You Aren’t Weak, Broken Or Lacking Willpower #health #holistic

Many people mistakenly believe that sobriety is just about having tons of willpower.

Maybe you’re convinced that if only you were stronger, you’d be able to ‘control’ alcohol a bit better.

Perhaps you’ve confided in someone about your drinking, only for them to turn round and say, “Well – why don’t you just stop at one?” 

This stuff can leave you feeling as if your drinking is a personal failing and weakness. 

I get it. It’s a horrible place to be. 

But you aren’t weak at all. I explain why in this video:

Key points:

You’re not weak

If you’re reading this, I’d put money on the fact that you are smart, motivated and driven. You’re juggling many competing demands, between family life, work and the fallout from the coronavirus.

You have to be a strong person to make all that stuff happen whilst feeling hungover and pretending to feel absolutely fine. 

 

‘Normal’ drinking

Alcohol is a mind-altering, addictive drug which is normalised, glamorised and often presented as the solution to all your problems, and completely essential to a full and happy life. 

It’s completely normal – and predictable – to become dependent on an addictive drug that is repeatedly presented to you in the most flattering and appealing way.

 

Successful sobriety isn’t about willpower

Let’s be clear: grit and determination will only get you so far. Long term, happy sobriety is about much more than willpower – it’s about doing the right mindset work.

If you want sobriety to feel less like a punishing diet and more like an empowering way of life, you have to examine the benefits of drinking. Is alcohol genuinely doing everything you think it is? (Hint: it’s not).

 

Why do you really drink?

The real work of sobriety is looking at why you want to numb out in the first place. Why do you want to escape your life? Why do you want to do that on a very average Monday night? 

Focusing on this is much more helpful than clinging on to a story – and it is just a story – that you are weak and broken and there’s something wrong with you.

 

If you’d love some help and support to quit drinking, click here for details of my online course.

 

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Flattening the mental health curve is the next big coronavirus challenge #health #holistic

The mental health crisis triggered by COVID-19 is escalating rapidly. One example: When compared to a 2018 survey, U.S. adults are now eight times more likely to meet the criteria for serious mental distress. One-third of Americans report clinically significant symptoms of anxiety or clinical depression, according to a late May 2020 release of Census Bureau data.While all population groups are affected, this crisis is especially difficult for students, particularly those pushed off college campuses and now facing economic uncertainty; adults with children at home, struggling to juggle work and home-schooling; and front-line health care workers, risking their lives to save others.We know the virus has a deadly impact on the human body. But its impact on our mental health may be deadly too. Some recent projections suggest that deaths stemming from mental health issues could rival deaths directly due to the virus itself. The latest study from the Well Being Trust, a nonprofit foundation, estimates that COVID-19 may lead to anywhere from 27,644 to 154,037 additional U.S. deaths of despair, as mass unemployment, social isolation, depression and anxiety drive increases in suicides and drug overdoses.But there are ways to help flatten the rising mental health curve. Our experience as psychologists investigating the depression epidemic and the nature of positive emotions tells us we can. With a concerted effort, clinical psychology can meet this challenge.Reimagining mental health careOur field has accumulated long lists of evidence-based approaches to treat and prevent anxiety, depression and suicide. But these existing tools are inadequate for the task at hand. Our shining examples of successful in-person psychotherapies – such as cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, or dialectical behavioral