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Iboga Blog
addiction
27th January 2021
The Addiction Treatment Industry: A Closer Look
The addiction treatment industry is full of committed professionals doing their best to help addicts escape from the nightmare of addiction. We would like to preface this post expressing our gratitude, love, and support for all of those remarkable individuals devoting their lives to the struggle against addiction. But as in any industry, there are a number of problematic trends, profit-motivated businesses, and self-serving individuals and institutions that are preying on the afflicted, and lining their pockets as their clients suffer. Today we’ll be taking a look at the major problems we see in the drug rehab industry.
The Costs
This problem is particularly pronounced in America, but it exists around the world. This recent Vox study explored the astronomical costs of treatment, telling the stories of families taken to the brink of financial ruin by their attempts to save a loved one. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in the US in 2018 concluded that approximately 314,000 Americans wanted and needed treatment in 2018, but were unable to afford it because they weren’t covered by insurance. Another study found that drug treatment services were over 10x more likely to be excluded from insurance plans than other medical services and that the disparity was growing larger.
Insurance companies have also done a poor job of selecting treatment providers within the rehab industry, often pushing clients to cheaper centers in Florida rather than more expensive facilities closer to home. An influential article published by the New Yorker last fall details the “Florida Shuffle”, a phenomenon where addicts are funneled into sober homes who profit from insurance payouts while offering minimal services beyond 12 Step meetings and urine tests. In fact, many of the treatment centers and sober homes in America were charging insurance companies up to $20,000 per month for the urinalysis of a single patient, while offering sub-standard care.
The New Yorker article tells of one such center, Good Decisions, operated by Kenneth Bailynson, who bought the Green Terrace Condominium complex and opened a urinalysis lab. As the New Yorker writes:
The Palm Beach Post reported that Bailynson turned Green Terrace into “an armed camp, where guards with guns made sure addicts did not leave.” At his detention hearing, Jim Hayes, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, described Good Decisions as a “piss farm,” in business “only to harvest residents’ urine.”
Facilities like these often attempted to lure patients in with smartphones, gift cards, and free rent. Many of the sober homes and treatment centers in the existing rehab industry have condoned drug use on their premises, and confined patients against their will. As John Lehman of the Recovery Outcomes Institute noted, South Florida became “the relapse, rather than the recovery, capital of the world.
Enduring Questions
Because relapse is so common, facilities are subject to so little regulation, and the fact that we still have an incomplete understanding of the neurological processes that underlie addiction, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what treatments, or elements of treatment programs, work. As one analyst told Vox, There are 4,000 quality control measures for Medicare and Medicaid services in America. “There are none for addiction - zero.”
Shatterproof, an American organization dedicated to establishing national standards of care for addiction treatment is looking to change this reality. They’ve teamed up with many large insurers to try to “identify, reward, and promote” treatment providers who scrupulously follow the scientific evidence and provide a high standard of care. While cynics might speculate that this is the result of insurance companies losing lawsuits against the families of those victimized by the Florida Shuffle and insurance coverage that discriminates against the addicted (the case Wit vs. United Behavioral Health found the company guilty of wrongly rejecting 50,000 claims, and other lawsuits abound), the move toward national and even international standards is largely positive.
But the fact remains that studies of treatment outcomes are largely conducted by the facilities themselves. They generally rely on self-reporting from past clients, with no verification of claims of sobriety. And the treatment centers are incentivized to select data points, or even falsify data, in order to appear more attractive to potential clients. While Shatterproof aims to become similar to Yelp! and allow potential clients access to data from patients, insurance companies, and providers in order to accurately assess facilities, we’re a long way from having the information we need.
The Influence of Stigma
Because of the dangerous stigma which surrounds addiction, many promising treatments, and public health policies are neglected. Opioid replacement therapies, needle exchanges, safe injection sites, and promising alternative therapies like ayahuasca and ibogaine remain illegal in a host of jurisdictions. As the opioid crisis rages on, and more lives are lost to overdose every day, the stigma of addiction often prevents lawmakers from utilizing approaches that have been proven to save lives and experimenting with treatments that have the potential to win the war with addiction.
While the scientific evidence that addiction is a medical problem occurring in the brain has become overwhelming, people and governments in many countries around the world are stubbornly clinging to misguided moral notions that force us to battle addiction with one hand tied behind our backs. Can you imagine if potentially lifesaving cancer treatments were neglected, hospitals’ mortality rates went unrecorded, or those with hypertension were told that their inability to lower their blood pressure was a personal failing? Most of the problems we are experiencing in the rehab industry could be overcome if the public demanded that addiction be dealt with as a common health problem.
At Iboga Tree Healing House we are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our patients. We will continue to advocate against the stigma of addiction, and for the strictest possible standards in patient safety and quality of treatment. If you feel that you need a treatment center that is devoted to the health and well-being of its clients, get in touch with us today!
20th January 2021
Alternative Addiction Treatment: Why Governments are Embracing Change At Last
As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities, end lives, and subject individuals and families to the horrors of addiction, a tipping point has been reached. Everyone knows somebody who has been prescribed a powerful, prescription painkiller and struggled with dependence. This health crisis, coupled with changing social attitudes that de-stigmatize addicts and addiction, has sparked a move to push the afflicted away from criminal justice systems and toward health care and treatment. As we begin to examine addiction without the blinders of moral censure and the criminalization of those in its grasp, citizens and their governments are exploring bold new alternative addiction treatment options that have shown great promise in healing the addicted. Let’s examine the factors behind this trend, and what it means going forward.
Big Pharma
For years large, profitable, and seemingly respectable pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, McKesson, and Amerisource Bergen aggressively and misleadingly marketed addictive painkillers in spite of mounting evidence that the drugs were being abused. Communities were flooded with drugs such as OxyContin, and the effects were devastating. As legislators and the public realized the magnitude of the crisis, lawsuits mounted, PR firms scrambled, and treatment facilities were overwhelmed. One effect of the opioid crisis was a loss of trust in both drug manufacturers and the medical establishment, which elected to throw dangerous substances at the symptoms of pain, rather than addressing its root causes. This has led public health officials and addicts to move away from profitable, traditional treatments such as methadone, which create dependence and examine the problem of addiction with fresh eyes.
Neuroscience Breakthroughs
Over the past thirty years, our understanding of the nature of addiction has been fundamentally altered by technologies that give us access to the functioning of the addicted brain. We can now observe the neurological processes and genetic predispositions that feed addiction and create treatments that effectively put this information to use. We’ve learned that changes occur in the addicted brain which dramatically affect how addicts view reward and motivation, regulate emotion, and maintain (or fail to maintain) executive control.
As one researcher wrote of the changes that occur: “Most prominent are the disruptions of an individual's ability to prioritize behaviors that result in long-term benefit over those that provide short-term rewards and the increasing difficulty exerting control over these behaviors even when associated with catastrophic consequences.” Understanding the mental changes that addicts undergo is fundamental to creating alternative addiction treatment models that will rewire the brain, and allow those suffering from substance abuse disorders to return to themselves.
