Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as preventative
actions and therapeutic treatments for drug and substance
abusers
The treatment of those individuals who have developed a drug or
substance abuse habit is an issue for all people who wish to engage
themselves or are engaged in the treatment process to be concerned
about, be they the patient, his or her parents, social workers,
counselors and medical professionals, law enforcement officials and
the legal system, and city, state and national governments who
understand how drug and substance abuse drains resources and can
compromise and destroy lives.
The problem can not be ignored because the habitual use of drugs
and various other substances not only affects individuals in a
damaging manner, but can also have a negative knock on affect on
other people and segments of society.
Ongoing research, news reports and our own personal observations
suggest that the problem is getting worse each year.
It is important to understand and remember that people from all
walks of life, those being the wealthy, the middle class, the poor,
the highly educated and those who have never been educated, the
famous and the unknown, and individuals from different races,
ethnic groups, nationalities and religions use drugs and can
develop a drug problem.
There are drug users and there is a drug problem in every country
of the world.
This essay is not meant to be exhaustive or authoritative in any
manner, but only makes use of established knowledge, the teachings
and disciplines of Yoga and Buddhism, and the writers personal
experiences with drug use, association and working with drug users
and long - term experience in applying, writing about and teaching
the disciplines of Yoga and Buddhism.
It attempts to briefly summarize some main points regarding the
various factors involved in drug and substance abuse and puts forth
the idea that Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines can be of
assistance in dealing with this problem.
Individuals come to a residential or outpatient treatment program
for their drug or substance abuse problem because of one of three
reasons. These are:
ท Voluntarily and on their own, through a realization that they
have a problem and want or need to deal with it.
ท Through the intervention of their family, in which their seeking
of treatment may be voluntary or not.
ท Through the intervention of the law and legal process, in which
their seeking of treatment is most likely not voluntary or has been
forced upon them in some manner.
Once they get to the program, those individuals who wish to make
use of Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as a therapeutic
tool to assist in their recovery should be mindful about the
following things. These are:
1. Why do individuals use drugs
2. How drug use and substance abuse harms individuals and society
as a whole
3. Factors to consider in the treatment of drug and substance
abusers
4. How Yoga and Buddhist teachings can be of assistance in the
treatment of drug and substance abusers.
With an understanding of these four things, plus experience with
and an understanding of what they will teach and how they will
teach them, teachers and other therapists and clinicians can use
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines as a complimentary,
secondary or primary therapeutic tool to assist in the recovery and
rehabilitation of drug and substance abusers.
1. Why do individuals use drugs
The need and desire of individuals to use drugs is often because of
a number of factors, some of which come into play more often then
others or are masked by and overlap with others. These
include:
ท The need to fit in or feel accepted by their peers and others.
This is most common among adolescents, teenagers and young adults
who may have not yet developed a strong self - identity or because
of various factors, may be incapable of establishing one.
ท The need to think and feel of themselves as being cool, hip or
fashionable. An individual who is unsure of him or herself, or has
not developed a healthy self esteem or self confidence, may
need to feel that they are alright, accepted and with it through
the use of drugs, especially if they see people who they think of
as being a success in life or represent how they would like to live
and be as being people who use drugs.
ท The seeking out of pleasurable feelings or heightened sensations
on both a mental and physical level. Drugs and other substances can
give us a euphoric and pleasurable feeling allowing us to escape or
deal with states of mind and situations in life that we perceive
correctly or incorrectly as being stressful, uncomfortable or
signifying that we are not a success in life. We also may unwisely
think that drugs or other substances will heighten sexual pleasure
or increase our ability to perform well sexually or in other things
in life.
ท As a way to deal with the conflicting and confused thoughts and
feelings that can come about because of unwholesome conditioning.
Unwholesome conditioning can be defined as various experiences
including emotional, verbal, physical and sexual abuse or living in
a deprived or disturbing environment such as one where there is
poverty, widespread corruption and exploitation, family and
community violence or neglect, civil conflict and war. All of these
experiences and factors can give rise to states of mind and
consciousness in which a person can feel a lack of understanding,
insight, peace, joy and contentment.