therapy for suicidal patients – were already underserving the population before the pandemic.Now, these therapies are largely not available to patients in person, due to physical distancing mandates and continuing anxieties about virus exposure in public places. A further complication: Physical distancing interferes with support networks of friends and family. These networks ordinarily allow people to cope with major shocks. Now they are, if not completely severed, surely diminished.What will help patients now? Clinical scientists and mental health practitioners must reimagine our care. This includes action on four interconnected fronts.First, the traditional model of how and where a person receives mental health care must change. Clinicians and policymakers must deliver evidence-based care that clients can access remotely. Traditional “in-person” approaches – like individual or group face-to-face sessions with a mental health professional – will never be able to meet the current need.Telehealth therapy sessions can fill a small part of the remaining gap. Forms of nontraditional mental health care delivery must fill the rest. These alternatives do not require reinvention of the wheel; in fact, these resources are already readily accessible. Among available options: web-based courses on the science of happiness, open-source web-based tools and podcasts. There are also self-paced, web-based interventions – mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is one – which are accessible for free or at reduced rates.Democratizing mental healthSecond, mental health care must be democratized. That means abandoning the notion that the only path to treatment is through a therapist or psychiatrist who dispenses wisdom or medications. Instead, we need other kinds of collaborative and community-based partnerships.For example, given the known benefits of social support as a buffer against mental distress, we should enhance peer-delivered or peer-supported interventions – like peer-led mental health support groups, where information is communicated between people of similar social status or with common mental health problems. Peer programs have great flexibility; after orientation and training, peer leaders are capable of helping individual clients or groups, in person, online or via the phone. Initial data shows these approaches can successfully treat severe mental illness and depression. But they are not yet widely used.Taking a proactive approachThird, clinical scientists must promote mental health at the population level, with initiatives that try to benefit everyone rather than focusing exclusively on those who seek treatment. Some of these promotion strategies already have clear-cut scientific support. In fact, the best-supported population interventions, such as exercise, sleep hygiene and spending time outdoors, lend themselves perfectly to the needs of the moment: stress-relieving, mental illness-blocking and cost-free.Finally, we must track mental health on the population level, just as intensely as COVID-19 is tracked and modeled. We must collect much more mental health outcome data than we do now. This data should include evaluations from mental health professionals as well as reports from everyday citizens who share their daily experiences in real time via remote-based survey platforms.Monitoring population-level mental health requires a team effort. Data must be collected, then analyzed; findings must be shared across disciplines – psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology, sociology and public health, to name a few. Sustained funding from key institutions, like the NIH, are essential. To those who say this is too tall an order, we ask, “What’s the alternative?” Before flattening the mental health curve, the curve must be visible.COVID-19 has revealed the inadequacies of the old mental health order. A vaccine will not solve these problems. Changes to mental health paradigms are needed now. In fact, the revolution is overdue. [You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help.Read The Conversation’s newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Sober Partners #health #holistic

