Alcoholism & Drug Addiction or “Drugoholism.

” The 3 P’s, Some Facts and

Opinions - 08/10

Primary.

Today it is less common to find a “simple” alcoholic. “Better living through

Chemistry.” includes varying combinations and permutations of alcohol, street
and/or prescription drugs. As an addiction M.D. wrote on http://wiredin.org.uk/ - a
substance recovery blog, “One of the most important paradigm shifts might be
dropping the artificial separation between drugs and alcohol. The addiction is in
the person, not the drug; I have almost never met a chemically dependent
patient who was only using one chemical.” So Drugoholism is the more applicable
general term nowadays. I would also include food addiction, plus the process
addictions, gambling, sex, and Internet addiction, the newcomer on the block.
Dual Addiction is also as commonplace as this Poly- Substance Abuse.

Once it takes hold, Drugoholism is self-exacerbating, self-perpetuating, and self-

reinforcing. To translate, Drugoholism produces a process of self-feeding,
(recursive, snake swallowing it’s own tail), cycles and spirals that strengthen and
worsen the longer it progresses, INDEPENDENT of however it was initiated. Once
a match starts the underbrush alight, the ensuing forest fire proceeds on its own.
In its later stages, this progression is totally impervious to resolution of initiating
circumstances or outside factors. This means attempts to resolve childhood
problems, (or current external issues), as the solution, has little chance of long-
term success. The match is not the current issue; putting out the fire first
becomes the necessity. This will be difficult enough for most. Unless there is a
condition of Dual Diagnosis, i.e. other combined coexisting heavy-duty
mental/emotional conditions as a current source of/result of, or both, of an
individual’s Drugoholism. Though this may appear to be true of a high percentage
of those needing help, the majority need sobriety first, in order to address other
remaining issues, because of the needed recovery from the degenerative
addictive process as outlined below. But if crucial, a small percentage may need
these to be addressed concurrently. For many a Drugoholic, research has
documented that 50% of the problem is contributed to by an underlying
genetic/biochemical vulnerability. For example, if one identical twin is alcoholic,
the other has a 50% chance of being alcoholic, even if growing up in a different
home, excluding mere role modeling, though this can indeed be a compounding
factor. Statistical methodology of this nature is one of the standard methods for
establishing genetic influences. Research into large Drugoholic populations using
several other common methods of statistical analysis yields similar results.

Progressive.

As described above, this process becomes progressively worse. “At first glance it
seems as if a vicious circle has been established, but that is not the case, for it is
actually a more ominous downward spiral…” from, “The Booze Battle.” by Ruth
Maxwell, where she documents the process extensively. This is both a physical
and psychological process. In the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, it states
something like, “Over any considerable period of time we get worse, never
better. At times there are brief periods of recovery, followed by still worse
relapse.” For alcoholism itself, as also cocaine addiction, there is a recorded well-
defined stereotypical sequence of stages and their symptoms. Reducing major
external stressors may often produce temporary, but rarely long-term
improvement, unless accompanied by treatment, due to the mental component,
the persistent delusions of denial, that are retained subconsciously, that re-
emerge after periods of abstinence, or as the preferred default reaction and/or
avoidance/coping mechanism to perceived stress. In the later stages, these
delusions become a significant mental issue.

Drugoholism exists like all illnesses, in both varying degrees of intensity and
stages of progression. In advanced and/or intense addictions, the delusions and
other mental defenses described further on, and other forms of both voluntary
and involuntary large-scale repression, (i.e. pushing unacceptable realities
down/out of awareness), become then a full blown mental health issue. The
Drugoholic loses all connection to the reality of his addictions and their
consequences in his life, as this ongoing process of occlusion creates an eclipse
of the original mind and spirit. This is added and abetted by the toxic chemical
poisoning effects on the brain. (The word is, in-toxic-ation). Mr. Hyde takes over
from Dr Jekyll, not only when loaded, but sober too, as in that story. In other
words, instead of the Drugoholic being a person who has a problem, the person
becomes the problem. Often some form of controlled external environment is
essential for the Drugoholic to regain even a modicum of sanity, when it reaches
these latter stages.

Permanent.

