The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 31

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 31 of a series dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction from a Mystical, Mythological Perspective, reflecting Bob’s scholarly work as a Ph.D. in mythological studies.

King George for Bob Wagner post 31The movie, The King’s Speech, with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, is about King George VI who, despite a terrible speech impediment, must conquer his affliction and rise up to lead England in its critical opposition to Germany in the years up to the beginning of WWII. It is a stirring portrayal of the courage of a leader and his people in one of the ugliest times in human history. This period has always held a fascination for me, having been born in its early years, because it required so much courage of everyone, so much energy in the face of enormous terrors for everyone, leaders and citizens alike.

But it also occurs to me that, in our struggles to initiate and maintain a life of sobriety, sobriety from the substances and behavior of addiction as well as a psychical sobriety from the behavior patterns that attended our addictions, we mirror just this kind of courage. For each and every one of us, our lives in the throes of addiction were just as fearsome and dangerous to our individual lives and those around us as was the scourge of Nazism and Fascism of Germany, Italy, and Imperial Japan…and then Communist Russia and China…to the multitudinous communities of the free world in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.

Looking at this from the same perspective, each of us, enslaved in the throes of addictive consumptions and behaviors, had to summon incredible individual fortitude to step through the Gates of Recovery and pursue a better life. It required a courage and resolve that mirrored that for those who landed in the surf of Omaha Beach in the Normandy invasion of June 1944.

Achieving a semblance of Sobriety, and a life in the Fellowships we all enjoy in our sober lives, provide an incredible sense of joy and achievement, despite the work necessary to maintain a safe haven from addiction.  It is a sense of joy that mirrors that felt by the entire free world when the ultimate defeats of German, Italy and Japan were achieved in 1945.

Why Do People With Mental Disorders Turn to Drugs?

Many people diagnosed with a mental disorder start abusing illegal drugs to either fight the symptoms of their illness or deal with the side effects of the medicine used to treat their illness. Scientists have long made the link between mental health disorders and substance abuse. In fact, the co-existence of both is referred to as “co-occurring disorders.”

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 8.2 million adults over the age of 18 had co-occurring disorders (see a diagram from the survey below).

Co occurring disorders chart2

Consider schizophrenia. About 50 percent of people suffering from the disorder have also abused illegal substances at some point during their lives, according to the article “Treating Substance Abuse among Patients with Schizophrenia” published in Psychiatry Online. 

 “It is widely assumed that patients with schizophrenia use substances to reduce psychotic symptoms and alleviate the sedating side effects of neuroleptics. However, the most common reasons given for use of alcohol and other drugs are to “get high” and to reduce negative affective states including social anxiety and tension, dysphoria and depression, and boredom.”

Researchers have made a connection between schizophrenia and marijuana use in particular. Use of the drug causes symptoms of schizophrenia – like hallucinations and paranoia – to get worse.

Teens dealing with a social anxiety disorder are more likely to start using marijuana at an earlier age, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University School.

What are reasons for the connection? There are young users who take the drug to appear more fun and to “alleviate the social anxiety of making friends,” according to the recent “Canadian Youth Perceptions on Cannabis” report, where interviewers spoke to youth participating in the study. In addition to that, both “cannabis intoxication” and withdrawal from the drug can lead to anxiety.

Regular cocaine use is also linked to anxiety disorders and stress.

If you or someone you love suffering from a co-occurring mental health disorder, contact The Council on Recovery.

[From Get Smart About Drugs, a DEA Resource for Parents, Educators, and Care-Givers] 

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 29

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 29 of a series dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction from a Mystical, Mythological Perspective, reflecting Bob’s scholarly work as a Ph.D. in mythological studies.

In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe was approx 9.5 million.  In 1950, it was approx 3.5 million.  While there were some emigrations before the intense Nazi persecutions began in 1938 and after WWII ended in 1945, the vast bulk of that reduction was the systematic murder of nearly 6 million by the Nazis during that intervening period. The Holocaust was a wretched chapter in human history and we can debate forever why and how it could possibly have happened…especially considering the vast number of both victims who were killed and perpetrators who made conscious decisions to participate in the killing or ignore the reality that it was happening.

Wars and horrific events that are occasioned by wars are an ever present experience in the history of the human species.  They have always seemed to me to have happened when our basest natures begin to rule our activities, for whatever reasons. It is almost as if wars and the horrific events around wars represent the collective of societies acting out in a massive alcoholic rage. I believe there is a parallel here to each of us in our diseased states.

Our individual alcoholism, the elements of our psyches that set us up to an ugly descent into the abyss of demoralization, shame, fear, and pain, may have had many causes. These conditions can happen for collectives as well. Thinking of what happened in the Holocaust, in all its phases, it seems that there are parallels to the most despicable of our behaviors in our diseased states.

This may be why, for those of us fully committed to living lives in the pursuit of sobriety, our new-found, 12-step based behavior is so critical to the societies in which we live. It is clear that the experience of the long history of the human species is to higher and higher levels of consciousness. As human societies evolve to these greater states, those of us carrying the message, modeling new behavior, motivated solely from a consciousness of service, will be the agents of ultimate change.  Service to everyone, individually and collectively, service to the Cosmos from a profound position of humility, must be our fundamental calling.