The Truth About Trauma
We’ve long known that trauma and addiction go hand in hand. As the physician and philosopher Gabor Mate has been preaching for years, addiction is often a response to pain and childhood trauma. Researchers at Harvard University have come to realize that Mate’s theories on the nature of addiction were worth exploring. Kerry J. Ressler, chief scientific officer at McLean Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School has been researching both the psychological and neurological effects of trauma and has found that an overwhelming majority of addicts have been traumatized. He claims his research proves that addiction is “a biological disease. We all have innate drives toward food, sex, and other novelties, but when you begin to abuse drugs, these drives become hijacked so that the normal drives are not nearly as rewarding anymore.”
Dr. Ressler’s research explored the links between addiction, trauma, the amygdala, and the orbitofrontal cortex, areas of the brain which regulate goal-oriented behavior and emotional regulation. He found that increased levels of a neuroplasticity protein, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), drive goal-oriented behavior. In contrast, stress or developmental trauma may lead to atrophy of the OFC neurotrophin systems, which in turn can lead to increased habitual behavior, such as drug-seeking.
It’s clear that reversing these changes in the brain’s functioning will be an important factor in developing alternative addiction treatment models and ultimately defeating addiction in the years to come.
Evolving Understanding
Changes in our understanding of addiction have gone hand in hand with society’s changing attitudes towards drugs. In many Western countries, Harm Reduction has supplanted the war on drugs, cannabis and psilocybin are increasingly being decriminalized, and forward-thinking societies have come to understand that treatment rather than prison is the appropriate response to excessive drug use.
Meanwhile, the potential of utilizing psychoactive substances medicinally has gone mainstream. Using marijuana and CBD to offset the effects of chemotherapy and glaucoma was just the tip of the iceberg. Best-selling authors like Michael Pollan and Tim Ferriss have realized that substances like ibogaine, ayahuasca, and psilocybin, all traditionally used as medicines around the world, have the potential to effectively treat a host of psychiatric ailments ranging from depression and anxiety to addiction. And even celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow are going on talk shows to discuss the incredible potential of psychedelics as medicine.
Scientific studies are confirming that psychedelics can aid the brain in creating neuroplasticity and manufacturing new neurons. Iboga has also been proven to restore dopamine receptors in the brain to a pre-addicted state, as well as dramatically lessening the symptoms of withdrawal for those in recovery. Other studies on ayahuasca and psilocybin in treating alcohol and drug addiction have shown that these substances have a beneficial effect on the neural pathways that influence habit, reward, and pleasure.
Change is Coming
As 2021 dawns, we expect all of the trends mentioned above to push governments and regulators towards action. As we’ve seen with the legalization of cannabis and same-sex marriage, changing social attitudes can prompt legislators to move quickly. As overdose death tolls mount and addiction continues to tear families and communities apart, we urge governments around the world to act quickly to adopt alternative addiction treatment approaches. Millions of lives are at stake, and every promising alternative addiction treatment option needs to be explored. If you or someone you know is ready to try an alternative treatment that we know saves lives, reach out to Iboga Tree Healing House today!
8th December 2020
Addiction Treatment in Australia: Why Australians are Looking Abroad for Options
Australia has a serious drug problem that keeps growing worse. As the opioid crisis rages on, rapidly increasing numbers of Australians have been experimenting with, and becoming addicted to, the same opioid-based pain pills that have devastated communities across the United States. Australia’s death rates from opioid related overdoses have doubled over the past decade, and many experts fear that the problem is growing exponentially worse. Coroners around the country, faced with thousands of deaths, are uniting to call on the government to impose stricter regulations on deadly “medicines” such as OxyContin and Fentanyl. In fact, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners dubbed the problem a “national emergency” over two years ago, but it's then-President Dr. Bastian Seidel now wonders if anyone was listening.
Legal opioid use has quadrupled between 1990 and 2014 according to University of Sydney researchers, and one hospital even hired an extra pharmacist to deal exclusively with ballooning prescriptions for opioid-based pain pills. Opioid-related deaths have jumped from 439 in 2006 to1,119 in 2016, with most of the fatalities resulting from legal painkillers rather than illegal narcotics like heroin. More than 3 million Australians, one-eighth of the country’s population, are now getting at least one opioid prescription per year according to the latest data. The problem is particularly troubling in Tasmania, where 2.7 pill packs are sold each year per each resident, while in some regions there are more government-subsidized prescriptions for opioids than there are people.
Almost all of the statistics we can find about drug use and Australia's addicts are frightening. And the country’s opioid crisis is a ticking time bomb that could push thousands of Australians into illicit drug use as the country moves to restrict the supply of legal opioids. Meanwhile, the country has struggled to keep pace with funding for public treatment facilities, with news outlets reporting that up to 500,000 citizens can’t access the treatment they desperately need. The number of Australia's addicts using public rehab facilities has increased substantially in recent years, with 130,000 people taking advantage of public facilities in 2018. Meanwhile, funding has remained flat, raising wait times and leaving existing centers overflowing with clients. If you’re one of Australia's addicts and you're looking for solutions and a sense of hope, turning your gaze abroad may be the wisest approach.
Why Portugal?
Addiction Treatment in Australia
Portugal was in the midst of an epidemic of heroin addiction when they made the dramatic decision to embrace the principles of harm-reduction and decriminalize the consumption of all drugs. As one of the architects behind Portugal’s new approach explains it: “We realized we were squandering resources. It made much more sense for us to treat drug addicts as patients who needed help, not as criminals.” By removing the threats of prosecution and incarceration, Portugal has reduced the stigma surrounding addiction, and the number of addicts receiving treatment has increased by 60% since 1998. The results the country has achieved simply by treating addicts with dignity and viewing addiction as a health issue has caused countries such as France, Switzerland, and Germany to embrace harm-reduction. Portugal’s clear-headed, compassionate approach to treating addiction makes it an ideal destination for those attempting to overcome substance-abuse problems.
Australia has been reluctantly embraced some of the principles of harm-reduction. But the country still spends 66% of its drug-related budget on police enforcement, and a middling 2.1% on harm reduction measures. And the country still arrests drug users and small-time dealers at alarming rates: the country had 154,000 drug-related arrests in 2017, with 88% of defendants charged with simple possession.
Australia offers some publicly funded drug treatment options to Australia's addicts looking to reclaim their lives, and there are also privately run residential treatment facilities. These centers have the benefit of being close to home, but for Australians without substantial bank accounts, the cost of effective treatment in a comfortable setting can be staggering. Luxury private facilities have rates rising as high as $70,000 per month! And if you’re looking for a publicly funded facility, you need to be prepared for wait times spanning weeks, or even months before being placed in an overcrowded and under-funded treatment facility. The shortage of treatment beds and affordable facilities has pushed many addicts to the brink of despair.
In theory, seeking treatment in these centers will not put you at risk of increased attention from the police or the stigma of being an addict in a society that views drug use very harshly, but if you’re living in a small community, word might still spread. If you’re looking to be treated with dignity and respect, experience compassionate treatment, and maintain your privacy, going abroad might be your best option. Drug addiction is still viewed harshly in many Australian communities, with studies finding that addiction carries more stigma than mental illness. In many small towns, Australia's addicts are still seen as criminals who have succumbed to a “moral failing” rather than sick people in need of medical treatment. If you’d prefer to be treated as a person, rather than a junkie, as you begin your recovery journey, you might want to consider seeking treatment in Portugal!
