THE LANGUAGE OF RECOVERY

Transcription

1 THE LANGUAGE OF RECOVERY Ed Johnson, M.Ed., MAC, LPC The Carolinas and Kentucky Program Manager Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center, HHS Region edjohnson@msm.edu

2 SOUTHEAST ADDICTION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CENTER (SOUTHEAST ATTC, REGION 4) Southeast ATTC is one of 10 Regional and 4 National Focus resource centers for addictionrelated information funded through by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Southeast ATTC, located at the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, serves the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

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4 WORDS Words are important. If you want to care for something, you call it a flower; if you want to kill something, you call it a weed. Don Coyhis

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7 We know from the research that has been conducted by some of the worlds leading neuroscientists that drug addiction is not a moral failing on the part of the individual, it s a chronic disease of the brain and it can be treated. This isn t my opinion and is not a political statement and it really isn t open for debate because the evidence is clear and it s unequivocal. It s a fact born out by decades of study and research and it s a fact that neither the government nor the public can ignore. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy Betty Ford Center June 12, 2012

8 TYPES OF CHRONIC DISEASES Hypertension Diabetes Asthma

9 THE LANGUAGE OF RECOVERY

10 Recovery is a process of change whereby individuals improve their health and wellness, to live a selfdirected life, and strive to reach their full potential. SAMHSA/CSAT 2011

11 GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF RECOVERY Recovery is person-driven Recovery occurs via many pathways Recovery is holistic Recovery is supported by peers and allies Recovery is supported through relationships and social networks Recovery is culturally based and influenced Recovery is supported by addressing trauma Recovery involves individual, family and community strengths and responsibilities Recovery is based on respect Recovery emerges from hope

12 LANGUAGE OF RECOVERY

13 THE MOST RESPECTFUL WAY OF REFERRING TO PEOPLE IS AS PEOPLE Current Alternative Reasoning Clients / Patients / Consumers Alex is an addict The people in our program The folks we work with The people we serve Alex is addicted to alcohol Alex is a person with a substance use disorder Alex is in recovery from drug addiction More inclusive, less stigmatizing Put the person first Avoid defining the person by their disease The terms listed below, along with others, are often people s ineffective attempts to reclaim some shred of power while being treated in a system that often tries to control them. The person is trying to get their needs met, or has a perception different from the staff, or has an opinion of self not shared by others. And these efforts are not effectively bringing them to the result they want. Mathew is manipulative Kyle is non-compliant Mary is resistant to treatment Jennifer is in denial Mathew is trying really hard to get his needs met Mathew may need to work on more effective ways of getting his needs met Kyle is choosing not to Kyle would rather Kyle is looking for other options Mary chooses not to Mary prefers not to Mary is unsure about Jennifer is ambivalent about Jennifer hasn t internalized the seriousness of. Jennifer doesn t understand Take the blame out of the statement Recognize that the person is trying to get a need met the best way they know how Describe what it looks like uniquely to that individual that information is more useful than a generalization Avoid defining the person by the behavior. Remove the blame from the statement Remove the blame and the stigma from the statement

14 Current Term / Phrase Alternative Self Help Groups Mutual Aid Groups Substance Abuse / Addiction Substance Use Disorder Drug of Choice / Abuse Denial Relapse Relapse is Part of Recovery Clean & Sober Drug of Use Denial / Ambivalence Recurrence/Setback Recurrence may occur as part of the Disease Drug Free; Free of illicit or non-prescribed medications

15 DESCRIBING A RECOVERY ORIENTED SYSTEM OF CARE Recovery-oriented systems of care shift the question from How do we get the client into treatment? to How do we support the process of recovery within the person s environment? H.Westley Clark, MD, JD, CAS, FASM

16 Recovery Management (RM) is a philosophical framework for organizing addiction treatment and recovery support services across the stages of: pre-recovery identification and engagement recovery initiation and stabilization (treatment), and long-term recovery maintenance With the ultimate goal of quality of life enhancement for individuals and families

17 THE LANGUAGE THAT WE USE They re not ready They don t want it bad enough They haven t hurt/lost enough They re too resistant They are in denial

18 THOSE PEOPLE Alcoholic Addict Drunk Old Wino Crack Head Junkie Needle Freak Benzo Queen Garbage Head Burn Out Pot Head Loser Waste Case And then there is Chronic Relapser or Chronic Recidivist

19 My clients don t hit bottom; they live on the bottom. If we wait for them to hit bottom, they will die. The obstacle to their engagement in treatment is not an absence of pain; it is an absence of hope. Outreach Worker (Quoted in White, Woll, and Webber 2003)

20 PATHOLOGY VS. STRENGTH BASED When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away Alcoholics Anonymous p.449 (3 rd Edition)

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