Located just two blocks from the shore at Huntington Beach, Sober Partners offers residential drug and alcohol treatment in a comfortable and relaxed setting with a “beach community vibe.” Treatment is personalized, including gender- and age-specific programs, an executive track, and support for dual diagnoses. In addition to inpatient rehab, they also offer an outpatient program, aftercare, detox, intervention, a 1-on-1 intensive track, and more. All clinical staff hold advanced degrees. Sober Partners prides itself on making sobriety accessible and fun, striving to "tackle the drink and drug problem in an innovative and creative way."Sober Partners alumni who took our survey reported a variety of factors that were most important to them in choosing this facility, but treatment quality and location topped the list. Length of stay varies from person to person with most staying for 30 days, but others for 60 or 90 days. Alumni described their fellow residents as varying in age, income, and drug of choice. They ranged “...from wealthy to having nothing to their name,” with the majority described as “white-collar” and “upscale” young professionals ranging in age from early 20s to 40s, and recovering from a variety of substances including opiates, meth, and alcohol. One common theme was that residents were “serious about recovery and treatment,” although one client felt their peers were “too high brow for me.”According to alumni, life at Sober Partners is “very structured.” As one former resident recalled, “Staff kept us on a tight schedule because it's not good for addicts to get bored.” A typical weekday at Sober Partners starts with breakfast (and any prescribed medications), followed by “various types of groups always starting with some sort of meditation/reflection to set the tone for the day.” Lunch is served at noon, followed by another group. While groups and treatment make up much of the day, clients are kept busy with other activities as well. The remainder of the afternoon is spent enjoying one of the center’s many recreational activities such as getting a massage or working out at the gym. “We were educated on the benefit of a balanced lifestyle that incorporated exercise and building relationships with our peers,” one alum said. On weekends, mornings follow the same schedule as weekdays, but in the afternoon “we would do a group activity that showed us that we could have fun in sobriety.” In addition to the aforementioned activities, clients can participate in beach and water-related recreation including volleyball, fishing, and surf or scuba lessons. Clients also mentioned outings to go hiking and shopping. “Everyone was encouraged to stay active.”The newly remodeled accommodations are very comfortable, according to alumni. One resident who had previously been to other treatment facilities felt the facility was “nicer than I was accustomed to.” Some residents had roommates while others had private rooms. Everyone was expected to keep their rooms and the common areas clean and tidy, and follow “house rules.” Sober Partners is pet-friendly.Mealtime was described as a “family-like atmosphere,” where staff and clients cook and eat together. Teaching the residents to prepare meals is part of life skills training. One person observed that “Some clients seemed to come from privilege and didn't even know how to cook for themselves.” Meals were described as “Healthy, but tasty,” and there was always more than enough to eat. Burgers, barbecue, pizza, and salmon were a few of the popular items. One alum who praised both the chili and the meatloaf (favorites for many) liked everything and “couldn't wait for the next meal.” Another “didn’t care for the tofu burgers.” For those with specific dietary needs, there is “enough choice for everyone.” Coffee and snacks are always available. When it comes to dealing with infractions, staff practiced “firm but not tough love, more enlightened than that.” All respondents spoke highly of staff, saying they were “caring, fair and professional.” Clients who violate rules are assessed on a case by case basis with everyone being “treated like adults.” Verbal, then written warnings could be followed by termination, depending on the severity of the infraction(s). And while one alum pointed out that staff “didn't need to be [overly strict] as we had a group of people that were serious about getting clean & sober,” another described them as “no nonsense, they will kick you out if not serious.” One resident indicated that a verbal warning was usually all that was necessary and that problems could be turned into learning opportunities: “The conversation ended with more insight into how important changing behaviors was in recovery.” Phone use is restricted for the first seven days, after which clients are allowed one call per day. If a client wishes to make additional calls, it is contingent upon case manager approval which is usually granted...“as often as needed but not excessive.” TV is allowed in common areas or bedrooms at the end of the day after groups are completed. Using phone and internet for work while in inpatient treatment is highly discouraged. “They wanted to have individuals maintain their attention on their recovery by staying present,” said one alum. Once patients move into partial and intensive outpatient treatment, “a lot more freedom and liberty was provided with phone and internet” to help residents transition back to regular daily life.Treatment consists of evidence-based approaches combined with an introduction to the 12 steps. “The program did introduce 12-step programs, and it was recommended to find some sort of self-care program to attend aftercare, however, it was not forced,” said one alum. Another described “a unique, broad-based approach.” Staff were “up to date on addiction treatment topics and procedures. Treatment is personalized, with staff “trying to find the right approach for the individual which I appreciated.”Religion is not part of the program, but they provide access to houses of worship. “I felt respected in regards to my personal religious beliefs,” said one former client. Another recalled that staff would “work with me where I was in regards to spirituality and didn't strong arm me, I appreciated that approach.”Sober Partners employs full-time nursing staff and physicians on site who provide regular medical evaluations for all patients. The doctors were “Very helpful,” and “Well-qualified in addiction science,” although in one case, the “bedside manner could be better.” Most alumni had high praise for medical staff. “I was going through a medical detox & the doctor that treated me was fantastic!” “Love the nurses...Always there to help.”Overall, alumni had high parting praise and felt grateful for their time at Sober Partners. “People there became like family,” said one. “They really try to provide something you're not going to get at other treatment centers.” Alumni expressed the most praise for the staff, who “care about the growth and wellbeing of the individuals there seeking treatment.”Most of the Sober Partners alumni who took our survey have maintained their sobriety since leaving treatment (with a few reporting a “slip”). One alum explained, “By utilizing the tools and developing a recovery foundation back home, I am proud to say that I have been sober for over 18 months!”