ท As a way to deal with or escape from interactions at home that do
not acknowledge or deal with problems in a healthy manner, or lead
to the formation of problems. If there are dysfunctional aspects
within our family or among family members, there will also be a
lack of connection and understanding among them, or an inability
for them to assist each other in dealing with personal issues or
challenges in life. If individuals are not having their needs and
desires met by other family members they may seek out the pleasure
that drugs gives them.
ท As a way to deal with or escape from feelings of real or
perceived stress at home, at work and in ones relationships with
others. Stress and associated states may make an individual
unsatisfied or not content with what he or she has, or make them
unable to build on those things in constructive and joyful ways. In
addition, what one perceives a being stress may in reality be
something more serious, such as a personality disorder, anxiety
disorder, or depression.
2. How drug use and substance abuse harms individuals and society
as a whole.
In many cases of drug and substance abuse, we find those who use
drugs and other substances saying that they are not hurting anyone
else and therefore it is somehow ok for them to treat themselves in
this manner. Unfortunately, in adopting such an attitude, we
overlook the host of problems that can develop because of habitual
drug and substance abuse behaviors. These include:
ท A hindering of their development as human beings emotionally and
intellectually and as far as building healthy, wholesome and
rewarding personal relationships, getting the most that they can
out of their education, and establishing a work ethic and
career.
ท The creation of neurological defects that can result in cognitive
- behavioral dysfunctions and problems. The use of drugs and other
substances can seriously impair the functioning of the brain and
nervous system, making unhealthy conditions that already exist
worse, while in other cases bringing about an unhealthy
state.
ท An inability to allow co-existing disorders such as anxiety,
attention deficit disorder, depression, etc, to be diagnosed
correctly or treated in an effective manner. Individuals who use
drugs and other substances frequently do so as a way to deal with
other disorders, along the way making them harder to detect and
deal with in an affective manner.
ท A change in the way in which we approach people and experience
interactions with them which can then affect in a negative manner
an individuals psychological and social development. When we are
habituated to the use of drugs, they allow us to perceive ourselves
and others and our interactions with them in ways that are not
healthy, mindful or focused. This kind of incorrect perception can
then build on itself, leading to more disturbing kinds of
perceptions about and interactions with other people.
ท Affecting the ability of an individual to formulate a healthy,
balanced and strong understanding of themselves and self
identity, instead formulating one that may be superficial and false
as he or she becomes more involved in the use of drugs. Drugs and
substances do not provide those who use them any kind of long
lasting or permanent mindfulness about who and how they are. Moment
to moment feelings of elation, happiness and insight are nothing
more then temporary and induced by a foreign substance.
ท A greater likelihood of resulting and knock on affects to the
individual and society and economy as a whole such as motor vehicle
accidents, suicides, homicides, other forms of violence,
delinquency, psychiatric disorders and risky sexual practices. The
use of drugs leads to the use of and indulgence in other things and
actions that can lead to illness, disease and death with little or
no mindfulness.
ท Feelings of isolation and alienation from people and the society
as a whole. Drug and substance abusers start to only identify with
drugs and their use and many times with only those other people who
use them. This can then cut them off from other people, leading to
feelings of alienation and isolation.
3. Factors to take into consideration in the treatment of drug and
substance abusers.
In treating or dealing with those with drug and substance abuse
problems in a mindful and successful manner, we need to be mindful
about certain aspects of their life. These include:
ท Their Age. The earlier that treatment begins of a drug user as
far as their age, the more likelihood there will be to stop the
onset of both short and long - term ill effects. At the same
time, it must be understood that age will also be representative of
an individuals interests, need, level of maturity, and
intellectual development. Treatment and therapeutic approaches may
have to be altered or tailored to fit the needs, and emotional and
intellectual abilities of the individual.
