Choice point to stop addiction Archives

The Portland Hotel Society: If It Looks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck…

March 21, 2014 by Candace Plattor

Maybe—just maybe—it’s actually a duck?

I just couldn’t let this story go by without writing about it again. The long and short of it is that the higher (no pun intended) authorities of the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) and several of their own Board of Directors are stepping down, as ordered by the BC Government, in order to avoid receivership.

So what does this mean? Well, according to the government, in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, PHS received a cool $21 million in funding. Of that money, we are now being shown that $2.8 million was spent on administration costs and a whopping $15.3 million on employee-related expenses, with an astonishing $358,724 spent on staff travel expenses—such as going on holiday to Disneyland. What??

(For more information, please go directly to the article.)

I simply cannot wrap my head around this!

And all of this was going on while so many of the people they claim to have served in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) lived the miserable life of active addiction, often in cockroach-ridden premises, scrounging for food—and anything else that could feed their addiction—in dumpsters in DTES alleyways.

Sure, that shows how much they really care about their clients.

I heard Mark Townsend, Executive Director of PHS (including the safe injection site, Insite), being interviewed on TV the other night. He seemed quite proud when he stated that PHS hadn’t spent any taxpayer money doing this—as if that somehow made it okay. He appeared to have no shame or remorse at all as he admitted that the money spent on such selfish foolishness came from ‘private donations.’ Even if that’s true, even if none of my money or yours funded those trips to Disneyland and beyond, how must the private donors feel about this—and how soon will they open their coffers again to fund legitimate programs for those who desperately need them?

And from what I currently understand, even though the guilty are resigning, the PHS programs will remain intact—so I’m guessing this means that crack pipes will continue to be sold out of vending machines in the DTES for 25 cents a pop, and that the remaining PHS staff will still be teaching alcoholics how to make their own booze.

And if I’m not mistaken, you and I will continue to be paying for that.

But who’s paying for what isn’t the real issue for me, and I want to take this opportunity to clarify my position. After my recent blog post about the PHS, many readers accused me of not believing in harm reduction. (Crack Pipe Vending Machines: The New Kids on the Block.) That is simply not the case. I do believe in harm reduction. As an Addiction Therapist with over 20 years working in this field, how could I not understand that there is a place for harm reduction on the addiction recovery continuum? Those of us who help people with addictions need to meet them where they are to begin with—but, in my opinion, always with an eye on how we can move addicts into recovery, rather than keeping them stuck in what the PHS considers to be harm reduction.

Is it harm reduction to teach an alcoholic how to make alcohol? Of course I understand the reasoning behind such a program—that it’s better for alcoholics if they don’t drink mouthwash and other harsh toxic products that contain alcohol. I personally and professionally know how sick people can become from addiction and I don’t want anyone to have to suffer like that. I’m into holistic health, from every possible angle—but by not encouraging detox and treatment and instead selling clients crack pipes for a quarter, I do believe we are hurting and not helping in the long run.

Clearly, many of the PHS’s other decisions haven’t been so terrific either, as we are now finding out.

I’m hoping that whoever takes over for Townsend—and for his other cronies who believe in their own sense of righteous importance and entitlement—will look again at these programs with clearer eyes and sharper minds. I truly hope we will soon see some positive changes in this long-running DTES agency that has served a lot of needy people.

I deeply hope they stop the enabling and actually begin to provide the long-term help that their addicted clients so desperately need.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: How Many More Do We Have to Lose?

February 4, 2014 by Candace Plattor

Seriously, I don’t know how many more articles like this I can write about celebrities dying of addiction.

Along with everyone else who knew Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work, I mourn the loss of a gigantic talent. He was one of my favorite actors and I’ve seen most of his films. Of all the celebrity tributes I’ve heard about him in the past couple of days, the one that stands out for me is Rob Lowe’s—Lowe, a recovering addict/alcoholic himself, spoke of feeling angry about a number of things, not the least of which is that addiction is, in his words, “an equal opportunity killer.”

Many people talking about Hoffman today are using the term “speechless” to describe what they’re feeling. Although I can understand what they mean, I find that I am not speechless at all.

I have a lot to say.

What most people don’t understand about indulging in addiction is that it is a choice they are making. Please understand, I’m not saying that addicts deliberately decide to become addicts—I don’t think that’s the case at all. In fact, most people start engaging in addictive behaviors thinking it won’t get them—they’ll be able to handle it and not succumb to addiction. That was certainly true of me when I was using, a great many years ago. But when an addict knows there’s a problem, that’s where the choice point is: will they choose to remain in active addiction or will they choose to be in some form of active, ongoing recovery?