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Treating Opioid Addiction During COVID-19 #health #holistic

The global coronavirus pandemic has likely just begun. People across the globe need to prepare for the fact that our lives will probably be changed for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, people struggling with opioid use disorder mustn't delay their treatment while the pandemic is ongoing.Waismann Method® Opioid Treatment Specialists have adapted their protocols to offer safe, effective opioid detox during the pandemic. Here is what you should know about medically assisted detoxification, and how the Waismann Method® Opioid Treatment Specialists are keeping patients safe during this time.What is Rapid Detox or Medically Assisted Opioid Detoxification?For over 21 years, Waismann Method® has offered medically assisted solutions to treat withdrawal symptoms of opioid and alcohol dependency. Medical treatments are provided within a private room of a full-service accredited hospital.The goal of the treatment is to provide patients suffering from opioid use disorder a safe, effective, and much more pleasant way to successfully get through withdrawal. In other words, instead of forcing people to endure unnecessary pain and health risks related to an opioid detox, withdrawal symptoms are medically managed, and vitals adequately controlled."We offer patients a humane and effective solution to a physiological condition that has the potential to harm all aspects of someone's life," says Clare Waismann, founder of the Waismann Method. "Our approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder is based on science, compassion, and results."Detox treatments are under the supervision of a quadruple board-certified medical director, Michael H. Lowenstein, M.D. Dr. Lowenstein has successfully treated thousands of patients suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) for over two decades. He is also world-renowned as one of the most experienced rapid detox physicians in the world.Waismann Method team has worked diligently for over 21 years in providing the most advanced and successful opioid detox protocols. Rapid detox was just the beginning of a myriad of medically assisted protocols based on each patient's overall health needs."We believe patients should have the right to become opioid-free so they can be emotionally present to work with whatever emotional issues they have," Waismann says. "Often, long-term opioid maintenance drugs don't fix the real problem; instead, they just delay it."Opioid addiction is a consequence of untreated pain, either physical or emotional, and in most cases, both. Successfully treating the physical dependence allows people the stability to focus entirely on addressing their pain, and moving forward without substance abuse."This newfound freedom from drug dependence, combined with non-addictive forms of craving management, allows people to be emotionally present to adhere to whatever type of emotional support is necessary to sustain recovery," Waismann says.Getting through detox with sedation and other supportive medications is terrific but not enough. A short amount of care throughout the regulation period is crucial for patients to regain some physical and emotional strength before returning home. For that reason, Waismann Method provides patients with a few days at Domus Retreat - a safe haven for those seeking compassionate and professional assistance in this first part of recovery. Also, at Domus Retreat, treatment professionals can help clients identify underlying mental health issues, and guide them toward the resources that can support their emotional and physical health.Adjusting safety protocols in response to COVIDAs a science-based medical provider, Waismann Method pays close attention to the latest medical guidance. It has implemented new measures in order to continue to provide detox during the pandemic while keeping everyone safe.Waismann Method and Domus Retreat Enhanced Safety Precautions During Covid-19As concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) consume our nation, the Waismann Method and Domus Retreat team step up to protect the health and safety of our patients and employees by adopting additional protocols.Family visits have been suspended at this time.Those seeking admission will be screened with questions concerning current health, recent travel, and interactions with others before arriving. When in the hospital, out-of-state patients or those with suspicious symptoms will be tested for COVID. Individuals who fail to meet medical criteria will be denied admission.Patients and staff are instructed to practice aggressive hand washing; avoid touching face; masks and gloves are provided and, in some areas, enforced.Maintaining Domus with 3 to 4 clients at one time.Housekeep staff are spending additional time disinfecting and cleaning all areas of Domus RetreatWe continue to monitor CDC and state health department recommendations and adapt as needed.The time for detox is now.Currently, some people are concerned about seeking substance abuse care. But the truth is that opioid use disorder is a medical condition that gets worse with time. Delaying detox and treatment can pose an irreversible risk to people.Addiction does not discriminate, and the need for treatment certainly does not wait for "a convenient time." Times of crisis lead to heightened stress and anxiety amongst every living being, and especially for that suffering from addiction. There is no better time to seek help than now. The Waismann and Domus Team is fully prepared to help patients get the help they deserve when they need it the most.

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Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens #health #holistic

