BODY, MIND AND SP . . . . WHATEVER!
WHICH OF THEM SOLVES ADDICTION?

by Kenneth Eckersley

The concept of a human being as: a physical body controlled via a computer-like mind by some form of spirit, has been around for thousands of years, the most widely used definition of “spirit” being one’s “soul” which features in a majority of world religions.

In addition to religions, there are numerous “Body, Mind & Spirit” conferences, exhibitions, seminars and congresses, big and small, which take place every year across most European countries, so that the BM&S concept attracts attention and support from many millions of our citizens.

Nevertheless, outside of faith based rehabilitation programmes, one seldom if ever finds any attention paid to the part which the individual – as distinct from his body or mind – plays in the adoption of and recovery from an addiction to drugs or drink.

Bodies are essential to our ability to operate in the physical universe, and they operate in two main ways.  They allow us to exert physical control over our surroundings to our benefit, and also to be able to experience sensation from our environment.  Such sensation can be pleasurable or otherwise, and in fact it is from the painful or upsetting experiences or failures to control our environment that we learn what to avoid in life.

Over time, our mind builds up a series of psychological preferences for, or  avoidances of, those physical situations which enhance or worsen the quality of our survival and life enjoyment.  And all this is done at the behest of ourselves – i.e. the person using the mind and the body to enjoy life here on earth.

Until we come to addiction.

Because the body is provably a carbon-oxygen organism chemically controlled via the mind and brain by the considerations of the individual, the introduction of chemical overloads from external sources can markedly interfere with a person’s normally relaxed control of his body, especially when such chemical overloads are those which create sensations pleasurable to the body = rather than to the mind or spirit - and which thus give the impression to the body of being of benefit to it’s survival.

As Darwin’s evolutionary theory has indicated, the inherited animalistic and reactive survival instincts of the body are not necessarily the same as the wishes or requirements of the controlling spirit / person who may be seeking glory on the battle or sports field with scant regard for his or her body.

Any racing driver initially wants to be the fastest man on the track.  But after he crashes a few times and injures his body, the reflexive survival instincts of the body seek to slow him down to avoid further threats to its survival and comfort.  In other words, the body starts to control the individual instead of vice versa.

And it works in other ways.  If the body finds a source of pleasurable sensation with no immediately obvious threat to life or health, it will adjust its metabolism to increasingly demand that pleasure, even though the substance providing the pleasure may later prove to be debilitating or even life-threatening.  So here, we not only have the body controlling the individual, we have a substance controlling the individual via the body – solely for the pleasure of the body.

From the point of view of the individual, “loss of control” is what addiction is all about.  You can’t hold down a good job or achieve wonderful goals in life if your body frequently revolts against your directions because it is more powerfully controlled by its desire for a given substance.

And because the metabolic changes made to the body by the drug cause cold- turkey pain to the body when there is no drug supply, there also starts to develop a psychological desire which begins to reinforce the body’s physical desire.

Which leaves the individual with less control over both his mind and body.  When body and / or mind start to control an individual’s life instead of the individual himself, then he is addicted, and if the person himself starts to believe that it is the drug which is keeping him alive, he has lost near total control of his life.

As a result, a cure for addiction lies in the direction of restoring his control, which cannot be achieved by seeking further or other control of the addict.  He must be able to again take control of his life, and that is not and cannot ever be achieved by doing something “to” him or “for” him.  Restoration of self-control means he must do it to and for himself.

It is not therefore surprising to find that the most successful rehabilitation system in the world is not a “treatment”, but is instead a training and educational programme which equips the addict with the tools necessary for him or her to regain and maintain control over their own lives for the rest of their life. 

“They” say that no two addicts are alike, and so, “they” also say, that each addict must have his or her own personal programme of recovery. 

But addicts are found to be alike in one vital respect.  They all start to experiment with or to take drugs in order to solve what they personally consider to be a problem.  The reason for starting drug taking IS therefore the same for all. 

It is the problem they seek to solve which is different.  ONLY THEY CAN SOLVE THAT, and viable training can permit them to do it - for themselves.