The Global Conversation

Tag: drugs and alcohol

  • War on drugs is just another war on people

    The United States spends fifty one billion ($51,000,000,000.00) annually (per year) on the war on drugs. Where is that getting us?  Who is the beneficiary of this ginormous amount of money?  Has anyone asked if the money could be spent in a more humanitarian effort such as programs and funding for those who wish to get out of the vicious cycle of addiction?

    The war on drugs began during the Nixon presidency when President Nixon, rightly so, called drugs “public enemy number one.”  Alcohol and other drugs account for the majority of people now being held in our prison system.  Has anyone considered that it costs over $50,000 per year to house one person in a correctional facility? That money couldn’t be better spent trying to help people overcome addiction?

    Don’t even get me started on the term “correctional facility.”  The rate of recidivism is a steady forty percent.  There are approximately two million people incarcerated in the United States alone.   Of those people roughly one million are in jail on drug related offenses.  This includes people arrested for marijuana offenses in states where pot is now completely legal!

    The war on drugs is a very healthy economy for some.  Many people have become uber rich thanks to this war. Some of these people are the most ruthless people on the planet.  Mexican drug cartels, Afghanistan drug lords, Governments of third world countries to name just a few.  Our war on drugs hasn’t saved any lives it has maimed and slaughtered countless innocent lives though.

    There are some rumblings from Washington that they are going to take a look at the clemency issue for a few thousand prisoners who are in jails for drug related crimes. A few thousand is a drop in the bucket of the larger problem at hand.  How do we get help to those who need it and want it?

    As recovery advocates, myself and my peers struggle daily to find suitable help for those with their hand stretched out looking for assistance. I have to tell, if your wallet is empty, it isn’t going to be easy to get treatment.  The good news is; it isn’t impossible.  The sad part is; it isn’t getting any easier right now.

    Currently only the best and most expensive insurance policies cover addiction treatment.  Even in those cases the insurer usually dictates what that treatment is going to look like.  Typically they will give the green light to outpatient treatment.  This means you get to go see a counselor a few times a week for therapy.  This is rarely sufficient to get a person off of addictive substances.

    For addicts, the window of willingness to get help is very small.  It may literally be only a matter of minutes that a person remains willing to be treated.  An hour spent in therapy is merely a delay in the inevitable.  Addicts recover best when they are in a group environment away from those people, places and substances that keep them in the vicious cycle of addiction.

    Some insurers will agree to inpatient treatment, typically only 28 days however.  Statistics show a greater success rate when patients remain in treatment for 90 days. Why wouldn’t we see those statistics and do what is best for the individual and society by giving treatment that is clearly better?  If money is the sole answer, I know where there is $51,000,000,000.00 available to help!

    I see the illusion of ignorance at work here.  We have almost 45 years of data showing that the war on drugs has done nothing to stem drug use.  The number of high school students that have admitted to using heroine is through the roof.  Alcohol has its same foothold on our youth is it always has. Now that pot is becoming legal for recreational use the stigma will subside possibly leading to more widespread misuse.  Of those who try it just because it is legal, some will switch on their addiction gene and move into full blown addiction.

    Stopping people from using cannot be achieved by locking them up after they have already begun using.  We need to do a better job of informing our population of the facts about addiction not propaganda.  I never experienced “Refer Madness” nor did anyone else. It was just a lie and lies don’t work.  What is the first thing we ask our kids when we suspect them of drug use?  “Don’t lie to me, have you been using?”  Not real helpful.

    I wonder why the majority of politicians don’t see the impotence of the war on drugs and make an attempt to overhaul it.  Just about everyone has been impacted by a loved one’s addiction.   With just a little bit of understanding it is plain to see that it is a sickness not a moral issue.

    Legislating morality hasn’t worked really well for our country and it is about time to stop and take inventory of what works and what doesn’t.  Prisons can be the trigger that some need to become sober.  I am pretty clear that in most cases people return from prison with deeper emotional issues and less coping mechanisms making addiction the easy way out.  This begins the vicious cycle all over again.

    I say stop the war on drugs and start a new campaigned.  Maybe we can call the “light on addiction.”  We all know that what we look at disappears and what we resist persists.  I am not resisting any longer.  I am now assisting, and that is what I encourage you to do. Instead of saying things like “shame on you,” maybe we can start saying things like “I understand you, and I want to help.”

    Help me shine the light will you?

    (Kevin McCormack, C.A.d ,is a certified addictions professional and Recovery Advocate.  He is a recovering addict with 26 years of sobriety. Kevin is a practicing auriculotherapist, recovery coach, and interventionist specializing in individual and family recovery.  Kevin has a passion for holistic living, personal awareness training, and physical meditation. You can visit his website Life After Addicton for more information. To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • The healing power of auriculotherapy

    Many of you are aware of the amazing health and wellness benefits of acupuncture.  I have a close friend who is a master acupuncturist and she has traveled all over the world to master her craft.  She has treated me for various things over the years, and I am a big fan.  Auriculotherapy is similar to acupuncture, but is only treated on the surface of the ear and there are no needles used in this type of treatment.  Much like acupuncture, there are only a couple of contraindications.  For safety reasons, auriculotherapy should not be performed on those who are pregnant or anyone who has a pacemaker.  Auriculotherapy is completely safe on all others.