1) Environment
Leaving an environment full of familiar stressors and temptations can have a beneficial effect in treatment, and Portugal is a great place to recover from the traumas related to addiction. It’s a picturesque country with a lovely Mediterranean climate. It’s dotted with quaint villages, ancient ruins, majestic castles, and miles of beautiful coastline. And there are few regions better suited to recovering your health than Portugal’s sun-drenched Alentejo region. A land of rolling hills and vast plains, the Alentejo offers visitors the opportunity to recover their health and connections to the natural world by riding horses, watching birds, stargazing, hiking and cycling. Many Australian visitors are especially appreciative of the temperate climate, peaceful lifestyle, and delicious regional fare, and escaping the punishing heat of Australian summers can be extremely beneficial to your mood and receptiveness to treatment. All this, while enjoying a rehab facility that rivals a luxurious resort or hotel for a fraction of the cost of treatment back home. You’ll disconnect from a toxic environment and share amazing new experiences with people from all around the world!
2) Privacy
While increasing numbers of people are coming to the understanding that addiction is a medical issue, there is still a significant social and professional stigma that comes with seeking treatment for substance abuse. If you head to Portugal, it’s easy to tell friends, family members, and colleagues that you’re off on a much-needed vacation and avoid awkward conversations and prying questions. There’s also no risk that someone will spot you emerging from a clinic or support group meeting and start whispering.
3) Promising Treatments Unavailable At Home
We’ve written a lot about the undeniable power of ayahuasca and iboga to combat the addictive properties of opioids and other drugs and to open the addicted mind to the idea of a positive transformation into sobriety. Because Portugal has decriminalized all drugs, promising treatments that cannot be obtained in a safe medical setting in Australia can be accessed here with the supervision of health-care professionals. If you think a treatment that uses a psychoactive substance is your best option, we’d recommend getting away from Australia, where this promising treatment is currently illegal, which makes it impossible to find responsible treatment providers.
4) Easy Intake
When you’ve reached rock bottom, a treatment center that can quickly start the process of detox and recovery can be a life-saver. The prospect of waiting months for the in-patient treatment you need can be a heart-breaking, motivation-sapping roadblock. Australia’s drug treatment programs are underfunded, one of the main reasons why the majority of Australian addicts are pushed into less intensive outpatient treatment programs. Treatment centers abroad can immediately start the intake process, allowing you to strike back at your addiction when you’re feeling hopeful and motivated. This can make all the difference in the world!
Iboga Tree Healing House
At Iboga Tree Healing House we have a unique ability to accommodate clients from around the world with our welcoming, open-minded, and international staff. You’d be hard-pressed to find a treatment center more committed to the safety of their clients than Iboga Tree Healing House. We’re also deeply committed to maintaining a supportive and non-judgemental environment for facilitating recovery and personal growth.
In addition to offering iboga treatment, we also provide a wide array of holistic treatments, including breathwork, kundalini yoga, equine-assisted therapy, kambo, and more. All of these practices are extremely beneficial for re-energizing both body and spirit to pursue recovery. In combination with our ten-hectares of outdoor space, large terraces, and outdoor swimming pool, we let nature remind our clients to be grateful and receptive to new horizons and second chances. We have many testimonials from people around the globe who’ve benefited immeasurably from experiencing our treatments in beautiful, sunny Portugal. If you're one of Australia's addicts and you’d like to experience treatment in Portugal, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
2nd December 2020 • Sticky Post
Equine-Assisted Therapy: 5 Benefits You Might Not Know About
The bond between humans and horses has always been strong. People and horses have shared mutual understanding and sympathy over the centuries. Because horses are naturally sensitive and intuitive animals, their ability to mirror moods and behavior can make them ideal companions. Ancient authorities going as far back as Hippocrates have touted the health benefits that can be obtained by regular interactions with horses, and the science behind Equine-Assisted Therapy dates back to French neurologist Charles Chassaignac, whose 1875 study found a variety of benefits derived from regular riding, including improved balance, joint function, muscle tone, and mood. The practice continued to gain steam in the years following the First World War when Oxford Hospital introduced a therapeutic riding program for those injured in the Great War. Equine-Assisted Therapy has continued to develop since then. Let’s take a look at 5 benefits Equine-Assisted Therapy can offer to those suffering from a variety of ailments.
1) Equine-Assisted Exercise
Riding a horse moves the body in a way that’s physically similar to the human gait. It is wonderful exercise for people with physical challenges that limit their ability to partake in vigorous physical activity. PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) has found that equine therapy can create improvement in flexibility, balance, and muscle strength. Scientific studies have shown a host of physical benefits from riding for individuals with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, amputees, and those recovering from strokes. A host of studies have illustrated the benefits Equine Assisted Therapy can offer in terms of gaining or recovering mobility and motor skills.
2) Emotional Healing
As anyone who has interacted with horses knows, they are sensitive, intuitive animals capable of picking up on our emotional state and responding to it appropriately. As EAGALA, one of the leading Equine-Assisted Therapy organizations notes, horses can intuitively read our body language, behavior, and tone of voice to determine our emotional state. Their responses are often more honest and instinctive than what other human beings offer in response to our behavior. This can give us valuable feedback on our own emotional states, and the ways in which our emotions affect those around us.
Riding can also teach us how to co-operate and engage more fully with the people in our lives. Horses are large and powerful creatures. They also all have different personalities, traits, and desires that we must learn in order to have successful relationships with them. When we interact with horses, we quickly learn the limits of our ability to control them, and we enter into a dialogue where we must engage and persuade rather than simply command. This experience can offer us valuable insights into our relationships with the people in our lives.
3) Overcoming PTSD
PTSD is a crippling ailment that often goes hand in hand with addiction. Anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, nightmares, and depression are just some of the symptoms of this disorder. But recent studies have discovered that, like household pets, horses can have a strong positive effect on PTSD sufferers. Researchers in the UK discovered that Equine-Assisted Therapy reduced the PTSD scores for 87.5% of those studied after just six weeks. Both horses and PTSD sufferers are hyper-vigilant to their environments, and learning to build a shared sense of trust is incredibly helpful for those with PTSD. As Margaret Steele, wife of an American military officer and advocate for EAT who has watched many combat veterans benefit from the therapy notes: “It is impossible for an individual suffering from PTSD to work with a horse since the horse reads all of these emotions in you and will start to emulate them. This causes the client to have to work on their own issues to make progress with the horse. In a sense, the horse works like a mirror.”
4) Coping With Anxiety
Millions of people around the world suffer from anxiety, and most of them suffer from intense worries about the past, and fears about their future. We’ve written before about how focusing on mindfulness and the present moment can offer relief from these symptoms of anxiety disorders. Equine therapy is a fantastic tool for learning how to be mindful, since interactions with horses force the patient to focus intently on the animal’s actions and reactions rather than their own thoughts. Because horses are hyper-alert, and always instinctively prepared to flee from danger, a natural sense of sympathy arises. As experts note, “Processing challenges through the behavior of the horse can be easier for clients than speaking directly about their own personal experiences with anxiety.” Equine therapy often allows the anxious to process experiences and practice vulnerability in a safe and trusting environment.
