1. Know that I must be proactive to stay sober.
2. Know what I am feeling and why.
3. Know my triggers that drive me to use drugs.
4. Know how powerful is my favorite drug.
5. Know that I can be quickly dominated by my drug.
6. Know the importance of attitude.
7. Know the childhood traumas buried inside of me.
8. Know that I cannot stay sober if I isolate myself.
9. Know how I feel toward Father's figure in my life.
10. Know how I see myself regarding my self-image.
11. Know how love/hate has affected my life.
12. Know how fear has affected my life.
Understanding Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Steps:
1. I admit that I am powerless to my addiction and my life
has become unmanageable.
....I refuse to be in denial regarding the seriousness of
my drug problem. I am honest and humbled that my life
has spirled out of control because of my drug problem.
2. I came to believe that a power greater than myself can
restore me to sanity.
....I cannot deal with my addiction in my own power and
strength. I need to be restored to sanity. I need alot of
help even supernatural intervention.
3. I made a decision to turn my will and life over to the care of God as we understand Him.
....I made a decision to seek a spiritual awakening and
try to understand who God is. I depend on Him to deliver
me from my addiction.
4. Made a fearless and moral inventory of ourselves.
....I take off my mask and honestly face myself with all
my defects and shortcomings.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
....I chose to live a transparent life and I find another person who will not judge me; but that person will hold me
accountable for my action. My accountability partner will be someone that I can verbalize and venilate my feeling in order that I might not isolate myself. I refuse to be a disconnect person. Proactive in maintaining a Sane Soberity!
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these
defects of character.
....I understand that my defects affects my relationship
with people and cause me to become a disconnected
person, who becomes vulnerable to drugs. I believe that
God can remove them with my cooperation.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
....I have confident in Him that if I pray in faith and
expect Him to answer that He will do for me what I can't
do for myself-remove my shortcomings!
8. Made a list of all persons we had harm, and thus
became willing to make amends to them all.
....A new mode of operation: Instead of burning my
bridges behind me I am seeking to build bridges to the
people that I have hurted. I now understand the damage
I have done to them. I make my list and face the damage
I have done to others.
9. Made direct amends to such people whenever
possible, except when to do so would injure them
or others.
....This is a golden opportunity to asked forgiviness
from a ex-spouse or a ex-friend, who may be living in
bitterness, because of the harm I have done to them.
I create healing for both them and often their own
families. Some of our victims will refuse to accept
our amends; but I did my part so I am healed and they
are not!
10. Continue to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong promptly admitted it.
....Constant self-examination and instant in accepting
responsiblity for my behavior. No longer afraid to admit
that I was wrong. My relationship with people is more
important than my pride.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with God as we understood Him,
praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the
power to carry that out.
....We are committed to experiencing conscious contact
with God by means of prayer and meditation. We are
also committed to knowing His will and obtaining His
power to perform it.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of
these Steps, we tried to carry this message to drug
addicts, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs.
....We realize the importance of helping others to
experience the same deliverance from drugs as we have
experience as a result of a spiritual awakening. By
sharing this message with others we seal our own
committment to absolute sobrity!!!
The secular model of the Restoration Of Sane Sobriety Program would depend on the twelve foundational truths that previous have been discussed in addition to the Twelve Steps to Sobriety that
Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous uses
in their program.
The focus of treatment would be on emotional healing
and resolving a fixation on childhood traumas while
learning to deal with wounds and pain. To be set free
from all the pain of the past!
Strong emphasis in meetings on emotional issues like
anger, bitterness, depression, fear/anxiety, jealousy, and
guilt/shame and how they relate to the need for using
drugs to cope.
The spiritual model of the program would emphasis
Biblical truths that transforms the mind and a focus
on Jesus Christ, who transforms the heart.
Spiritual principles from Christian Drug programs like
Celebrate Recovery and Reformers Unanimous would be
utilized in helping drug addicts break their chains of
addiction.
