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CHRISTIAN THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY IN ADDICTION TREATMENT. Addiction in its different manifestation is one of the most threatening problems of nowadays. It is also one of the greatest killers of people all over the Globe.
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Addiction in its different manifestation is one of the most threatening problems of nowadays It is also one of the greatest killers of people all over the Globe. Russia is not at all an exception. The statistics of last years shows a steady growth of alcoholism and addiction in our country. The total number of the registered patients with these diseases in Russia makes more than two millions. However, according to experts, theactual number of such patients surpasses this amount at least six times. But this problem looks even worse and much more grave when we consider that each member of every addicted family (especially, spouses and children), suffer from the disease and manifest their own personality dysfunctions. This fact increasesanamount of the victims of the disease at least three times.
Besides physical and moral sufferings, caused by these illnesses, patients and their families develop a variety of extremely negative social and economic consequences. The sharp decrease of efficiency in work, truancies, industrial injuries, and breakages of work equipment is only part of problems arising in economic sphere. The overwhelming number of crimes is made in a status of alcoholic or narcotic intoxication or on motives connected to the use of drugs or alcohol. Significant percent (up to 85 %) of HIV/AIDS in Russia is also connected with intravenous injections of an illegal drug. More than two thirds of those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are young people in the age under 25, approximately half from them - 12-16 years old teenagers.
A thorough study and deep analysis of the world experience in overcoming of addiction was made by our foundation. It has convinced us that the only way to resolve addiction problems is to form a large network of activities and programs, embracing all the aspects of this problem: biological, genetic, mental, social and – the most important – spiritual. A Christian therapeutic community approach may includeall these aspects andtherefore isthe most adequate to the problem. It can be said that EFFECTIVENESS OF A SOLUTION OF ADDICTION PROBLEM IS AS MACH HIGH AS IT INCLUDES THE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY ELEMENTS.
The term “Therapeutic Community” (TC), as it is employed today, refers to a phenomenon which emerged simultaneously in England and in America in the middle of the 20th century. It is most familiar to mental health professionals as denoting a type of residential treatment for psychiatric patients, first developed by Dr. Maxwell Jones in two hospitals in England and Scotland. But now the term is also widely applying to a form of non-psychiatrically oriented self-help residential treatment, mostly in the addiction field, operated primarily by ex-addict staff, with a limited assistance of trained professionals.
First of these communities, Synanon, was founded in the early 60’s in America by Charles Dederich, a recovering alcoholic, gained his sobriety in AA (“Alcoholics Anonymous”). Few years later another large TC – Daytop Village – was founded by two professionals, Dr. Dan Casriel and Dr. Alexander Bassin with the help of a Synanon’ graduate, David Deitch. During next four decades TС become one of the most spread and commonly known form of addiction treatment. In 1975 the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities was founded with Monsignor William O’Brien as a president. Now the Federation include more than 3000 TCs from almost all countries around the Globe.
In his initial President’s message William O’Brien expressed the philosophy of the organization: “Therapeutic communities are all too familiar with the struggle to survive in an environment which is harshly adverse. We have seen the tragic results of an ever-expanding emphasis on the medical and the pharmacological. We are weary of simplistic, phantasmagoric solution dependent on chemistry to solve a dilemma that is not chemical. Somewhere along the road there has been far too much focus upon chemistry and far too little focus on human dilemmas, i.e. the disintegration of the family and its attendant values. Said breakdown results in a monumental see of turmoil for which the symptom of addiction represent only the top of iceberg.”
TC, as well as its forerunner 12 Steps program have clearly Christian origin Most researchers noticed links between TC of 20th century and early Christianity. For example, we know about the practice of exomologesis, which involves complete openness about one’s life, past and present, to be followed by important personal changes, with the support and encouragement of other members of the Congregation. There was practice of mutual honesty, amendment of life and growing involvement with the concern for others. The concept also involved self-disclosure and confes-sion of sin, followed by appropriate announcement of penance, pleas for forgiveness and plans for making restitution. A final phase of friendly fellowship, Koinonia, closed the meeting. This general formula continued until the Council of Nicea, A.D.325.
It is interesting, that the term “Therapeutic Community” is even deeper in its meaning than the inventors could probably imagine: The word “Therapeutic” comes from the Greek word ί and its derivates. In modern languages we use to understand by this word “treatment”. But if we look at the word in an Ancient-Greek-English vocabulary, we find that the first meaning there will be “obeisance”, “veneration”, “worship”, and also “care (of)”; “tendance”, etc. Another word of the term derived from Latin root “-munus”, that means “responsibility”, “burden”, “load”, as well as “mercy, charity, grace” and also “favour”. The prefix “co-“ means something that is forming and developing in the process of human interaction (and deeper, in the process of interaction of people with their Creator). It is very significant, that the word “Communio”, that in many languages means the greatest Christian sacrament, derived from the same root.
Tree of Freedom &Tree of Additions Following is a scheme that we use in our lectures and counseling sessions. The scheme can help us to illustrates correlation between all the elements (causes, routes and consequences) of addiction and its opposite: freedom. We may pay special attention on the trunks of this trees: in one case - real healthy unity to each other through God, based on His love, which necessarily includes service one another, and morbid links and binding, based on fear and selfishness – in the other case.
The words of this prayer sound at every meeting of one of the widest therapeutic community in the world – 12 step movement (AA, NA, etc): “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”.