5) Healing Addictions
We’ve written before about the close relationships between trauma, anxiety, and addiction. Equine-Assisted Therapy can help the addicted by helping to ease their suffering from past trauma and present anxiety. But it has another massive benefit in that it can rebuild the sense of trust and feelings of self-worth that have been eroded by the isolating, debilitating affliction. Most addicts have isolated themselves from loved ones and destroyed their self-esteem through years of destructive behavior and negative thoughts. In order to heal, they must learn how to conduct healthy relationships with others, and horses can be an ideal teacher for these lessons.
In many cases, non-verbal communication is an easier place to start re-learning how to express yourself honestly and build trust with others. Because horses are intuitive, non-judgmental, and honest creatures, they will always provide excellent feedback on what you’re communicating to the world. If you’re tense, jumpy, or irritable, they’ll let you know. They can offer extremely valuable advice on how to communicate effectively, regulate moods and emotions, and build positive communication skills.
At Iboga Tree Healing House we believe that Equine-Assisted Therapy can offer invaluable benefits to people suffering from a great many disorders. It’s a wonderful complement to addiction treatment and traditional psychotherapy because it offers clients the ability to learn through experience and develop emotional skills that can’t be cultivated by mere words. If you have any questions about exploring the power of this form of therapy, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
30th November 2020
Making Amends: A Pathway To Healing
One fundamental aspect of addiction is the way it forces addicts to violate their principles, beliefs, and values. In every life, we are bound to cause harm to others, regardless of intent, and often without our knowledge. But for the addicted, these transgressions can sink to truly appalling depths. One of the most essential parts of recovery is coming to terms with the harm we have caused to the people close to us, and whenever possible, doing everything we can to relieve the pain we have dished out. Let’s take a closer look at the process of making amends.
What is " Making Amends"?
define making amends
A reductive definition would be “apologize sincerely to those you’ve hurt.” But experts at the Betty Ford Clinic have identified one of the key differences between apologies and amends. They rightly point out that amends are actions, whereas apologies are often just words. One of the keys to recovering from addiction is aligning your intentions and your actions. In the case of making amends, this can be defined as the difference between saying you’re sorry for having stolen from someone and creating a re-payment plan. By uniting your actions with your words, you can convince others that you’re committed to repairing wrongs and relationships. Compare this to the thousands of useless apologies you probably offered to those around you when you were using! Amends are so important because they are an actual, concrete manifestation of the changes that occurred within you when you moved from addiction into recovery.
Making Amends and The 12 Steps
If you’re familiar with the 12-Step model of recovery, you’ve probably already been thinking about Steps 8 and 9 as you read the last two paragraphs. For the uninitiated:
Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
These two steps are invaluable parts of the foundation to sober living. We need to deal with our pasts to move into a brighter future. We would recommend following through with these two steps even if you’re committed to a peer support program other than the AA/NA model.
Alternative Ways To Make Amends
While SMART Recovery and Practical Recovery don’t have a specific policy for making amends, they realize that the process is valuable for many in recovery, and they recommend acknowledging your role, apologizing, and making things right if it’s possible to do so.
You may have read our recent blog post on Naikan Therapy - a recent addition to the Iboga Tree Healing House recovery toolbox. In Naikan therapy, realization is the first step toward making amends. Naikan helps to develop a realization about one’s wrongs and one’s part in those wrongs. Naikan teaches that one needs realization in the beginning - which is the most complex part of the amends process.
Naikan therapy helps one reach realization, and how (even if) amends are actually made is a personal choice. Some people may pay back by helping others, cleaning the soul, serving elderly people, parents, etc. Some people do not make direct or indirect amends at all.
In the Naikan model, the psychotherapist can encourage amends to be made, but the amends process is by no means an essential part of one’s recovery.
For those seeking to make amends for past wrongs, let’s explore the process of making amends in a little more depth.
Direct Amends
Making Amends
The phrase essentially means that you try to establish face-to-face communication with the person you’ve wronged. If they’re unwilling to meet with you, or time and distance will not allow for a meeting, we recommend trying to communicate as directly as possible, via Facetime, phone, email, or letter. You should always be open by acknowledging the pain and hurt you have caused, and avoid finding fault or shifting blame. Demonstrate through your words and actions how you have changed. Offer them whatever you can to repair the damage you’ve done, and try to find ways to enable them to heal.
Injuring Others: How Not To Do It
If you think that the process of making amends would cause needless harm, stress, mental anguish, or any other type of pain to another person, there’s no need to burden them in order to unburden yourself. As Step 9 dictates, “except when to do so would injure them.” Bear in mind that your goal in this process should be helping them to deal with the wrongs you’ve inflicted, not seeking closure for yourself. If you have painful information they’re unaware of and have no need to receive, ask yourself if they would actually benefit from receiving it. If you suspect that the answer might be “no”, try to do something else to atone for your actions, like volunteering your time with the needy, making a donation to a worthy cause, or taking steps to help out someone else in your life. You can atone for your actions without making them suffer.
What if Someone Doesn't Want to Meet Me?
There might be someone in your life to whom you are desperate to make amends to who wants nothing to do with you. If someone who you’ve hurt doesn’t want to accept your apologies and amends, it’s best to accept that fact and find some other way to reach closure for yourself. Intentionally taking positive and benevolent action in another part of your life can allow you to move forward and accept their decision to wash their hands of you. We never recommend forcing the issue and putting someone you’ve already harmed in an uncomfortable situation.
Avoiding Dangerous Situations
If someone who you’ve harmed is still actively addicted and using substances regularly, you should be very careful about putting your fragile sobriety at risk. You can try to nudge them towards treatment or ensure that you meet them in a safe place without any triggers or stressors that could fuel a relapse. While making amends is very important, as the Betty Ford Clinic notes, “our primary responsibility is to safeguard our own health and recovery from substance abuse.”
Don't Do It Alone
It’s important to consult with mentors, counselors, peers, sponsors, and relevant guides such as AA’s Big Book. Making amends is a long and arduous process that can cause fresh stresses and problems. Those who have experience with it are a resource that can help you avoid pitfalls along the way and ensure that you emerge happier, healthier, and stronger. They can reassure you that you are doing the right thing, even if the people that you have wronged respond to your efforts to heal with hostility, dismissiveness, or contempt. We’re always stronger together!
Why Make Amends?
Making amends is so necessary because it will deepen your understanding of the pain and suffering that addiction has caused to those around you. It can offer the opportunity to rebuild broken connections with your family and loved ones. But it also has substantial benefits for your own mental health. As addictions expert and Professor of Family Medicine Chris Ebberwein states “making amends means taking ownership for causing hurt, and then doing something to correct or heal it. Making amends puts to rest the temptation to be stuck in self-blame or to blame others. It allows the recovering person to move ahead toward correcting mistakes that were made and healing old hurts.” At Iboga Tree Healing House we’ve seen firsthand the way attempting to right past wrongs can heal the scars of addiction and build self-esteem and happiness.
