ADDICTIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Dr. Gabor Mate, the well respected specialist on ADHD (Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is once again making headlines. He
has authored "Scattered Minds", "When The Body Says No", "Hold On To
Your Kids", and "In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts". Dr. Mate has
dedicated over ten years of his life working as the staff physician
at the Portland Hotel on Vancouver's downtown eastside. This hotel
has become infamous as a harm reduction facility.

Dr. Mate is of the opinion that whether or not you will become
addicted to substances or process addictions later in life is more or
less determined in your first three years on earth. He claims that a
bad early childhood will in turn disrupt the brain's chemicals. The
regulators of pain and pleasure concepts as well as lack of pleasure
and difficulty finding motivation are directly associated with these
chemicals (dopamine and endorphins).

What about those individuals who did not have a bad early childhood?
Many became addicted as well. I definitely agree with my esteemed
colleague that having a bad early childhood would definitely be a
contributing factor leading someone into a dysfunctional lifestyle.
Addiction is not prejudiced.

It matters not if one is rich or poor, Asian, Caucasian, African
American, First Nations, smart or stupid. Addiction has no
boundaries. No one is immune. If a person's parents are addicted,
living in poverty, promiscuous and live a criminogenic lifestyle, the
child's chances of not being addicted are slim to none.

Where I draw the line is the theory that "once an addict, always an
addict". I have worked with many people who have completely changed
their lives around because they made a decision. They made a decision
that they no longer wanted to destroy their lives and the lives of
others around them.

They decided they would do whatever it takes to regain their dignity.
They decided to reach out and grab the hands of those willing to
offer help. They did face challenges.

Help was not always there. The hardest part of this journey was
deciding they wanted to better themselves. Sure, their self-esteem
was down. Some had criminal records.

Some had lost everything. When they made a decision to better
themselves they decided having parents who were addicted, having been
sexually abused as a child, raped as an adult, losing everything in
life, having gone to jail, etc. was not going to interfere with their
desire to change their lives.

Brian Tracy wrote a book titled, "Change Your Thinking, Change Your
Life". Anyone can change. Not everyone will embark on a life of total
abstinence.

If someone changes just one thing in their life for the better, they
in turn will benefit. and others will also reap the rewards. Tracy
talks of seeking a mentor.I believe this to be crucial. If you want
to be a carpenter, it makes sense that you find the best carpenter
you can and ask questions and learn from the person. If you want to
learn how to swim, you will associate with people who can swim. It is
difficult to achieve a sober lifestyle if you are hanging out with a
bunch of people who drink and drug constantly. If you want to stay
away from drugs and alcohol you must choose friends who don't drink
and use drugs.

Giving away needles and crack pipes, opening bars to later hours and
condoning the destructive behaviours of the addicted does not help anyone.

The most important aspect of any harm reduction program is to first
of all ensure that "we do no harm". We must be empathetic to those
requiring our help but we must ensure we are not enabling. To learn
more, you may contact the numbers listed below.

You may contact me at (888) 613-2667, mailing address: PO Box 1150,
Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0 or email me at adventuresinrecovery@yahoo.com.

Counselling services in Fort St. James are:

. Fort Alcohol & Drug Services 996-8411

. Nechako Valley Community Services 996-7645

. Nak'azdli Health Centre 996-7400

. Tl'azt'en Nation Health Centre 648-3350

. Adventures in Recovery Counselling (888) 613-2667