    I am bringing you this article today because not very many people have heard about auriculotherapy.  One of the most beneficial aspects of the treatment is the sedation effect.  When we become stressed with our day to day living, our mind tends to go into what is called fight-or-flight syndrome.  The symptoms of fight-or-flight syndrome are shallow breathing, increased heart rate, and our awareness is heightened.  Our adrenal glands go into high gear and adrenalin is pumped into the blood stream to prepare us for battle.  During this state of heightened awareness, we live our lives through the lens of fear.  We are constantly on the defensive and looking for our enemies.  Our ability to be creative is diminished, and rational, cognitive thinking is impaired.

    After long periods of fight-or-flight syndrome, our body begins to break down.  The negative thinking becomes firmly entrenched behavior, creating a vicious circle of stress-inducing thought.  Chronic illness such as irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, and addiction are common companions of fight or flight.  Many seek treatment for the visible symptoms and are then prescribed drugs that simply mask the body’s attempts to show us there is something that needs our attention.  By treating the apparent symptoms and not addressing the chronic state of being we have developed, the other symptoms begin to get worse.  This is the never-ending cycle that so many people are now caught up in.  We have become a society that has medicine cabinets full of drugs to “fix” things that can be easily corrected with a lifestyle change.

    Many people fear that reducing their stress means less productivity. Our culture has us believing that our health and well-being is secondary to our financial security.  Yet with the rising cost of health care, soon, if not already, it will be far more costly to neglect our health than continue a lifestyle that requires us to overwork and overproduce. Having a healthy stress management ritual helps us to be more productive in our work, emotionally available for our friends and family, and open to hearing our higher self and the soft hints of our intuitive nature.

    Holistic wellness methods such as acupuncture, auriculotherapy, chiropractic, naturopathy, yoga, and meditation, to name just a few, are surefire ways to stop the fight-or-flight syndrome in its tracks.  Stress can never be eliminated; in fact, we need stress in our lives to provide a contextual field and propel us to our natural state, which is self-improvement.  Our society has all but given up on the natural path to wellness in favor of the quick fix in the forms of pills and surgeries.  While I do understand that there are situations that call for the medical community to step in and help, I am of the belief that if we practice healthier, holistic lifestyles, the need for traditional medicine would be minimal.  Stopping chronic illness starts at arresting our fight-or-flight response and finding a state of relaxation.

    The first point treated in auriculotherapy is called the Shen Men.  The Chinese have had awareness of this point for over 5,000 years. When the Shen Men is stimulated using the micro-current tool used in auriculotherapy, the mind becomes sedated, allowing for a greater connection to our soul voice. When the mind is “out of the way,” the body’s ability to heal is unlimited. Furthermore, the panic mode brought on by our fight-or-flight mechanism is virtually eliminated, easing us into a normalized state of being. Sometimes simply being reminded of what it feels like to not be worried or anxious is all it takes for a person to understand just how stressed out they really are.

    There are over 350 reflex points in the ear referring to every system, organ, and limb of the body. The procedure is quick and painless, although some would describe it as mildly uncomfortable. The results are immediate and undeniable.  For a quick and relatively painless session, relaxation is induced and fight or flight is arrested for the time being.  If the person receiving treatment has any mild aches or pains, the therapist can locate and stimulate corresponding points and ease the discomfort.

    Used in many treatment facilities, auriculotherapy has shown remarkable results in patient retention.  On average, patients attending 28-day treatment facilities typically only stay around 10 days.  Studies show that facilities who offer advanced relaxation therapies like yoga and auriculotherapy have almost 100 percent retention.

    For those wishing to quit smoking, auriculotherapy offers an easy way out. The hardest part of quitting smoking is the discomfort of withdrawal. By stimulating the correct points we can trick the brain into releasing endorphins, the exact same feeling we get when we are smoking, without the nicotine to produce it.  After just a few treatments, the body normalizes its production of endorphins and the withdrawal stage has passed.

    If you are looking for a stress management protocol, try looking into auriculotherapy and see for yourself.  Typically, you will find this treatment being offered in chiropractic offices and holistic wellness centers.  The average treatment takes about 20 minutes to ½ hour.

    I am bringing you this article today for two reasons:  The first is as an informational piece.  I feel this is a valuable tool to have in your holistic health toolbox.  The second reason is to tell you that at our Path to Peace recovery retreats, we offer this service for no additional charge daily. For someone wishing to quit smoking, who plans on attending the retreat, this could be a great way to kick it off.

