ADDICTION IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD

Counsellors Find It Tough To Get Their Programs Accepted By The
Faith-Based Community, Says Anna Morgan

On May 13, 1988, Benji Hayward died in Lake Ontario while tripping on
LSD. On that night 18 years ago, Benji shattered the widely held
belief that good Jewish kids from the suburbs don't do drugs.

At that time, media attention forced the Jewish community to honestly
confront problems that no one in contemporary society can entirely avoid.

Stigmas associated with addiction were brought to the surface in a
way that allowed for the consideration of educational programs in
religious schools.

However, it didn't take long before new obstacles were created to
prevent the issue from being addressed head-on.

Unfortunately, myths keep getting resurrected in different forms to
reflect current trends.

Today, the divide between secular liberalism and faith-based
lifestyles has once again made it almost impossible to deal with
addiction when religion is a factor.

One of this city's centres for addiction and recovery is called JACS,
an acronym for Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and
Significant Others.

These days, JACS counsellors find that getting their programs into
faith-based communities is one of their biggest challenges.

JACS co-director Zalman Goldman estimates that, when one takes into
account the wide circle of family and friends affected by an addict's
inevitable decline, about 10 per cent of the entire Jewish community
has felt the impact of addiction.

And while it's difficult for anyone, anywhere, to admit to having a
problem, it can be overwhelming for an addict to overcome the shame
associated with addiction if they come from a religious background.

Religious people from all faiths face challenges from both outside
and inside their communities.

From outside, they tend to be held to higher moral standards.

Inside the religious community, the addict's belief in a God becomes
suspect because of the assumption that religion shields believers
from secular pathways that end in drugs and addiction.

The irony is that it is religious faith that is itself the key to
most successful drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

The renowned Twelve Step program, with its emphasis on a belief in a
higher being, however, has a more spiritual focus than the
ritual-based lifestyle of the very devout.

As Abraham J. Twerski, a rabbi who has encouraged an end to denial in
the Orthodox community points out, "Religion is for people worried
about going to hell. Spirituality is for those that have been there."

Spiritual aspects of the Twelve Steps were brought into focus
recently when author James Frey claimed that he managed to overcome
his addiction without relying on the blind faith that the program
usually requires.

In his book A Million Little Pieces, the main character loathes the
religiously oriented treatment he receives from staff in a
rehabilitation centre.

He goes on to discover that he can recover through sheer willpower.

Before certain autobiographical facts in A Million Little Pieces were
discredited, critics loved the fact that Frey found a non-religious
path toward recovery. Even TV host Oprah Winfrey had a hard time
letting go of Frey's story.

So, is religion a help or a hindrance when it comes to addiction?

Do there have to be such clear dividing lines between the two?

Can the key lie in the two worlds coming together, with youth
embracing spirituality and religious communities accepting a more
open approach to their young peoples' problems?

On May 28, JACS will present a Battle of the Bands competition. The
hope is that the event will bring in an audience from the general
teen community, where drugs and alcohol are an inevitable cultural
phenomenon, so that they'll know about JACS and their programs.

Does JACS's Goldman, himself an Orthodox Jew, think he'll see many
religious kids at the Battle of the Bands?

Of course not. But, even if he sees only one or two, he'll be happy.