Free from Addiction: Facing Yourself and Embracing Recovery

240 Pages·2008·0.71 MB·English

by  Morteza Khaleghi

Free From Addiction

Facing Yourself and Embracing Recovery
Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D.
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Free from
Addiction
Facing Yourself and
Embracing Recovery
Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D.
with
Constance Loizos
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FREEFROMADDICTION
Copyright © Morteza Khaleghi, Ph.D., 2008.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2008 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® andMacmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN-13: 978–0–230–60611–1
ISBN-10: 0–230–60611–3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Khaleghi, Morteza.
Free from addiction : facing yourself and embracing recovery / Morteza
Khaleghi with Constance Loizos.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–230–60611–3
1. Substance abuse––Popular works. I. Gove, Constance. II. Title.
RC564.29.K53 2008
362.29––dc22 2008021604
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: October 2008
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
PART I ADDICTION
1 Introduction 3
2 Redefining Addiction and Our Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
3 How Emotional Pain Can Lead to Addiction . . . . . . . . . .37
4 Recognizing Addictive Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
5 The Hidden Roots of Addiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
6 The Role Environment Plays in Addiction . . . . . . . . . . . .83
7 How the Brain Changes with Addiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
PART II RECOVERY
8 The Challenges of Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
9 Facing Yourself through Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
10 Relapse as Part of Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
11 How Families Experience Addiction,
and How They Can Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
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iv CONTENTS
12 Staging the Intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
13 The Risk of Waiting Too Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
14 Medication to Stop Dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Epilogue: Moving Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
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Acknowledgments
I WANT TO THANK Constance Loizos for her diligence in
research and dedication to learning about dual diagnosis, and
for bringing to life the work we do at Creative Care.
And thank you to Helena Echlin for help in organizing this
book in its initial phase.
I also want to thank Luba Ostashevsky and everyone at
Palgrave Macmillan for their enthusiasm and expertise in bringing
this book to print.
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Dedication
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK to my wife, Dr. Karen Khaleghi,
and to my children Farrah, Seymone, Dustin and Skylar.
And to the staff at Creative Care for their patience and support
as we wrote the book. They show the highest professionalism
andcare to each and every patient––even on the most challenging
days. Our success would not have been possible without this
extraordinary team.
And to all who are battling or have freed themselves from
addiction. This book is written with you in our hearts––in hopes
of guiding you toward true freedom.
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PART I
Addiction
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1
❦
Introduction
Debunking the Addiction Myth
INMY25 YEARSof experience in treating patients with chemical
dependence on drugs and alcohol, I have come to two crystal-
clear conclusions about addiction and its complexities. First is
that every single addict can be helped, no matter how far gone
they seem to be, no matter how seemingly determined they are to
hurt or even to kill themselves. Second is that addiction does not
happen in a vacuum, and it does not happen simply because
someone has a genetic propensity to become an addict.
Addiction is always—always—associated with underlying
emotional issues that help to fuel it.
The spectrum of emotional issues to which I’m referring is as rich
as any rainbow you might see. Some are biochemical, some are not.