13th November 2020 • Sticky Post
Harm Reduction in 2020
Harm Reduction can be defined essentially as a range of policies designed to minimize the impact of behaviors with negative social, physical, and psychological consequences. The term is generally used to refer to a number of public policies related to substance abuse and addiction. Policies that fall under the umbrella of harm reduction would include needle exchanges, safe injection sites, opioid replacement therapy, and the decriminalization of drugs of abuse.
Harm reduction gained traction as a strategy for dealing with drug abuse in the 1980s, as the AIDS epidemic was at its height. A coalition of academics, activists, and public officials looked to limit the spread of the disease, and decrease the human and financial burdens created by addiction. As the concept developed over the years advocates of harm reduction have pointed to programs like supervised injections, needle exchanges, alternative sentencing measures, and decriminalization as ways to create better outcomes for both addicts and taxpayers. The concept has come to include creative measures such as “Illegal” magazine, a Danish publication provided to addicts which allows them to earn money by selling the publication in the manner of “The Big Issue” rather than resorting to crime or sex work.
Perhaps the greatest coup the movement has scored was persuading the Portuguese government to wholeheartedly adopt the strategy in 2001. Portugal decriminalized all drugs and began to treat addiction and substance misuse as a health issue, a tectonic shift that ended a great deal of the stigma and dehumanization that too frequently surround issues of addiction. Over the past two decades, Portugal has seen dramatic drops in the spread of HIV, deaths from overdose, and drug-related crime. Yet few countries have adopted this successful approach. Let’s take a look at the state of harm reduction measures in 2020, and explore the question of why the Portuguese model hasn’t been more widely adopted.
We can see mentalities to illicit drug use changing, as cities, states, and countries move towards decriminalization of certain drugs. Canada, South Africa, and an ever-growing list of American states have recently legalized cannabis, a shift that signals that attitudes towards illicit drug use, if not addiction, are changing in the "First World". Meanwhile, Canada, Australia, and 10 European countries are currently operating safe-injection sites for intravenous drug use. This seems like progress, but if you consider the fact that these sites are proven to save millions of dollars in health-care costs by preventing overdoses and the spread of HIV and hepatitis, it’s shocking that these facilities aren’t more widespread. A similar problem exists with needle exchange programs. Even with an indisputable array of evidence demonstrating that needle exchanges prevent the spread of diseases associated with intravenous drug use, according to Wikipedia, only 14 countries around the world provide this service, and in the USA there is a federal funding ban on these exchanges.
Portugal’s decision not to arrest or incarcerate anyone for drug possession allowed the country to provide more funding for health-care services instead of law enforcement. Decriminalization has saved the government millions of Euros and changed public conceptions of who the addicted are. According to The Guardian, people who used to be called “drogados”, a derisive term for addicts, are now referred to as “people who use drugs.” And this has happened in a country that used to employ the slogan “Drugs are Satan!”
Meanwhile, in countries like the United States, the UK, and Sweden, attitudes, and policies for dealing with the addicted remain mired in moral condemnation of drug users. 47% of the inmates in American federal prisons are incarcerated for drug offenses, while in the UK 15% of adults and over 20% of juveniles currently incarcerated are serving time for drug offenses.
Outdated policies based on moralistic views of drug users have made the toll taken by the global opioid epidemic even more horrific. People who began using prescription drugs for genuine pain are now being forced into the black-market to procure the substances they’d been encouraged to use by healthcare professionals, a process that leads to incarceration and even death. Meanwhile, promising treatments including psilocybin, ayahuasca, and ibogaine are languishing in the wings while the problems they could help solve rage on unabated.
Attitudes towards the addicted are changing, and that gives us hope for a brighter future. We just hope that governments can accelerate their adoption of this new paradigm.
Harm Reduction in the Developing World
Countries like Ghana and Colombia have been pushing to decriminalize drugs, and reform draconian laws which too often ruin the lives of young and poor people. In Ghana, someone caught with a single joint of marijuana was subject to 10 years of jail time. Many activists in the country feel that the popular reforms are being stalled by a police force and judiciary who fear the change would weaken their hold on power. Meanwhile, reports from Colombia show that the number of people in jail for drug offenses jumped by 250% following legal changes in 2009 which decriminalized possession of small amounts of cocaine and marijuana.
For intravenous drug users, the 2017 Lancet Global Health Report found that lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) experienced chronic under-funding for needle exchanges and other harm-reduction measures aimed at halting the spread of HIV. This is especially troubling because injection drug use is now far more prevalent in these countries than in the developed world.
In Asia, harm reduction seems even further away. The region leads the world in executions for drug offenses, and many of the continent’s largest countries, including Thailand, China, India, Korea, and Vietnam view drug trafficking as a capital offense. While harm reduction programs have appeared, the NCBI reports that they are generally small programs that reach few of the people in need.
Structural issues are a major barrier to significant harm reduction in Asia, as the social stigma surrounding drug use is far greater than in the West, and harsh penalties for simple possession keep many of those in need of treatment from accessing healthcare systems. In the Philippines, the situation is extremely grim for drug users, as President Duterte’s misguided drug war has taken the lives of an estimated 20,000 people who’ve been targeted for extrajudicial execution.
The Future
As firm believers in harm reduction who have watched firsthand as Portugal’s progressive, humanitarian policies transformed thousands of lives, we find reasons to be both saddened and encouraged by the global progress of harm reduction. At Iboga Tree Healing House we dream of a day when governments around the world adopt the fiscally prudent, deeply compassionate policies that fall under the umbrella of harm reduction. For the time being, we would recommend that addicts in regions with outmoded, repressive laws and policies regarding addiction venture abroad for treatment.
11th November 2020 • Sticky Post
Addiction: A Family Disease
Addiction doesn’t just affect the addict. It takes a horrible toll on husbands and wives, parents and children, and often extended families as well. It is frequently passed down through generations, creating a pattern of trauma that perpetuates itself time and again. Many researchers also feel that certain genetic factors make some families far more vulnerable to addiction than their peers. All of these statements are so widely believed that they are almost cliches at this point. Yet most conventional modalities for treating addiction focus purely on the individual addict and do little to heal families that have been torn apart and brutally traumatized. The time has come for treatment providers to focus more attention on the families of the addicted.
Healing Together
Addiction
We’ve written before about the strength that those in recovery can draw from group therapy and peer engagement. The benefits include strengthening bonds, imparting wisdom, and instilling confidence and hope. Group therapy works so well in part because surrogate families are created which allow the addict to draw necessary support from their peers. When actual families become involved in the process, these benefits increase exponentially.
