Quitting addiction to any substance, whether alcohol, cocaine, tranquilizers, heroin, tobacco, or one of the lesser known, is most frequently a very difficult process. Most of them are varied forms of the Alcoholics Anonymous "12 Step Program." Virtually all of them report at best 50% success and more commonly only 10% " sobriety one year from treatment. Dr. Neher has worked with several types of "treatment" programs and found that they lacked two important elements. He found that when they included these two in any of them, more than 90% maintained their sobriety after one year. It should be noted that tracking patients (or clients) longer is almost impossible to do on a regular basis. However, 95% of those few who had the benefit of the two elements and who have been able to be followed, maintained their sobriety for the next five or more years. This book covers these, two critical elements, in detail.

Altered States

The Inside Story of Excess and Successful RecoveryBy Terry Neher

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Dr. Terry Neher
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-3377-3

Contents

Introduction.............................................................................ixChapter 1. Chemical Dependencies Defined.................................................1Chapter 2. The Disease Concept...........................................................3Chapter 3. My first Drink................................................................9Chapter 4. Dr. Neher's Short Story.......................................................15Chapter 5. How did I know this would work?...............................................21Chapter 6. Behavior Can Cause The Compulsion.............................................25Chapter 7. Chemical Susceptibilities.....................................................29Chapter 8. The Chemical Component to Thoughts, Feelings. & Behaviors.....................35Chapter 9. ADD/ADHD - MAYBE NOT.........................................................39Chapter 10. Nicotine Addiction...........................................................45Chapter 11. Beacons Of Compulsive Behavior...............................................47Chapter 12. A Brief Description of Neuronal Systems......................................51Chapter 13. The Function Of Dopamine.....................................................55Chapter 14. The Impact of Family Trauma..................................................61Chapter 15. Serotonin And The Monoamines.................................................63Chapter 16. Treat Brain Chemical Imbalance, NOT Symptoms.................................65Chapter 17. Benzodiazepine (Tranquilizer) Addiction......................................69Chapter 18. Contributions of Dr. Richard Andrews.........................................75Chapter 19. The Steps Toward "The Person You Wanted To Be"...............................79Chapter 20. Frustration With "Treatments" Currently Offered..............................81Chapter 21. What Is Effective Treatment?.................................................85Chapter 22. Meeting the Maslow Defined Hierarchy Of Needs................................89

Chapter One

Chemical Dependencies Defined

Let's begin with a discussion related to millions of Americans, chemical dependency. In the past, chemical dependency has been characterized by such terms as "character defects," "personality traits," and sets of behaviors identified as common to chemically dependent persons.

In reality, willpower and character traits have little or nothing to do with this disease. Instead, the necessary causal factors amount to chemical deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in the brain. These abnormal chemistries occur as a result of genetic and environmental factors beyond the control of individuals. These altered chemical states actually become the precursors or factors necessary for a person to receive positive reinforcement through the use of externally introduced chemicals.

The way we think and feel, and behaviors that result, all happen because of chemical reactions/interactions in our brains. These chemical reactions are dependent upon balanced levels of many separate chemical molecules working together with specialized brain cells called "receptors" to produces thoughts, feelings, and actions. For every thought, feeling and behavior there exists a neurochemical equivalent in the brain. As a person continues to use external chemical sources to gain thoughts, feelings, or behaviors deemed desirable, he or she becomes "chemically" dependent.

In other words, for people to become dependent on an external Chemical source to produce the desired thought, feeling, or behavior, there must first exist, or be developed, a deficiency of a chemical component in their brains.

The first step toward an acceptable (for those people) lifestyle free from the need for external chemical intervention is, necessarily, abstinence from the use of these chemicals. This step, however, results in a set of dramatically uncomfortable and unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and potential behaviors as they attempt to interact in society with excessively curtailed brain-chemical capabilities.

This is the rationale for physiological stabilization as the necessary starting focus for recovery from chemical dependency. This focus is also what is lacking in many treatment experiences.

The major deterrent to chemical dependency counselors gaining a usable understanding of this process, we believe, has been the lack of practical interpretation of research findings into something we can use.

Chapter Two

The Disease Concept

Most in the treatment field espouse the disease concept because the American Medical Assn. has said alcoholism is a disease (AA calls it a "progressive illness"), and this makes the process "treatable". Those of us who are recovering believe ourselves to be of strong character and will, and readily accept the disease concept. Most non-recovering counselors voice the same acceptance but may, in all honesty, wonder to a degree about the claim.

In this society, a condition that meets four criteria may be termed a disease:

1. Etiology — factors that cause the condition are identifiable. 2. Symptomatology — identifiable symptoms, i.e, tolerance, blackouts, loss of control, etc. are present. 3. Morbidity — the symptoms describe a stage of the process. 4. Prognosis — in the case of chemical dependence, "guarded."

Now, if drinking alcohol was all it takes to cause alcoholism, for example, everyone who drinks would have the disease, and not nearly everyone does.

The etiologic factors being discussed, and the focus of this writing, are neurochemical and enzymatic. We are not discussing in depth here those liver enzyme levels and activities we know to be very important.

Approximately 50 substances naturally produced by the brain have been identified as neurotransmitters of thoughts, feelings, and actions (there are probably over 200 neurotransmitters not yet identified).. Of these, several are of special interest in chemical dependency recovery, and — very importantly — they can be identified with certain emotional states. This allows us to greatly simplify and make usable an understanding of neurochemistry.

Lets look at some of these neurochemicals and the associated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Opioids — endorphins and enkephalins — are substances used by The brain to moderate pain—physical and psychological. Endorphins (endogenous morphine-like substances) seem to work to moderate physical pain. Enkephalins (met-enkephalin and leu-enkephalin) appear to have a profound effect in those neural areas associated with emotional memory. What is the most painful emotional feeling we suffer? "Low self worth!".

As a result of replicated studies, we know, for instance, that opioid levels can be influenced by genetics and/or trauma (stress). When a person's opioid availability is low, due to genetic susceptibility or unmanaged environmental trauma, that person feels incomplete, inadequate, and unworthy, due to decreased enkephalin availability. Inherited deficiencies of these chemistries are likely the cause of extreme shyness in children. They may never feel equal to their peers, regardless of reality. They always feel "second or third,"...