As Trauma From Hurricane Harvey Persists, The Council on Recovery Launches Free Counseling & Treatment for Those Still Struggling

Grant from Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Allows Council to Provide Free Help for Trauma, Mental Health Issues, and Substance Use Disorders to People Affected by the Storm

Thanks to a grant received from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, The Council on Recovery is now offering all of its services at no cost to qualified hurricane victims. The Council will provide counseling, treatment, and support to individuals and families affected by storm-related trauma, substance abuse issues, and mental health disorders. These free services will help those who are still struggling to recover nearly eight months after the hurricane hit the coast of Texas.

Mel Cropped
Mel Taylor

“Since the hurricane, we’ve continuously provided help to both flood victims and those whose lives were disrupted by the storm,” says Mel Taylor, President & CEO of The Council. “The trauma people experienced precipitated or compounded many addiction and mental health issues that we still deal with every day,” Taylor says, “For some, the financial distress caused by Harvey makes treatment at any cost unaffordable. This funding will allow us to serve those people and remain the starting point for everyone who needs help.”

The Council on Recovery will provide direct services across its broad spectrum of behavioral health and substance abuse programs to individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey. Services such as assessment, evaluation, intensive education, clinical treatment, case management, and recovery support will be expanded beyond current capacity. Those who qualify will receive these services at no charge.

“Our slogan is ‘You Know Someone Who Needs Us’,” Taylor says, “and Hurricane Harvey amplified that message across the Houston area. Thanks to the generous grant from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, we’ll continue to meet the vital needs of our community with commitment and compassion.”

For more information, call The Council on Recovery at (713) 942-4100 or visit www.councilonrecovery.org

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 27

Declaration of Independence 1Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 27 of a series dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction from a Mystical, Mythological Perspective, reflecting Bob’s scholarly work as a Ph.D. in mythological studies.

The United States Declaration of Independence is the basic expression of the principles, the mythic structure that is our American Nation. The “truths (held) to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” that “governments are instituted among men deriving their just rights (only) from the consent of the governed,” is the foundation of all that we espouse. They are the necessary bases for our way of life, despite the myriad of experiences that may happen from time to time where we fail to live up to these tenets. In the final analysis, all of our levels of government can only be successful if they are willing to fall back to these principles to resolve disputes.

However, it is my belief that the only communities of women and men that live up to these basic American principles in an almost absolute fashion are Alcoholics Anonymous and its fellow Twelve Step programs. We have no leaders, our volunteers and service personnel do not govern. Our only authority is a loving God as he may express himself through our Group Conscience.  Decisions about how our Fellowships are to proceed are made by Groups operating only with the Steps and Traditions to guide them. In times of stress and conflict, we can all fall back on our basic Steps and Traditions, and our collective commitments to sobriety, to restore order.

I consider myself an avowed American with a firm commitment to the principles of our American Founding…and living in the communities of 12 Step programs reinforces the joy I have felt since birth about living in an American world based on these principles.

Of course, the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions could not be the only things that would determine the stability of the broader societies that represent our Nation. Multi-tiered governmental systems are necessary to enact laws, prosecute and restrain the lawless, and interpret conflicting dicta that may derail societal systems. Without them, the innate chaotic tendencies of many of us could destroy us.  But we in the Fellowships seem to avoid these breakdowns by our own individual and collective commitment to sobriety.

For all of us sufferers of addiction, the similarities of our Groups to American societal systems provide for wonderful reflection on the beauty of our Fellowships.  But it is the fundamental commitment we all feel to the success of these Fellowships that is the real magic, and the one that keeps us from the occasional breakdowns in functioning that might happen in other, broader systems.

Youth-Inspired Film Sparks New Conversations About Mental Illness

Angst MovieIndieFlix documentary and panel discussion to spur dialogue about the state of youth mental health in Houston.

On Thursday, April 12th, the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston in collaboration with Advocates of Healthy Minds, The Council on Recovery, Fusion Academy and the Peace of Mind Foundation, will hold a special screening of the new IndieFlix Original documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety,” at The Council on Recovery (303 Jackson Hill Street, 77007) as an opportunity to create a dialogue between local families, community leaders and experts about the state of youth mental health in our area.

The event, scheduled from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, will feature a viewing of the 56-minute film that tells the stories of kids and teens who discuss their anxiety and its impacts on their lives and relationships, and how they have found solutions and hope. The film also provides discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, along with the help, resources and tools available to address the condition.

Following the film, a panel discussion with behavioral health experts, Elizabeth McIngvale, Ph.D, founder of the Peace of Mind Foundation and Sam Scharff, LPC, LCDC with The Council on Recovery and Fusion Academy student, Parker Lewish will highlight the evening.

“Anxiety disorders are real and treatable,” said Janet Pozmantier, M.S., LPC, LMFT, RPT, director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston. “Getting young people preventative care, treatment and tools to cope is crucial to helping them to not only feel better, but to have a greater chance of having success in life. It’s time to start the conversation in our homes, our schools and our communities.”

One in every five youth meet the criteria for having a lifetime mental disorder that can cause severe impairment or distress. Studies also show that substance use or dependence is the most commonly diagnosed health concerns for young people, followed by anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health challenge in the U.S., impacting 54 percent of females and 46 percent of males, with age seven being the median age of onset, according to the World Health Organization. While anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only one-third of those suffering receive treatment. Everyone involved in the development of “Angst” has a personal experience with anxiety – from the producers to the interviewees.

Free and low-cost tickets are available here.  The screening is appropriate for students, families, advocates and community members interested in learning about preventing and addressing mental health concerns including anxiety, depression and suicide. “Angst” screens in schools and communities across the world and is expected to reach more than three million people around the world, through 25,000 community and school screenings.