Numerous studies have shown that involving families improves treatment outcomes. Addiction treatment coupled with family therapy has been shown to reduce relapse rates, improve medication adherence, reduce psychiatric symptoms, and lower overall stress levels. According to the US-based National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the benefits of family involvement include:
- Keeping the sufferer engaged and motivated during treatment
- Discovering more about addiction and its effects on the family as well as understanding how treatment is conducted and what is to be expected when it’s complete
- Enabling family members to make their voices heard, share feelings and concerns and ask important questions about a loved one’s addiction
- Offering the sufferer adequate and appropriate support after treatment
- Helping to ease feelings of fear, anger, stress, and confusion related to the addiction
- The chance for family members to develop skills and strategies to guide their loved one through the recovery process
- Improving the family’s communication and conflict resolution skills
- Offering the opportunity to address any mental health issues within the family, such as depression or anxiety, which could increase familial stress and contribute to relapse
Addiction and Family Trauma
Addiction and Family Trauma
Dr. Gabor Mate has written eloquently about childhood trauma as a precursor to, and cause of, addiction. He feels that pain from childhood suffering becomes internalized, and leads adults into destructive cycles of self-medication. As Mate states, “hurt is at the center of all addictive behaviors. It is present in the gambler, the Internet addict, the compulsive shopper and the workaholic. The wound may not be as deep and the ache not as excruciating, and it may even be entirely hidden — but it’s there.”
A great deal of research seems to confirm the link between early trauma and addiction. A study in Atlanta found that participants who experienced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as children and exhibited symptoms of PTSD were far more likely to suffer from substance abuse disorders. The study found that this increased risk of addiction was independent of any trauma suffered in adulthood. Of the subjects, lifetime substance dependency rates were 39% for alcohol, 34% for cocaine, 6.2% for opioids and 45% for marijuana. Another study looked at subjects who had been exposed to 0-10 types of adverse childhood experiences and found that subjects exposed to 5 or more were 7 to 10 times more likely to report illicit drug use problems. There are a number of other studies which appear to bear out Dr. Mate’s belief that addictions are rooted in childhood trauma.
We are inclined to accept Mate’s assertion that adverse childhood experience is a common factor in an overwhelming majority of addicts. We should also note that childhood trauma includes not just dramatic experiences like emotional loss, various types of abuse, and mental illness, but also more commonplace causes of harm such as depriving children of fundamental needs that must be met for healthy emotional and mental development. If an addicted family member claims that they suffer from childhood trauma, it’s important to remember that they aren’t necessarily accusing you of abuse or neglect, they’re simply sharing their pain.
Family's Part in the Recovery Journey
Family's Part in the Recovery Journey
Involving the family in treatment is invaluable, as it can allow the addict and their loved ones to make peace with the traumatic childhood experiences which lead to addiction. Forgiveness is an essential part of recovery, and opening up an honest and respectful dialogue with family members can lead to acceptance of the flaws and shortcomings which led to trauma, and offer the opportunity to start fresh. As the speaker in this powerful Ted Talk notes, forgiveness isn’t a shortcut to healing, but a path to freedom, which enables the person wronged to move on from painful memories and remove bitterness and negativity from their lives.
At Iboga Tree Healing House we are firm believers in utilizing the deep bonds created by love, shared experiences, and understanding which only a family can offer. Finding forgiveness can remove the addict from their isolated state, and free their families from an endless cycle of negativity and recriminations. Addicts need to make peace with their pasts, and involving the family in this process can allow them to explore the causes of their pain and build the skills necessary to deal with it in a healthy manner. By working with your loved one as they go through the recovery process you won’t just help them to heal, you’ll also heal yourself.
6th November 2020 • Sticky Post
Understanding Psilocybin Therapy
The use of psychedelics in treating all manner of mental illnesses has been a hot topic in recent years. Scientists at prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins, New York University, the University of New Mexico, and Imperial College in London have conducted small but rigorous and controlled studies which have shown the immense potential of psilocybin therapy in dealing with depression, anxiety, and addiction. These studies have led to numerous books exploring the history and medical potential of psychedelics to change and heal the mind, most notably best-selling American author Michael Pollan’s “How To Change Your Mind.”
As momentum has built, a number of jurisdictions have decriminalized the cultivation and possession of psilocybin (the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”), notably the major American cities of Oakland, California, and Denver, Colorado. 2020 will also see voters in Oregon and California decide on whether to legalize the substance throughout their states. Many psychologists, physicians, and people afflicted with mental illnesses are eager to take advantage of the benefits offered by this remarkable plant. As Mr. Pollan puts it:
a single psilocybin trip guided by trained professionals has the potential to relieve “existential distress” in cancer patients; break addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, and cocaine; and bring relief to people struggling with depression. Psychiatry’s current drugs for treating these disorders are limited in their effectiveness, often addictive, address only symptoms, and can come with serious side effects. Thus, the prospect of psychedelic medicine is raising hopes of a badly needed revolution in mental health care.
Psilocybin Treatment: The Process
Understanding Psilocybin Treatment
While there isn’t currently an established model for psilocybin treatment, most of the studies conducted thus far have patients use the substance in a controlled environment, supervised by a psychologist who guides them through the experience. The Imperial College study on depression offered patients a 25-milligram capsule of psilocybin, which is a substantial dose. They were placed in a room with a bed, surrounded with flowers and candles, and guided through traumas, significant past events, and formative memories.
A study at the University of New Mexico on psilocybin therapy for alcohol addiction offered participants four weeks of traditional psychotherapy, before giving them a dose of psilocybin in a quiet, comfortable room with male and female “co-therapists.” In this study, the therapists did little more than direct patients to “turn their attention inward” and go where their minds took them. This was followed by four more weeks of psychotherapy, another psilocybin session, and a final bout of traditional therapy.
As one participant noted, his experience wasn’t focused on his dependence on alcohol, but rather on the stresses, guilt, and happiness which his relationship with family members created. His recovery wasn’t motivated by a desire to avoid alcohol, but rather by the prospect of improving his relationships with loved ones. He reported being effortlessly abstinent for months afterward, before beginning to drink moderately once again but with “a conscientiousness he had never experienced with alcohol before.” Two years after the study his drinking remained under control, and he had repaired his marriage and relationships with his children.
Why is Psilocybin Treatment Effective?
Why is Psilocybin Treatment Effective?
While many countries are accelerating research into psilocybin therapy, no one is exactly sure why the treatment has proven to be so effective. Nonetheless, there are a number of compelling theories as to why it works. Serotonin is often cited as one possible key to the effects of psilocybin, as the substance causes “downregulation” of the serotonin system, which can result in reduced impulsivity and improved mood. But changes to serotonin typically last for just one week, so the longer-term benefits of the treatment must derive from a different source.
Michael Bogenschutz, the lead investigator in the University of New Mexico alcohol trial, posits the view that exposure to psychedelics and oneirogenics can create a phenomenon that mirrors the long-tail effects of PTSD. As he puts it:
"there's a whole process that happens when a toxic memory is seared into the brain. The only physical effect is probably light hitting the eyes. It's the meaning made of that memory, and the brain and body's reaction to the meaning, that can cause lasting damage. So if there are experiences that are so toxic and so horrible that they can cause physical and psychological damage, it's not a crazy idea that there are some experiences that are so positive, so beneficial that they can have a healing effect."