Once the mental and psycho/physiological mind/body state, (the condition, illness
or dis-ease), of Drugoholism is established, it never leaves, though
abstinence/sobriety may arrest the progression. It is a common experience that a
person rapidly regresses back to where they left off, or even worse, should a
relapse take place. This is particularly so if the process has reached any of the
developing levels of increased physical tolerance. The body and nervous system
have compensated for previous dosages by adapting their metabolism to
diminish the impact of usage. Described in medicine as tissue adaptation. This is
expressed simply in AA parlance as, “Once a pickle, never a cucumber again!”
(Almost every Alcoholic seeking recovery I have quoted this to responds with a
laugh or smile of recognition). Also changes in brain processing and even
structure may appear. As above, the mental illness component of repression and
denial becomes an impervious encapsulating layer. The longstanding use of them
by the Drugoholic, combined with their chemical incorporation into the nervous
system, produces something akin to a personality disorder, these being
notoriously difficult to treat. Also any personality trait can become elevated till it
resembles any of the personality disorders. In other words, a teenager who has
very unstable emotions who starts using may come to resemble a person with
Histrionic and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The late great pathetic Anna
Nicole Smith immediately comes to mind.

“The main thing soluble in Alcohol is the conscience.” Later stage processes
undermine an afflicted persons beliefs, ethics, morals, and values, resulting in a
condition appearing similar to that described in Psychiatry as a character
disorder, at times creating the facsimile of a Psychopath, or Sociopath, also
known to be hard to treat. In more advanced stages Paranoia, Depression, and
PTSD are often accompanying handmaidens of the Drugoholic deterioration.
(Alcoholism has been termed “The great mimic”). This involves the psychology of
Drugoholism, of the addictive forest fire process itself, rather than usual
psychology. It follows of course that trying to work with any accompanying
difficulty, without stopping the ongoing causative active addiction factor, is pretty
much a lost cause. Hypnotherapy, with its ability to “go under” defenses, is at
times able to have some more success, more likely in early stages. Self-hypnosis,
kissing cousin to meditation, is a non-chemical way of self-management that can
successfully fill many Drugoholic needs for stress release..

Until emotional surrender to the fact that control will not be regained, i.e. an
admission of defeat, (not just the intellectual knowledge of this, though that may
be a start); the mind of the Drugoholic is mainly focused on struggles to control
intake and minimize “collateral damage.” The psychological defenses as
elaborated below otherwise maintain and reconstitute themselves in a period of
what proves to be temporary sobriety, and rapidly re-emerge in full force; often
even prior to the physical relapse, if one is coming. This emotional surrender is
expressed in the First Step of the Twelve Steps Programs as, “I am powerless over
(whatever addiction) and my life has become unmanageable.” It is also included in
the idea, “One is too many and a thousand’s not enough.” My version is, “I’m
addicted to something that’s killing me,” which equals, “I’m screwed,” or a still
more vulgar wordage. True acceptance of this powerlessness opens the door to
giving up the struggle to control Drugoholism, initiating the new process of shifting
energy and focus towards the goal of learning to live life without chemicals.

Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists have expressed to me repugnance towards

the idea of teaching persons powerlessness. Mostly because they are uninformed
as to the structure of the denial/excuse/alibi system as follows, and misinterpreting
the description of the need for it’s collapse. This first step is a paradox that opens
the door to sobriety, and subsequent regaining of power and control of their lives
by Drugoholics. Other attempts focused on assisting persons to regain control of
their chemical consumption, or resolve its “causes”, end badly for the most part.
Alcoholism and addiction imply by definition that this control is no longer an
option. (I don’t know of many social or recreational heroin users, or heavily
addicted smokers, who cut down to one now and again). Understanding and
accepting this is the first needed surrender for helping professionals themselves.
Of course, the underlying genetic/biochemical physiological vulnerabilities, and the
underlying, ensuing and/or concomitant psychological vulnerabilities, for those so
affected, certainly never disappear. This step therefore becomes the pre-requisite
solid foundation for all further progress.

Recognition.

Drugoholism may or may not include physical dependency, especially in its initial
stages, but develops a specific group of psychological defenses and attitudes to
the addictive usage, so it may be easily recognized by these defenses long before
any actual physical dependency sets in. This is especially so with the common
longer term, more slowly growing basic types of addiction to alcohol. (Taking up
to 14 years). These can be seen as various components of the denial process.
They are intertwined, overlapping and fused mechanisms.

