Treatment Exercise: The Forgotten Tool

1. Treatment Exercise: The Forgotten Tool Delbert Boone NND Productions, Inc. New York, NY

2. There nine components we want the participant to learn and understand from the treatment experience.

3. Nine Components • Drug use/abuse and consequences • Understanding self and others • Understanding criminal thinking • Decision making and communication skills • The process of addiction

4. Nine Components • The process of recovery • The relationship of alcoholism/addiction to health, family, social and legal problems • The process of relapse prevention • The process of maintaining a drug-free lifestyle

5. Process of Addiction • Characteristics of addictive substances • Early, middle and late states of drug use • Use of drugs by adults in general and by criminal offenders • Psychological aspects of dependency • Biological and social causes of substance abuse

7. Process of Addiction • Chronic, progressive, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive use of one or more substances that results in physical, psychological or social harm to the individual.

8. Process of Addiction • A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is often progressive and fatal, characterized by a pre-occupation with the drug, despite adverse consequences and distortion in thinking.

9. Process of Addiction • Alcoholism and addiction are treatable • Disease concept of alcoholism • Progression theory of addiction • What is meant by the statement, “denial is the art of lying to oneself”? • Hopelessness, powerlessness and unmanageability associated with addiction

10. Clinical Considerations • Addicts fight the idea that addiction is a disease and choose to lie to themselves. • Lying is made easier to believe because they are messed up by drugs.

11. Clinical Consideration • Treatment exercises should focus on the mechanics of being an addict or alcoholic. • Treatment exercises focus on how addiction is a disease.

12. Clinical Considerations • The addicts life is full of trouble and crisis, keeping their attention away from what addiction is doing to them and their loved ones. • Treatment exercises help the addict describe how their life has been affected by what they are doing.

13. Clinical Considerations • Working through treatment exercises should help the addict see that their addiction has hurt everyone and everything in their life. • Treatment exercises should challenge the addict to look at his or her addiction as a disease that needs treatment.

14. Clinical Considerations • Treatment works if the addict follows all the suggestions for recovery. • If the addict wants to get well they have to do what the experts tell them.

15. Clinical Considerations • Treatment exercise should point out the many nasty gifts addiction gave them, such as hopelessness, powerlessness and unmanageability. • The treatment exercise should help addict decide if they want these things to remain in their life.

16. Clinical Considerations • The treatment exercise should ask some very important questions: Have you had enough? Have you had enough pain and loss? Has your family had enough? What are you going to do about it?

17. It is important the addict understand: • They are a survivor. • Many who have lived their life are dead. • They may be locked up, but they are still standing. • They must use no excuses. • They should tolerate only hope and • Throw despair and self-destructive anger out of their life.