As protests against police violence and racism continue in cities throughout the U.S., the public is learning that several of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville share a history of complaints by citizens of brutality or misconduct.Decades of research on police shootings and brutality reveal that officers with a history of shooting civilians, for example, are much more likely to do so in the future compared to other officers.A similar pattern holds for misconduct complaints. Officers who are the subject of previous civilian complaints – regardless of whether those complaints are for excessive force, verbal abuse or unlawful searches – pose a higher risk of engaging in serious misconduct in the future.A study published in the American Economic Journal reviewed 50,000 allegations of officer misconduct in Chicago and found that officers with extensive complaint histories were disproportionately more likely to be named subjects in civil rights lawsuits with extensive claims and large settlement payouts.In spite of this research, many law enforcement agencies not only fail to adequately investigate misconduct allegations, they rarely sustain citizen complaints. Disciplinary sanctions are few and reserved for the most egregious cases.Protesters went to the home of the Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who is now charged with George Floyd’s death.Complaints, lawsuits – but few consequencesDerek Chauvin, the ex-officer who has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing Floyd, is no stranger to situations in which deadly force has been deployed.During a 2006 roadside stop, Chauvin was among six officers who, in just four seconds, fired 43 rounds into a truck driven by a man wanted for questioning in a domestic assault. The man, Wayne Reyes, who police said aimed a sawed-off shotgun at them, died at the scene. The police department never acknowledged which officers had fired their guns and a grand jury convened by prosecutors did not indict any of the officers.Chauvin is also the subject of at least 18 separate misconduct complaints and was involved in two additional shooting incidents. According to The Associated Press, 16 of the complaints were “closed with no discipline” and two letters of reprimand were issued for Chauvin related to the other cases.Tou Thao, one of three Minneapolis officers at the scene as Floyd pleaded for his life, is named in a 2017 civil rights lawsuit against the department. Lamar Ferguson, the plaintiff, said he was walking home with his pregnant girlfriend when Thao and another officer stopped him without cause, handcuffed him and proceeded to kick, punch and knee him with such force that his teeth shattered.The case was settled by the city for US$25,000, with the officers and the city declaring no liability, but it is not known if Thao was disciplined by the department.In Louisville, Kentucky, at least three of the officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor while serving a no-knock warrant at her home – allowing them to use a battering ram to open her door – had previously been sanctioned for violating department policies.One of the officers, Brett Hankison, is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit alleging, according to news reports, harassing suspects and planting drugs on them. He has denied the charges in a response to the lawsuit.Another officer in the Taylor case, Myles Cosgrove, was sued for excessive force in 2006 by a man whom he shot seven times in the course of a routine traffic stop. The judge dismissed the case. Cosgrove had been put on paid administrative leave as his role in the shooting was investigated by his department, and returned to the department after the investigation closed.Patterns of misconduct and abuseI am a scholar of law and the criminal justice system. In my work on wrongful conviction cases in Philadelphia, I regularly encounter patterns of police misconduct including witness intimidation, evidence tampering and coercion. It is often the same officers engaging in the same kinds of misconduct and abuse across multiple cases.The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that across the nation fewer than one in 12 complaints of police misconduct result in any kind of disciplinary action.And then there is the problem of “gypsy cops” – a derogatory ethnic slur used in law enforcement circles to refer to officers who are fired for serious misconduct from one department only to be rehired by another one.Timothy Loehmann, the Cleveland officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, resigned before he was fired from his previous department after they deemed him unfit to serve. A grand jury did not indict Loehmann for the killing, but he was fired by the Cleveland Division of Police after they found he had not disclosed the reason for leaving his previous job.In the largest study of police hiring, researchers concluded that rehired officers, who make up roughly 3% of the police force, present a serious threat to communities because of their propensity to re-offend, if they had engaged in misconduct before.These officers, wrote the study’s authors, “are more likely … to be fired from their next job or to receive a complaint for a ‘moral character violation.’”The Newark modelThe Obama administration’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recommended the creation of a national database to identify officers whose law enforcement licenses were revoked due to misconduct. The database that currently exists, the National Decertification Index, is limited, given state level variation in reporting requirements and decertification processes.Analysts agree that this is a useful step, but it does not address underlying organizational and institutional sources of violence, discrimination and misconduct.For example, in the aftermath of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the Department of Justice found that the department had a lengthy history of excessive force, unconstitutional stop and searches, racial discrimination and racial bias.The report noted that the use of force was often punitive and retaliatory and that “the overwhelming majority of force – almost 90% – is used against African Americans.”One promising solution might be the creation of independent civilian review boards that are able to conduct their own investigations and impose disciplinary measures.In Newark, New Jersey, the board can issue subpoenas, hold hearings and investigate misconduct.Research at the national level suggests that jurisdictions with citizen review boards uphold more excessive force complaints than jurisdictions that rely on internal mechanisms.But historically, the work of civilian review boards has been undercut by limitations on resources and authority. Promising models, including the one in Newark, are frequently the target of lawsuits and harassment by police unions, who say that such boards undermine the police department’s internal disciplinary procedures.In the case of civilian review board in the Newark, the board largely prevailed in the aftermath of the police union lawsuit. The court ruling restored the board’s ability to investigate police misconduct – but it made the board’s disciplinary recommendations nonbinding. [Deep knowledge, daily.Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]Jill McCorkel, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Villanova UniversityThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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But I Just Really Love Drinking Wine #health #holistic

“How can I get sober when I love drinking wine? And cocktails? And beer?”

At the height of my drinking career, I asked myself this question a lot.

I knew I needed to stop and I knew cutting down didn’t really work for me. 

I hated the way I felt when I broke the promises I’d made to myself.  

And yet I still loved drinking.

If you’re in a similar position, let’s talk about the best way to move forward:

Key points:

We haven’t always loved alcohol.

It’s important to recognise this. Think back to your first alcoholic drink – what was it like? For me, the taste of wine made me gag. But I pushed on through and learned to tolerate it. 