Other researchers point to the concept of “ego death” that has long been associated with psychedelics. Robin Carhartt-Harris, a researcher at Imperial College, notes that psilocybin reduces activity in the brain’s “default mode network”, a collection of brain regions and neurotransmitters that are believed to construct an independent self and place it at the center of perceptions and experiences. Psychedelics help individuals to pay less attention to the self, breaking down walls and facilitating connections. Since many depressed and addicted people are plagued with a deep and abiding sense of isolation from others, this can feel like a dramatic escape from a mental prison. Many of the participants in these studies reported that psilocybin dramatically reduced their sense of alienation.
Another theory is that the therapy increases neuroplasticity, changing and reshaping neurons in the brain. This remodeling of cells is the basis of all learning, and substances like psilocybin and iboga have been proven to improve neuroplasticity. Addiction, anxiety, trauma, and depression can create negative changes in brain chemistry, as the mind learns to take pleasure or stress from external cues. Psilocybin seems to help restore the brain to a pre-addicted state.
Psilocybin Treatment: Safety Concerns
Psilocybin Treatment: Safety Concerns
While psilocybin therapy has shown immense promise to heal mental wounds, we would strongly recommend restricting its use to a clinical setting. There are physical and psychological risks that go hand in hand with the benefits of psychedelic therapies, and in many jurisdictions, you can be arrested and incarcerated for use or possession of these substances. Michael Pollan notes that in all societies that used psychedelic substances, ranging from the Amazon to ancient Greece, they were always used with “deliberateness and care.” He writes that these substances “were not taken alone but usually in a group under the direction of an elder or shaman familiar with the mental territory, and they were used only on certain occasions, surrounded by ritual and with a clear intention. There was nothing casual about it.” All would be wise to maintain this level of caution as they experiment with their immense potential.
To find out more about what psilocybin therapy can do for you, contact us now!
3rd November 2020 • Sticky Post
Opioid Replacement Therapy: Weighing the Costs/Benefits
Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) is a way to lessen the impact of addiction to opiates and opioids by replacing dangerous drugs like fentanyl and heroin with legal, long-acting, non-euphoric drugs such as methadone and suboxone. Advocates cite a host of benefits that can be obtained through Opioid Replacement Therapy, including reducing the risk of HIV transmission, overdoses, and crime, while helping the addicted to hold down jobs and maintain functional relationships. Opioid Replacement Therapy also theoretically keeps individuals in treatment by reducing the symptoms of withdrawal and the cravings for illicit drugs. It sounds appealing, and methadone has been a popular treatment for years. The World Health Organization has labeled it an essential medicine, and it’s used without question by health-care providers the world over (almost 50,000 kgs. of it are manufactured every year). But is ORT really the best way to treat opioid addiction?
Methadone: Pros and Cons
Opioid replacement therapy: weighing the pros and cons
As a long-acting opioid, as well as an opioid agonist, methadone ensures that the user typically needs a single daily or bi-daily dose and that they cannot experience highs even if they use other opioid drugs. This allows those who use the substance to return their lives to some sort of normality. Since most users are obtaining a single dose every 24-48 hours in an outpatient setting, they are free to go about their daily business unencumbered from intoxication or the need to secure more drugs. Furthermore, enrollment in an opioid replacement program generally nudges the user towards meaningful interactions with the health-care system which can successfully steer them towards a more complete recovery.
A study from Harvard University’s medical school found that approximately 25% of methadone users would successfully wean themselves from the substance over the long-term, 25% would continue using it indefinitely, and 50% would eventually return to their previous addiction. A 2009 study from the Cochrane Review concluded that methadone treatment increases the chance of successful treatment outcomes by helping to retain patients in treatment and that it decreases heroin use compared to programs that don’t offer opioid replacement therapy. The study also found that methadone didn’t actually decrease the risk of mortality or prevent criminality in a statistically significant way.
While methadone programs offer some substantial benefits to those grappling with addiction, they come with substantial side-effects and risks. Common side-effects include nausea, vomiting, sexual dysfunction, slowed breathing, and itchy skin, and there is some evidence that prolonged use can cause a number of lung and respiratory issues. Meanwhile, neuroscientists are still discovering the effects methadone use has on the brain, as experiments with rats have shown that a three-week course of methadone led to a “significant” – 70 percent – reduction of a signal molecule that supports memory and learning in the brain’s frontal lobe and hippocampus. Methadone is also a deeply addictive substance, which causes worse withdrawal symptoms than the heroin that it replaces. And the risk of overdose doesn’t go away for those using methadone. In fact, the American Center for Disease Control reports that methadone is to blame in a full third of all prescription painkiller related deaths occurring in the USA.
Methadone has helped many addicts by acting as a first step towards recovery, offering a measure of stability in their lives, and enticing them to interact with recovery professionals. But the side-effects and risks associated with its use are deeply concerning, and there are other options available for those looking for ORT.
Naltrexone and Buprenorphine
Naltrexone and Buprenorphine
Like methadone, buprenorphine is a synthetic opioid that can reduce or curtail the symptoms of withdrawal. Suboxone, the most common variety of buprenorphine, also contains a substance called naloxone, which causes serious and deeply unpleasant side-effects if the substance is injected. It is included to reduce the potential for abuse. Suboxone was approved for use by the American Food and Drug Administration in 2002, and it has become incredibly popular. In 2013 the drug made $1.55 billion in sales, more than Adderall and Viagra combined!
Buprenorphine treatment has some significant advantages over methadone. It has less potential for abuse because of the inclusion of naloxone. It has also proven to be a safer alternative. A 6-year study conducted by researchers in England and Wales found methadone was more than 6 times more likely to cause overdose deaths than buprenorphine, with 2,366 mortalities associated with methadone use, and only 52 related to buprenorphine.
Naltrexone is another synthetic opioid that was originally intended for use in pill form. The American government concluded that it “does not produce tolerance or withdrawal. Poor treatment adherence has primarily limited the real-world effectiveness of this formulation. As a result, there is insufficient evidence that oral naltrexone is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder.” However, in 2010 an extended-release, injectable form of naltrexone was approved by the FDA. This version requires a single injection per month and has been found to be as effective as buprenorphine in reducing opioid use. However, withdrawal from opioids must be completed before this type of naltrexone is safe to use, which is a significant barrier for many addicts.
Buprenorphine and naltrexone can offer a sufferer the benefits of methadone treatment, along with reduced risk of overdose, death, and abuse. However, like methadone, they are imperfect solutions that can help addicts to manage their affliction and lead them into treatment but also create a new dependence that can take years to break free of.
Effective Alternatives
Opioid Replacement therapy: weighing the costs and benefits
You may already know about Iboga’s ability to treat withdrawal symptoms and substance cravings, as well as its remarkable restorative effects on the brain. If you don’t, you may want to read this post on iboga’s effectiveness in treating opioid addiction. In addition to its clinical benefits, the substance induces an ego-free, reflective state that can also help addicts deal with past trauma and certain mental health issues.
Unlike methadone, iboga isn’t habit-forming and is extremely unlikely to be abused. There is no evidence that it is physiologically or psychologically addictive. While systematic, controlled clinical trials in the US and Europe have yet to be conducted (mainly because the substance is classified as a Schedule I drug), there are countless testimonials from people who credit iboga with saving their lives and allowing them to escape from addiction.