Philip Seymour Hoffman knew that he was an addict. I knew that about him too. Apparently he had many years clean and sober—a wonderful choice on his part. But he clearly allowed himself to have what some would call a “slip,” the acronym for Sobriety Loses Its Priority. A slip is a choice, a relapse is a choice. Continuing to use is a choice. Getting clean is also a choice, as witnessed by the millions of us all over the world who choose it, and continue to choose it one day at a time—often for the rest of our lives.

Yes, there is brain involvement with addiction. There is no question about that. Yes, we may have a genetic disposition to particular mind-altering substances. Although this has not yet been definitively proven scientifically, I believe it to be true. Yes, we may well learn our behavioral addictions in our homes growing up. I witness this daily with my clients and it was also true in my case. But ultimately, none of that really matters because, deep down, the decision to use is just that—a decision. Let’s start calling it what it is before more people have to die.

I don’t know enough about Hoffman’s personal life to know whether he had people around who were enabling him. Maybe, maybe not. If there were, I hope they will examine how they may have unwittingly contributed to this horrendous situation so they don’t do it to anyone else. What I do know for sure is that somewhere along the line, Hoffman himself made the decision to accumulate approximately 50 envelopes of heroin (apparently found in his home at his death), to load at least one syringe with some of it, and proceed to shoot it into his arm.

Done.

I am angry about that.

I am angry any time I hear of an addict dying of an overdose—or of cirrhosis of the liver from drinking, or of lung cancer due to smoking, because HELP IS OUT THERE! Try making a different choice!

I wonder how many more people, celebs and non-celebs alike, have to die because they truly don’t realize that they actually do have control over the choices they themselves make. I wish we could start talking about addiction that way, rather than telling addicts that they have a ‘brain disease,’ all too often leading them to believe they simply can’t help using their addiction. The truth is that they CAN help it. Anyone can stop using an addictive behavior (including enabling)—if they choose to commit to the inner work it takes to do so.

I’m sad beyond belief about Hoffman’s death—and Cory Monteith’s, and Michael Jackson’s, and Amy Winehouse’s and Whitney Houston’s—just to name a few. I’m sad about all the people I’ve known personally who are now dead because they decided to use their addiction of choice. Let’s now stop enabling addicts by telling them the truth—that addiction is a symptom of what emotionally lies underneath it. Let’s start teaching both addicts and those who enable them how to respect themselves—so they can stop sabotaging their lives and the lives of those they so dearly love.

Let’s raise the bar and start creating a more honest world. Maybe, just maybe, fewer addicts will have to die out there.

Photo credit: Reuters/Max Rossi

New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead

December 30, 2013 by Candace Plattor

In the immortal words of John Lennon, another year is over and a new one’s just begun.

Isn’t it interesting how we, as a society, agree that this is the time to give ourselves and our lives a complete and total new makeover? We have decided that at this time of the year we will revisit the year we’re leaving behind, dissecting it to see what worked for us and what didn’t. And on top of that, we need to make sure that we meet all of our “resolutions” quickly and perfectly or else we have failed – no pressure there!

While there is nothing wrong with re-assessing yourself from time to time and exploring changes you would like to make, the problems come when you allow yourself to over-identify with the “hype” of the season. It is one thing to make the overblown and often unrealistic New Year’s resolutions that you think you should make at this time of year, and quite a different process to take stock of where you are, in present time, to see what you might like to be doing differently so that you can live your best life.

RESOLUTION vs. INTENTION

My dictionary defines resolution as “the action of solving.” It stands to reason, therefore, that if we are looking at making resolutions, we will be focusing on problems in our lives that need to be solved. We will be looking at what we think is “wrong” with us and how to “fix” ourselves. Common examples of resolutions might be losing weight or going to the gym more often because we see ourselves as being too heavy. Whatever our resolutions are, the perception will be that something is wrong with us and we need to fix it.

An intention is different. My dictionary defines intention as “the determination to act in a certain way”. This has nothing to do with seeing yourself as a problem that needs to be resolved; instead, intentions are about becoming aware of different ways that you would prefer to be in your life. Some examples of an intention might be to become more patient with the people in your life, to treat others with more kindness, or to feel like you’re making a positive difference in the world.

In my experience, most New Year’s Resolutions stem from problems that people think they need to solve about themselves. Most commonly, these resolutions are often about decreasing “addictive behaviours” such as alcohol and/or drug use, over-eating (or under-eating), smoking, over-spending, gambling, spending too much time on the internet, or being in relationships that are not healthy

It is important to understand that addictive behaviours are generally used to avoid facing what is really going on in our lives. In order to avoid a variety of life tasks, or to avoid having to experience their true feelings, many people create destructive and self- sabotaging distractions for themselves. If you think this may be the case in your life, you might want to try doing something different this year.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT YOURSELF?