I taught myself to love it because I was already sold on the idea that drinking was going to make me more relaxed, confident and fun. For many of us, this cultural conditioning is part of our belief system before we’ve even had our first drink.

 

If it was really about the taste…

We’d have no problem switching to alcohol-free wines and beers. The range available now is terrific. And have you noticed that after a break from drinking, that first glass of wine never tastes quite as good as you remembered?

 

It’s easy to say, “I just love drinking wine”

It’s much harder to admit the truth: that you have a hard time feeling good enough. Or you find it difficult to relax on your own. Or you struggle to manage the transition from work life to family life. 

Drinking is always about the feelings or benefits you’re chasing. When we cling on to vague statements like, “I just really love drinking!” it’s hard to move forward. It’s a disempowering place to stand in.

When you know what you’re really using alcohol for, the path forward becomes clearer. Then you can start asking, “Ok – how can I do this on my own? What skill do I need to learn or practice?”

 

If you’d love some help and support to quit drinking, click here for details of my online course.

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Treatment Based on a Meaningful Life #health #holistic

The disease model of addiction says that substance use is a brain disease and that people who use substances addictively are powerless over their actions. However, not everyone believes that characterization of addiction. Treatment centers that reject the disease model take a unique approach to treating substance abuse.At Sunshine Coast Health Centre, in British Columbia, the treatment program is based on the idea that addiction is a response to a life without personal meaning, says Geoff Thompson, PhD., program director at Sunshine Coast. That idea has a long history; it was first voiced by Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning, published in 1946.“Frankl said that if we really want to understand addiction, we have to recognize that it is far more than merely the drugs’ effects on the brain,” Thompson said. “Addiction operates at the level of a fundamental motivation to make sense of ourselves and pursue a meaningful life.”Accepting that premise changes the way that Sunshine Coast Health Centre delivers care.At the forefront, building a life In 12-step addiction treatment, clients are encouraged to focus on abstinence. Then, after they’ve achieved sobriety, they explore creating a meaningful life. At Sunshine Coast, that model is turned around.“If addiction is a problem of meaning, then the goal of treatment is to help clients begin the process of living a personally meaningful life,” Thompson said.A meaningful life has three components, Thompson said: self-awareness, positive relationships, and intrinsic motivations. When a client comes to Sunshine Coast, they begin therapy to help them create these components.“We designed a program to help clients develop an accurate understanding of who they are, develop authentic relationships, and pursue goals based on what is truly important to them,” Thompson said. “The focus is always on helping them get a life.”Principles of addiction therapyAt Sunshine Coast Health Centre, therapy follows specific principles to help build a meaningful life. Here’s how Thompson describes the principles:We don’t treat an addict or an addiction. We treat a complicated, unique human being, who suffers from addiction.Each client is the author of his or her life, regardless of biological or environmental limitations. We don’t tell clients what to do, think, feel, or say; that’s the client’s responsibility.Each client is a whole human being. People don’t stop being human simply because they’ve succumbed to a drug.Meaning is not the absence of suffering. In fact, research indicates that questions of meaning arise precisely because of suffering. Frankl said that the key to a meaningful life wasn’t to eliminate suffering, but to rise above it by pursuing goals that helped others, Thompson said.Meaning is not the same as happiness. Research indicates that happiness has more to do with feeling comfortable and getting desires met. Meaning is more other-centered and associated with attaching one’s life to something greater than the self.These principles extend to the way that the staff at Sunshine Coast treats clients.“Because we treat all clients as human beings (not as addicts), everyone who works at SCHC follows the three basic principles of therapy: empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness,” Thompson said. “This creates an environment where clients can feel free to be themselves, a requirement for good therapy.”Expecting the treatment to workToo often, when treatment for addiction doesn’t work, people blame the client. At Sunshine Coast, that is different.“Rather than blaming clients, we examine the therapy itself. What were we doing that we could not get through to this client?” Thompson said. “We are constantly refining the program, based on the latest research and feedback from clients and families. Ultimately, we use meaning therapy as a way to improve success rates in treatment, which are currently less than inspiring.”The focus of that therapy is clear throughout treatment.“Our goal is not to help clients stay away from drugs, it’s to help clients ‘get a life,’” Thompson said. “If addiction is a response to a life that lacks personal meaning, however, then we need to front-load getting a life. Clients need a reason to do all this work, which is why mainstream treatments do not have inspiring outcome studies.”Sunshine Coast Health Centre is a non-12-step drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in British Columbia. Learn more here.

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