Iboga use is not without risk. It can exacerbate pre-existing cardiac conditions, and in abnormally large doses it may induce seizures. But even though it is often self-administered, or used in unsafe settings due to its murky legal status, it is still safer than methadone, causing 1 death in every 427 reported treatment episodes, compared to a 1:364 mortality rate for methadone.
2nd July 2020 • Sticky Post
Addiction Treatment in the USA: Why Are So Many Addicts Looking Abroad For Treatment Options?
America’s drug problem has gotten exponentially worse in the past two decades. As the opioid crisis rages on, the USA has stubbornly clung to an outmoded and ineffective method of dealing with addiction and the addicted. Unlike many other first-world countries, who have followed Portugal in adopting an approach based on the principles of harm-reduction, America still takes a reactionary “zero-tolerance” approach to drug use. Staggering numbers of US addicts are incarcerated for drug offenses, and while the country is beginning to explore new approaches to dealing with its substance abuse crisis, significant change doesn’t appear to be imminent.
As a result, the country has become a poster-child for the failure of the “war on drugs.” Their archaic drug policy comes under criticism from pundits, social scientists, think tanks, and politicians all over the political spectrum for squandering public funds, destroying lives, and failing to rehabilitate those afflicted by addiction. It’s obvious that change is long overdue, but bureaucratic inertia and a fraught political climate are stalling life-saving reforms. If you’re one of the thousands of US addicts looking for solutions, turning your gaze abroad may seem like the wisest approach.
Why Are American Addicts Looking To Portugal For Answers?
Portugal was in the midst of an epidemic of heroin addiction when they made the dramatic decision to embrace the principles of harm-reduction and decriminalize the consumption of all drugs. As one of the architects behind Portugal’s new approach explains it: “We realized we were squandering resources. It made much more sense for us to treat drug addicts as patients who needed help, not as criminals.” By removing the threats of prosecution and incarceration, Portugal has reduced the stigma surrounding addiction, and the number of addicts receiving treatment has increased by 60% since 1998. The results the country has achieved simply by treating addicts with dignity and viewing addiction as a health issue has caused countries such as Canada, France, Switzerland, and Germany to embrace harm-reduction. Portugal’s clear-headed, compassionate approach to treating addiction makes it an ideal destination for those attempting to overcome substance-abuse problems.
America offers some publicly funded drug treatment options, and there are privately run residential treatment facilities. These centers have the benefit of being close to home, but for Americans without comprehensive health insurance, the cost of effective treatment in a comfortable setting can be staggering. Luxury private facilities have rates rising as high as $100,000 per month! And if you’re looking for a publicly funded facility, you need to be prepared for wait times of approximately 18 months! The shortage of treatment beds and affordable facilities has pushed many addicts to the brink of despair.
In theory, seeking treatment in these centers will not put you at risk of increased attention from the police or the stigma of being an addict in a society that views drug use very harshly, but if you’re living in a small community, word might still spread. If you’re looking to be treated with dignity and respect, experience compassionate treatment, and maintain your privacy, going abroad might be your best option. Drug addiction is still viewed harshly in America, with studies finding that addiction carries more stigma than mental illness. In many communities, the addicted are still seen as criminals who have succumbed to a “moral failing” rather than sick people in need of medical treatment. If you’d prefer to be treated as a person, rather than a junkie, as you begin your recovery journey, you might want to consider seeking treatment in Portugal!
Why look at Addiction Treatment Options Abroad?
1) Environment
Leaving an environment full of familiar stressors and temptations can have a beneficial effect in treatment. And traveling abroad can bring a profound sense of relief and relaxation. Portugal is a picturesque country with a lovely Mediterranean climate. It’s dotted with quaint villages, ancient ruins, majestic castles, and miles of beautiful coastline. And there are few regions better suited to recovering your health than Portugal’s sun-drenched Alentejo region. A land of rolling hills and vast plains, the Alentejo offers visitors the opportunity to recover their health and connections to the natural world by riding horses, watching birds, stargazing, hiking and cycling. Many visitors are especially appreciative of the temperate climate, peaceful lifestyle, and delicious regional fare. All while enjoying a rehab facility that rivals a luxurious resort or hotel for a fraction of the cost of treatment back home. You’ll disconnect from a toxic environment and share amazing new experiences with people from all around the world!
2) Privacy
While increasing numbers of people are coming to the understanding that addiction is a medical issue, there is still a significant social and professional stigma that comes with seeking treatment for substance abuse. If you head to Portugal, it’s easy to tell friends, family members, and colleagues that you’re off on a much-needed vacation and avoid awkward conversations and prying questions. There’s also no risk that someone will spot you emerging from a clinic or support group meeting and start whispering.
3) Promising Treatments Unavailable At Home
We’ve written a lot about the undeniable power of ayahuasca and iboga to combat the addictive properties of opioids and other drugs and to open the addicted mind to the idea of a positive transformation into sobriety. Because Portugal has decriminalized all drugs, promising treatments that cannot be obtained in a safe medical setting in America can be accessed here with the supervision of health-care professionals. If you think a treatment that uses a psychoactive substance is your best option, we’d strongly recommend getting away from the United States, where strong anti-drug laws put you at risk of prosecution and incarceration. Iboga has been considered a “Class 1” drug in the United States for decades. Although the government has occasionally expressed interest in exploring medical use, and in spite of the tremendous power the substance has shown to combat opioid addiction, its legal status is unlikely to change at any time in the near future.
In spite of our belief in iboga’s remarkable ability to interrupt addiction, we would strongly advocate against using it in regions where draconian laws force its use underground, creating potentially fatal health risks.
4) Easy Intake
When you’ve reached rock bottom, a treatment center that can quickly start the process of detox and recovery can be a life-saver. The prospect of waiting eighteen-months for the in-patient treatment you need can be a heart-breaking, motivation-sapping roadblock. America’s drug programs are underfunded, one of the main reasons why the majority of US addicts are pushed into outpatient treatment programs. Treatment centers abroad can immediately start the intake process, allowing you to strike back at your addiction when you’re feeling hopeful and motivated. This can make all the difference in the world!
Iboga Tree Healing House
At Iboga Tree Healing House, we have a unique ability to accommodate clients from around the world with our welcoming, open-minded, and international staff.. You’d be hard-pressed to find a treatment center more committed to the safety of their clients than Iboga Tree Healing House. We’re also deeply committed to maintaining a supportive and non-judgmental environment for facilitating recovery and personal growth.
In addition to offering iboga treatment, we also provide a wide array of holistic treatments, including breathwork, kundalini yoga, equine-assisted therapy, kambo, and more. All of these practices are extremely beneficial for re-energizing both body and spirit to pursue recovery. In combination with our ten-hectares of outdoor space, large terraces, and outdoor swimming pool, we let nature remind our clients to be grateful and receptive to new horizons and second chances. We have many testimonials from people around the globe who’ve benefited immeasurably from experiencing our addiction treatment in beautiful, sunny Portugal. If you’d like to experience treatment abroad, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
