HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY GENERATION

What does it take to fight the global epidemic of teenage drug abuse
effectively? While many advocate stricter law enforcement and political and
social reform, a well-known therapeutic educator from Germany insists drug
abuse is best fought at its very root-the user's mind

To fight drug abuse, building inner protection is far more effective than
external measures.

That's the concept at the heart of the unusual drug abuse prevention and
rehabilitation theory put forth by German therapeutic educator, Felicitas
Vogt, 48, who was recently in town to give a series of talks as part of the
"Alliance for Childhood" (see "The first frontier").

"No doubt outer elements, like corruption within politics and the police
force, play a part in the rapid spread of drugs, but we can't solve drug
problems by focusing on this alone," said Vogt, whose 25 years of work and
research in the field of drug rehabilitation for young people is well
recognised in Europe.

Political reform or tighter laws, advocated by many as ways to suppress
drug abuse, are not the answers, she said.

"Switzerland, despite its highly regarded government, has a big drug
problem," argued Vogt. "In Germany, there are very strict laws against drug
use, but abuse is rampant there, too."

While parents can neither wait for such reforms to solve drug problems, nor
build walls around their children to shield them, they can strive to build
inner strength for them, said Vogt.

"To do that, one must first understand why youngsters turn to drugs. For
them, drugs promise warmth, enthusiasm, enjoyment of life, a feeling of 'I
can do anything I want'; tolerance: 'I can tolerate anything'; and an
illusion of being free. These are justified yearnings-these are highly
valued social qualities. Drugs give us what we can't achieve on social and
spiritual levels. Unless we work on these social and spiritual levels,
drugs will always have a place."

Old-fashioned punishment like imprisonment, argued Vogt, is neither
justified nor effective.

"These children are already punished enough to be born in these times, to
be so worried about those social standards mentioned," she reasoned.

Even conventional rehabilitation achieves little in the long run.

"In Europe, when young addicts are arrested or hospitalised, they can
choose therapy or jail. Most choose therapy.

"Therapy centres will try to 'resocialise' them. The addicts then go back
into society, but when they face conflicts, they take drugs again, and the
cycle repeats itself. Some kids go through therapy 10 or 15 times!" This
cycle usually ends when the addicts die, from such causes as illness or fights.

"The relapse rate in Germany is 92 percent over the last 10 years," Vogt
lamented.

Dismayed by such high relapse rates, a group of people from several
professional fields got together 25 years ago in southern Germany to
discuss a new way to treat young addicts, based on the anthroposophical
theory of human beings' developmental stages (see "The Steiner philosopy").

Such treatment centres now number seven in Germany, two in Switzerland, one
in France, and one in Holland. Except for the centre in Holland, which can
take up to 80, each centre accepts 25 to 50 patients, aged 15 to 18.

"Using this therapy, the addicts are first told what they will have to go
through over a period of one to one and a half years. If they agree to
follow these rules, they can stay," said Vogt, adding that costs are borne
by government-supported health insurance companies.

The treatment requires the teenage addicts, within their stay, to repeat
the development process of human beings, as outlined by the late Austrian
thinker and educator Rudolf Steiner.

"In the first seven years of life, a child needs to play, to move, to be a
part of the world. He also needs to imitate adults.

"To repeat this stage, the patient works in the centre's farm, caring for
animals ... Meanwhile, the patient is well cared for physically. He's given
nutritious, organic food to bring him back to health. Drug addicts usually
eat badly, and their digestive systems are damaged.

"Once or twice a week the patient is given a therapeutic bath and massage.
He's made to feel that his physical body is worthy of being cared for, "
said Vogt.

To bring rhythm, an essential requirement for early childhood development
according to anthroposophists, back into the patient's life, he is required
to follow daily schedules from waking to bedtime.

"The schedule is such that expressive and introverted activities are
balanced throughout the day," said Vogt, adding that this first stage lasts
four to six months.

The patient then moves on to the second stage, which imitates a child's
development from seven to 14 years of age.

"In this stage, he has lessons in different kinds of art-painting, theatre
play, clay modelling, dance.... These make the patient feel, 'I can create
something beautiful."'