    Our next P2P retreat is coming up quickly.  This one will be held in San Jose, California, from September 19 – 22nd.  After that, we will be taking to the east coast in Orlando, Florida, from October 24 – 27th. Click here for more information and registration for these retreats.

    (Kevin McCormack, C.A.d ,is a certified addictions professional. He is a recovering addict with 26 years of sobriety. Kevin is a practicing auriculotherapist, life coach, and interventionist specializing in individual and family recovery and also co-facilitates spiritual recovery retreats for the CWG foundation with JR Westen. You can visit his website here for more information. To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • The uphill climb from the bottom

    There I was, walking away from my family and towards the detox ward of the hospital. Overwhelming fear, coupled with a hangover and sense of humiliation, weighing on my thoughts and my body.  So many questions running through my head: What is this going to be like?  What are they going to do to me?  How can I get out of this?  Where would I go?  What have I gotten myself into?  I was walking into the complete unknown, and I was afraid.

    I remember very clearly the first thing that took place.  I was greeted by the doctor who ran the detox.  His name was Dr. D’ Amico.  He explained that I would be wearing the typical hospital gown; you know the one that is open in the back and ties around your waste.  He gave his reason for this: “You are sick.  You are suffering from a disease; therefore, you will be treated as any other person who is sick.”  This was my first real introduction to addiction as a disease.

    After changing into the hospital gown, the nurse took all of  my possessions, shoes and socks, clothing, and cigarettes.  There was no smoking in the hospital detox.  I was led to my room, basically an open area where there were two beds sectioned off from the rest of the hospital by only a curtain.  The curtain remained open all the time.

    I was tired and worn down.  Looking back, I felt relief to be out of the cycle of addiction and the pace of the life I had created.  A nurse came to my bed, bringing medication.  And I was told that because alcohol was one of the drugs I was withdrawing from, I had to take anti-seizure medicine.  Alcohol withdrawal is the most dangerous drug to withdraw from.

    My second day in detox was more challenging.  I was already feeling much better after a good night’s sleep and nutritious meals.  Feeling better sounds like a good thing, but for a person who is addicted, feeling good and healthy typically means that it is okay to start using again.  And that is exactly what I was thinking:  “I don’t need this.  I can do it myself.”  I don’t remember saying that, but I would not be surprised if I did, as I know I was thinking it!

    My addictive behavior did not end in the detox.  After the second day, when the nurse would deliver the anti-seizure medicine, I would store it under my tongue until she left the room.  I would quickly remove it and hide it under my pillow for future use.  I was saving it up so I could take more than one and hopefully get high.  Looking back on this behavior reminds me that I was not just a “normal” kid who liked to party a little too much.

    It was pre-arranged that I would go directly from detox to a 28-day inpatient treatment facility.  This is a very common procedure, because by the seventh day of detox, I was feeling on top of the world physically and mentally.  I was very resistant to going to a rehabilitation center.  (Most of the people who do not go directly to rehab relapse and begin using again shortly after their release from the hospital.)  After a brief intervention with my parents and the doctor, I agreed to proceed as planned.

    It is my hope that in the telling of my personal story here someone reading this will have a greater understanding of how to navigate early recovery either for them or for a loved one.  Alcoholics and drug addicts will convince themselves and everyone else that they just need to break the cycle of using and they will be fine.  I am here to tell you it just isn’t so.  Abstinence is not recovery!  And except for extremely rare cases, abstinence does not maintain.  For those who do simply abstain from using their drugs of choice without employing some form of self-improvement program, long-term recovery is much less likely to happen.  It is the addictive behavior that must be addressed.  The drugs are simply the symptom of a far greater issue.  I was not plotting my next binge when I was saving up the medication for “one last high”;  I was exhibiting the behavior of an addict.

    Addictive personalities do not simply go away with time.  It is debatable whether or not they ever go away.  From my personal experience in recovery, irrational thinking, obsessions, desire for instant gratification do not disappear from the recovering addict’s life.  What does go away is the obsession to use drugs and alcohol.  It does dissolve immediately.  For some, it can take years.  But the transformation does take place.

    The motto of the recovery community is “One day at a time.”  Indeed, this is the basis for most programs that deal with addictions.  And what a wonderful way to live life it is.  When we seek to keep things simple and we stop projecting our thoughts into the future or wishing the past was different, we remember that all we have is the breath we are taking this very moment of now.  We have the power to change who we are right now, but not by fretting over the past or fearing what may come next.  When we live one moment at a time in the awareness that the past is the past and the future is unwritten, we find our peace.  This is recovery.

    (Kevin McCormack C.A.d Is a certified addictions professional, as well as a Conversations with God Life Coach.  Kevin is a practicing Auriculotherapist, and a Spiritual helper on www.changingchange.net.  Kevin will be presenting at the CwG Recovery Retreat in Medford Oregon June 23rd – June 26th.  You can visit his website at www.Kevin-Spiritualmentor.com  To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@theglobalconversation.com)