This is a individual recovery plan, for substance abuse or otherwise.
You are encouraged to build your own recovery with your own books and beliefs. We are pluralists, unlike supremacist ideologies like Christianity and Islam that claim only their ways are true salvation. The only importance is that our beliefs follow our best understanding of science. If something doesn't work, don't fool yourself. If something does, keep it.
We currently support Naltrexone and pharmacuetical extinction of alcohol cravings using the sinclair method. This is not an abstinence only program, but long term absitence from subtance abuse is understood as the ideal.
The science on naltrexone/vivitrol does not have full consensus. Some research has said it is ineffective. Some research says it is, in reducing the frequency and the amount of alcohol consumed. It it also possibly useful for opioid dependence
We believe absitence only programs are shaming, not based on science, and incapatible with our methods. 12 step programs demand submission. 12 step programs are apologists for abuse, from your boss, your significant others, your parents; they demand "what's your part in it" from horrors. They claim they believe addiciton is a disease, but it needs to be cured through healing your "defects of character" and only the quasi-christian God can do it. Sounds a lot like they still think it's a moral disease.
You are powerful, you can change your world. The people around you are weak, and they can not do it. There is no God that will make you sober. You have to validate yourself.
We support the scientific community and therapy treatments. If any therapist invalidates you or makes you feel shame, try another. As an addict or in another recovery, you're likely vulnerable to being tricked into shame. You must be guarded. You know when you feel bad, when to apologize.
Position is a place of being. You can be in a safe space, an authoritive space, or a toxic space, or a weak space. Work to leave a bad position, or work to maintain a good position
Posture is how you stand and act. Your body and mind are intrinsicly linked. A strong posture will make you feel confident, a weak posture will make you feel weak. This carries on to how you stand, sit, how you dress, how you walk, and even your social media presence. "Power posing" a minute before a confrontation, such as a job interview, will make you feel, and thus act, more confident.
Youtube Video: Your body language may shape who you are
Amy Cuddy: The benefit of power posing before a high-stakes social evaluation.pdf
The first satanic sin. We define stupidity as "behavoirs that hurt others as well as ourselves". This is regardless of intelligence.
https://www.churchofsatan.com/nine-satanic-sins/
Your mind and body are intrinsicly linked. Work on improving and mainting physical health. Get an hour of exercise a day. Get outside into nature. An hour walk in nature reduces stress.pdf
Exercise improves mental health.pdf in mood disorders and substance abuse disorders (and even schizophrenia.pdf)
Get enough sleep. Sleep affects your mood and your emotional regulation is paramount in recovery.
If unable to exercise, practice more mindfulness.
Berking, et al. recommend enhancement of emotional-regulation skills, especially the ability to tolerate and cope with negative emotions, is an important target in the treatment of AD
Spend time to research "emotional regulation." Adopt practices that are most appealing to you. Practice Self-compassion, self-care
Current reference: https://www.betterup.com/blog/emotional-regulation-skills
You can craft your own apologies, this is just a framework. You are under no pressure to apologize to anyone. Becoming a stronger person benefits society enough, you are not indebted to anyone.
An explanation is not an apology, though it can help. You are not required to complete all four for the apology, but each part improves the reaction to the speaker.pdf. | It is also better to wait until the offended party is ready for the apology, but if this is not possible, an early, incomplete apology is better than no apology.pdf
Corelation is not causation. Addiction is not cured through healing "defects of character". It is not a moral disease. Addiction is a learned behavior that can be unlearned. These methods are meant to build on evidence based treatments.
Putting addicts together may not be an ideal treatment. That is part of the reason for an individual form of spritual recovery. It may be healthier for an addict to seek relationships with people who are not struggling with addiction.
Addiction and mental health may not be to par with the reality of the situation. The DSM gets updated regularly, and bias's and science have created bad treatments before. "Masochistic personality disorder" was almost invented to characterize women in abusive relationship. 12 step program was written a century ago. Dr. Judith Herman invented complex post-traumatic stress to explain symptoms. The author believes there is significant work in research still, and "personality disorders" may be bias victim blaming. Or maybe you are just fucked up; it's still better for everyone if you're not in addiction.
"Instead of conceptualizing the psychopathology of the victim as a response to an abusive situation, mental health professionals have frequently attributed the abusive situation to the victim's presumed underlying psychopathology." - Trauma and Recovery, Dr Judith Herman.
Berking, M., Margraf, M., Ebert, D., Wupperman, P., Hofmann, S. G.,
& Junghanns, K. (2011). Deficits in emotion-regulation skills
predict alcohol use during and after cognitive–behavioral therapy for
alcohol dependence. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 79(3), 307.
Casadio, P., Olivoni, D., Bonafede, R., & Atti, A. R. (2016). Co-occurence of Substance Use and Personality Disorders: Epidemiology, Etiopathogenesis, and Treatment. In Neuropathology of drug addictions and substance misuse (pp. 239-248). Academic Press.
Cuddy, A. J., Wilmuth, C. A., & Carney, D. R. (2012). The benefit of power posing before a high-stakes social evaluation. Harvard Business School working paper series# 13-027.
Frantz, C. M., & Bennigson, C. (2005). Better late than early: The influence of timing on apology effectiveness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41(2), 201-207.
Girdler, S. J., Confino, J. E., & Woesner, M. E. (2019). Exercise as a treatment for schizophrenia: a review. Psychopharmacology bulletin, 49(1), 56.
Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome in survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of traumatic stress, 5(3), 377-391.
Scher, S. J., & Darley, J. M. (1997). How effective are the things people say to apologize? Effects of the realization of the apology speech act. Journal of psycholinguistic research, 26, 127-140.
Sinclair, J. D. (2001). Evidence about the use of naltrexone and for different ways of using it in the treatment of alcoholism. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 36(1), 2-10.
Sudimac, S., Sale, V., & Kühn, S. (2022). How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Molecular psychiatry, 1-7.
Taylor, C. B., Sallis, J. F., & Needle, R. (1985). The relation of physical activity and exercise to mental health. Public health reports, 100(2), 195.
Updated May 21, 2023
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