In addition to aesthetic activities, the patient learns social skills, like
speaking, listening and singing.

"These activities help the patients overcome themselves. Usually, addicts
are cynical, critical and arrogant. Through these activities and group
therapy, they learn to overcome their cynicism and arrogance."

In the third and final stage, which imitates human development from 14 to
21 years of age, the patient learns to take responsibility for himself.

"They can now take leave on weekends. Also, they help to take care of the
newcomers."

Essential in this last stage is the journey back to themselves. "In this
stage, the patient will have a one-on-one meeting with the centre's
therapist. For the first time, he's allowed to talk about drugs, and about
what led him to drug abuse in the first instance."

"This meeting usually brings about a crisis point, with the patient crying,
screaming, even asking to go back to drug use rather than face themselves.
The therapist will help the patient try to find the meaning of his life.
Usually this is a spiritual stage," said Vogt, adding that the second and
third stages each last between three to six months, depending on the
individual.

According to Vogt, the relapse rate of those receiving such
anthroposophical treatment is 30 per cent.

"Compared with the 90-some percent of other types of treatments, it's a big
success."

However, while such treatment centres have proved effective and are
recognised by government and health insurance companies, there still aren't
enough of them to treat all the young addicts, whose numbers have
skyrocketed all over the world, Vogt pointed out.

"I think the main task of those of us who advocate such treatment is to
share ideas and experiences, so others can learn from them.

"After all, if applying this theory of human development stages can help
young drug addicts, why not apply it to our children from the beginning?
This would be the best safeguard against drug abuse."

Parents, educators or those working in child-related fields should thus
strive to understand the anthroposophical human developmental stages and
use the theory as a guideline in raising, educating and treating children
and youngsters, urged Vogt.

"In their first seven years of life, develop the children's physical
health, let them play, move, listen to stories; don't hurry them towards
adulthood.

"In their second stage, when they're seven to 14, give them a soul-healthy
education rich in arts and beauty. Be for them an authority, one built on
love and respect, not fear.

"In their third stage, from 14 to 21, after which they enter adulthood,
give them an education built on truth and responsibility. Then they will
emerge strong and secure adults who can resist the temptation of drugs and
other vices.

"If we can do that, we may find a solution to our drug problem, one made
from within."

Concluding her talk, Vogt urged all not to lose hope.

"We can't solve drug problems in one month, or one year, since problems
have developed over 2,000 years or more. Still, we must not be overwhelmed
by the problems, or the drug industry which is always clever, always corrupt.

"But we can start loving our children more today, giving them what they
need. We must be patient, brave, and build new visions for the future."

The First Frontier For Children

Formed 18 months ago, the Alliance for Childhood (AFC) is a partnership of
individuals and organisations committed to fostering and respecting each
child's inherent right to a healthy, developmentally appropriate childhood.

Among its goals are: To fight poverty and neglect in all forms; to work for
better child heath, physical and emotional; to prevent commercialism aimed
at children, to reduce children's growing dependence on electronic media,
to promote a play-based early years curriculum, and to strengthen family life.

To reach these goals, the Alliance promotes such activities as exchanging
and disseminating information, research and experience, working with
government agencies to influence change in laws and policies, and
encouraging joint activities between a range of community-based
organisations involving both children and adults.

Currently, the Alliance has offices in several countries, including
Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK and the US.

For more information on AFC, visit

In Thailand, the AFC can be reached by contacting Dr Porn Panosot, 297
Mooban Panya, Pattanakarn 30, Suan Luang, Bangkok 10250, or by calling
300-3404.

The Steiner Philosophy

Anthroposophy-upon which Felicitas Vogt's drug treatment method is
based-literally means "the wisdom of man".

While labelled an "occult religion" by some due to its spiritual dimension,
anthroposophy can be roughly defined as knowledge and practical techniques
based on the body of teaching given out by the Austrian-born spiritual
philosopher and educator, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925).

Although Steiner applied his theory to such diverse fields as physics, art,
history, medicine and agriculture, his best recognised work is in the field
of education.

Known as "Waldorf education", it's one of the fastest-growing education
movements worldwide, with over 600 schools operating in 32 countries,
serving approximately 120,000 students.