This year, instead of looking at something about yourself that you need to fix or improve, why not explore how you would prefer to feel about yourself? For example, if quitting smoking is something you would really like to do in the new year, focusing on the increased self-respect you will feel when you accomplish this may be more helpful than shaming yourself into it by telling yourself that you “should” quit or how weak you are for continuing to smoke.

In the same way, ask yourself how you feel about yourself when you consistently distract yourself by drinking too much, or by over-eating, over-spending or staying in a relationship that is emotionally or physically abusive for you. Would those inner feelings change if you were to begin taking better care of yourself? How can you best honour and respect yourself? What do you need to do (or not do) to feel that sense of inner peace and self-respect, and how can you translate that into an intention for self-caring change?

IT CAN HELP TO TALK IT OVER

Becoming aware of how you would like to feel about yourself and beginning to make your changes from that place will help you to be more realistic when deciding upon your intentions. This self-awareness will also give you more incentive to actually follow through on the steps you will need to take to reach your goals. You may well find that this kind of inner change brings your intentions to fruition more swiftly than trying to “fix” yourself from the outside in.

When you are on the threshold of inner changes, it can be useful to talk about your thoughts and feelings with a supportive friend, family member, colleague, or perhaps with a skilled professional who can help you make sense of what is going on inside of you. Remember to be gentle with yourself, as you are more likely to make your intended changes when you stop shaming and guilt-tripping yourself.

About Matthew Perry

July 9, 2013 by Candace Plattor

Last week I did something I rarely do anymore—I bought a People Magazine.

I used to buy one faithfully, every week, pouring over it to see what was going on with the rich and beautiful who seemed to have much more interesting lives than the one I was living at the time. Even today, whenever I travel, I always allow myself to buy a People Magazine and devour it from top to bottom. Along with luscious dark chocolate, this is one of my guilty little pleasures that I don’t indulge in very often anymore.

But last week Matthew Perry was on the cover, and the story was about his recovery from drug addiction. As an Addictions Therapist and a recovering addict with almost 26 years of sobriety, how could I resist?

I’ve always enjoyed Matthew Perry as an actor—he was my favorite Friend and I loved him on the West Wing as well. Like the rest of the world, I became aware of his powerful addiction years ago when he ran his car into someone’s house, and because I understand addiction first-hand I felt a lot of compassion for him. How humbling it would be to do such a thing with so much public scrutiny! So when I saw that he was finally ready to talk about his experience, I was definitely ready to listen.

Unfortunately, when I read the article I came away somewhat disappointed. I’m always happy to hear about people turning their lives around, and I think what Matthew has done in opening a Sober Living house is wonderful; it looks like a beautiful place. And his mission to work with drug courts to help non-violent addicts receive treatment instead of jail time is outstanding. Way to go, Matthew!

But what he doesn’t talk about in this People article is what his choice point was for his recovery—what actually happened that finally got him to that place where he was ready to make the decision to truly stop his addiction?

Now, I understand that Matthew doesn’t owe it to us to go into details about this. Just because he is a public figure doesn’t mean we have the right to demand private details of his life. But as that public figure, as a role model to countless others who struggle with addiction, I think that it might have been helpful and perhaps inspiring information to share with us.

I don’t believe that anyone signs up to become an addict. None of us say to ourselves “Gee, I think I’ll go out and become addicted, that will be a fun way to live my life!” In fact, most of us think that will never happen to us, that we can handle indulging in a progressive manner without ever developing a problem. We don’t take brain science into account, nor do we decide to learn from the negative experiences of others. Such is the strong denial that accompanies addiction.

But even though we are not responsible for becoming addicted in the first place, I do believe that all addicts—regardless of the substances or behaviors they choose—know somewhere within themselves that by continuing their addictive behaviors they are hurting themselves as well as those who love them. I know that I was aware of that, even when I was in my buzzy active addiction—I just chose not to pay heed to that awareness so that I could continue using to my heart’s content—until I was done.

Some people consider addiction to be a brain disease. Some also feel strongly that there may be a genetic predisposition for mind-altering substances. Many of us have learned, in our families of origin, to use a variety of addictive behaviors in times of stress. Whatever the case is for each of us, what I believe to be most important is what we choose to do about the fact that we have, indeed, become addicted. For every addict who is in active recovery, they asked themselves this question at some point – will I continue engaging in my self-sabotaging ways or will I stop? And when the addict asked that question and chose to stop, true recovery was then possible.

Although it may seem that I’m simplifying this, the truth remains that it is simple. It’s just not easy, at least not for most addicts who are ready to stop.

Every single one of us who is now in recovery from addiction came to that choice-point. I would be curious to know what happened that brought Matthew Perry to his. Maybe someday he’ll choose to tell us.

For now, I’m glad he’s clean and sober—and I hope he continues doing the vitally important inner work that allows all of us to stay that way, one day at a time. Photo credit: people.com