By Nicole Arzt LMFT
With over a 200% increase [1] in opioid-related deaths over the past decade, drug addiction in America no longer represents just an epidemic. By all means, this has become a nationwide massacre.
As a therapist specializing in substance use disorders and working in the devastating and complicated trenches of addiction, I have seen pain and suffering in all ages and all demographics. While science continues to prevail and treatment continues to advance, we are still faced with the staggering dilemma: how do we best help those still suffering?
Increase in Awareness
Savvy teenagers carrying Narcan. Well-intentioned parents attending Al-Anon. A surplus of celebrities coming forth with their personal addiction battles and memoirs [2].
As addiction statistics continue to rise, the awareness for this societal issue appears to as well. Opioids no longer lurk within the shadows; they have ambushed upper-class towns, luxurious treatment centers, and the medicine cabinets of the most unassuming neighbors.
While bringing addiction resources to the surface undoubtedly creates the space for resources, it can also create a reverse effect of “normalizing” and even “glamorizing” drug use. After all, awareness has its clear positives, but spotlight focus on anything comes with inherent risk.
Focus on Opportunity
In my work, lack of financial stability or stable employment represents some of the greatest barriers for recovery. Research on sustained sobriety and the importance of stable employment reinforce these observations [3].
For this reason, we need a continuous push towards societal reintegration. We need sober living homes who can and will train and hire graduated alumna. We need treatment centers who offer employment counseling, GED and academic consultations, and work-related services. We need scholarship and payback programs for care. Yes, individuals will still relapse. But, we as professionals need to provide the chance for opportunity.
Involvement and Continuous Community
The more people are connected, the healthier they tend to be. In recovery, peer support proves to be both helpful and essential for sustained mental well-being [4]. When individuals isolate and withdraw from their peers, the signs of relapse start to manifest.
For this reason, sober environments must promote a sense of belonging and community. Homes should foster a sense of togetherness, collaboration, and mutual decision-making. On a routine basis, recovering Individuals need to be encouraged to be involved in their communities, volunteering and providing service work, and engaging with safe and healthy friends.
Openness to Recovery Plans
Ask fifty people the best method for sobriety, and you will receive fifty different answers. Any ethical professional in this industry understands there isn’t a singular way to work or fix this process. Clients are individuals, and their treatment plans must reflect as such.
This field mandates flexibility and openness and must support the willingness to learn about different methods and programs. This includes learning and respecting everything from the 12 steps to harm reduction to holistic care.
And, the research supports it. Individuals who felt most supported by their professional team (sober living managers, case coordinators, sober living owners, therapists) tend to fare better in long-term recovery [5].
References
[1] Rudd RA, Aleshire N, Zibbell JE & Matthew Gladden R. Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths—United States, 2000–2014. Am J Transplant 2016; 16: 1323–1327
[2] Oksanen, A. Affect and addiction in the Celebrity Rehab reality television show. Addiction Research & Theory, 2016; 137-146
[3] Vaillant, G. What Can Long-Term Follow-Up Teach us About Relapse and Prevention of Relapse in Addiction? British Journal of Addiction (1988) 83, 1147-1157
[4] Boisvert, R. A., Martin, L. M., Grosek, M. and Clarie, A. J. (2008), Effectiveness of a peer-support community in addiction recovery: participation as intervention. Occup. Ther. Int., 15: 205–220. doi:10.1002/oti.257
[5] McLellan, T., Hagan, T., Levine, M., Meyers, K., Gould, F., Bencivengo, M., Durell, J., Jaffe, J. Does clinical case management improve outpatient addiction treatment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence., doi: 10.1016/S0376-8716(98)00183-5