1) Flat out Denial :- “I don’t have the problem.” Total lack of awareness.
2) Fall back Denial :- “I have the problem, but I can handle it on my own.” By
the time things have reached such a pass as to prompt this last kind of
defensive statement, the probability is very low of it being true.
3) Repression :- Removing unpleasant realities by consciously or
unconsciously blocking them out of awareness. “I don’t believe I did that.”
The unconscious element is not under an individual’s control, creating a
worsening mental condition, as the necessity for this mechanism increases.
4) Defocusing :- (focusing on where the problem isn’t), “I didn’t drink for a
week, so I can’t be an alcoholic.”
5) Proving one doesn’t have a problem and proof of control statements in
general. “I can’t be an alcoholic because… “ If a person is engaged in
proving they have control, what are they controlling, if not a problem?
Another paradox. Drugoholism, (and recovery), are full of them.
6) Rationalization :- making wrong things right. “I had a stomach ache, and
the whisky soothed it.” (No mention that it took a pint!).
7) Minimization: - reducing the significance of negative events connected to
addictive consumption, the aforementioned, “collateral damage.” “Yes, I
did hit my wife when I was high, but she has forgiven me.”
8) Projection :- Blaming other externals, like the time honored, “You’d drink
too if you had a wife like mine.”
Blaming on childhood difficulties/trauma, etc. As described, these may have
been a source, but past a certain point they become irrelevant.
9) False (addictive) logic :- “When I get as bad as him, I’ll stop.” i.e. “When my
diabetes gets as bad as his, and they wish to cut off my feet because of
diabetic gangrene, or I’m starting to go blind, then I will stop.”
10) Procrastination in general. The “I’ll quit tomorrow,” syndrome.
11) Defense/defiance of the right to drink/use, “Nobodies going to tell me
how much I can or cannot drink.”
12) Justification :- “You don’t understand, all real men drink heavily where
I come from, it’s a masculine thing.”
13) Distortion of perception or recall. Thinking and recalling of self at a
social gathering as a suave Don Juan, not as a slobbering pest. “She is
much too much of a Sensitive Lesbian Feminist, that’s the problem.”
 14) Euphoric Recall :- The good old days, “You can’t remember how bad it
got, you can only remember how good it felt.”
15) Alibis & Excuses :- “I was late because the traffic was so heavy.” Not
mentioning, or even perhaps even being aware of the fact, “I was so loaded
I passed out for half an hour,” being the real cause of the delay. “I was
overwhelmed, so I couldn’t focus and couldn’t do well on the exam.” Rather
than, “I was so hung over and/or still loaded from yesterday, that I was in
no shape to do well.”

Once one “tunes in” to the flavor, to the sense, (and nonsense!), of these
defensive responses, Drugoholism now becomes revealed, easily visible to the
educated eye; and detection/identification of its presence is now a relatively
simple exercise, even in its early stages. The very stereotypical mental and
emotional defenses created by the condition, along with the distorted logic that
hide it from to uneducated; now emerge to clearly display its presence. The
person’s attitude to their consumption of chemicals may show far more than the
physical factors. This was true even of the Dual Diagnosis teenagers I worked
with in a Psychiatric Unit. Those that were already manifesting the addictive
process of Drugoholism displayed and maintained this kind of thinking, despite
their youth. This is very important for helping professionals, as Drugoholism
presents in every area of human problems, but is often masked by a veneer of
these very problems, producing a confusion of cause and effect. This is only the
more true, when the effect of Drugoholism, say loss of employment,
homelessness etc. often feeds back cyclically as a “cause.” (Which can be
deliberately fed back cynically to manipulate helpers by “system abusers.”)

Drugoholism affects roughly 10% of the population, (more if the obesity epidemic
which includes many food addicts), and recovery is far too huge a topic to deal
with in this one article. But let it be said it also adversely affects all those closely
connected to a Drugoholic, spreading the effects of the problem. I have seen this
huge affected (some quite severely, mentally and emotionally), segment of the
rest of the population described variously as from 40% to 70%. Suffice it to say
that recovery is possible, and early diagnosis may increase this possibility with
any given individual. The increasingly of widespread recognition and
understanding of the condition is an advantage; although the lack of
understanding of addiction to medical drugs, prescribed with an ever increasing
frequency, is a step backwards. For further information and recovery resources,
visit Holistic Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy – Los Angeles the website of Brian Green,
CDS. CHT.