ท The amount of time they have been using a specific drug or number
of drugs and the intensity and regularity with which they have used
these drugs/substances for. If an individual has began the use of
drugs at a young age or has indulged in their use for an extended
period of time, treatment and an ability to stop their use will be
more difficult for all concerned. This will also add to the
economic cost for all involved. Individuals who have begun the use
of drugs and other substances at a young age are also more likely
to have other problems such as developmental disorders, co-existing
disorders and perhaps neurological defects to deal with.
ท Their ability to look at other aspects of their daily life and
routine and experience and gain meaning and dissatisfaction from
them. Many times those who use drugs lack the ability to derive
contentment or meaning from other areas in their life. This is
based on an inability to be thankful for the things that they have
and know how to build on the things and opportunities that they
have in a constructive and meaningful manner.
ท The amount of quality support and understanding that they receive
from other members of their family, friends and the community as a
whole. Many people who come to and become addicted to drugs and
other substances do so as a result of an environment that is
dysfunctional, critical, condemning and abusive. Sometimes their
psychological and social problems are made worse by their inability
to know who to turn to for assistance and a lack of mindful,
caring, interested and supportive peers, friends and family
members.
ท Their inability to make changes in who they associate with and
how they use their leisure time. When one has developed an interest
in and addiction to drugs, they are more likely to spend much of
their free time pursuing and using them with like minded
individuals which creates a major imbalance about how to live ones
life and use ones free time in a constructive manner.
4. How Yoga and Buddhist teachings can be of assistance in the
treatment of drug and substance abusers.
When we think about Yoga and Buddhism as being teachings and
disciplines that can be used to combat the drug problem and
widespread use of drugs, we can think of them as being applied in
two ways.
One is that they can provide individuals with the guidance and
insight so that they do not have to or need to turn to the use of
drugs in the future. We can think of them here as being a
preventative therapy.
The second is that they can be used to treat those individuals who
have developed a drug or substance abuse problem. Here we can think
of them as being an intervention therapy.
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines assist those who use
drugs in the following ways:
ท They provide an individual with a healthy set of mental, verbal,
physical and behavioral guidelines which when understood and
applied give a person a calm and focused state of mind,
consciousness and being and also promote harmonious, understanding
and compassionate living and interactions with others.
ท They provide individuals with a philosophical underpinning and
set of teachings that gives them greater insight into their own
mind, consciousness and being while at the same time making them
more understanding about others
ท The practice of meditation, the major individual discipline of
both Buddhism and Yoga makes an individual calm and focused,
alleviating unwholesome and unskillful tendencies while
strengthening aspects of an individuals character.
ท The practice of Yoga postures releases mental and physical
tension, strengthens the mind and body, and brings about a
healthier and more efficient functioning of the various organs and
systems of the body. All of this allows an individual to grow in
mindfulness, balance and wisdom.
ท They make an individual more mindful about oneself, others, the
world and the gift of life through a redirection of their energy
and that energy can then be applied in an effort that is more
constructive to all areas of ones life.
Yoga and Buddhist teachings and disciplines are not being suggested
here as a cure all for all people and in all situations in
life.
Many people, be they drug and substance abusers or not, will be
skeptical about what Yoga and Buddhism offer them or feel reluctant
to or even resentful about learning them.
However, In most cases, situations and environments, a dedicated
approach to learning and practicing them will be of great
assistance to the individual who has a drug or substance abuse
problem, while in others they can be applied in conjunction with
other therapies and treatment approaches.
Yoga and Buddhism are teachings and disciplines that improve an
individuals life. It is because of the changes that they bring to
individuals who sincerely make a commitment to learning and
practicing them that we can think of them as being therapies and
therapeutic approaches to dealing with drug and substance abuse
problems in addition to a host of other real and imagined illness
that face individuals and mankind as a whole.
As anyone who has made a commitment to learning and applying the
teachings and disciplines of Yoga or Buddhism to his or her life
has found and experienced already, it is impossible for there to
not be short and long - term results of these practices that are
healthy, beneficial and a joy to experience and behold.
©2006, 2007 John C. Kimbrough
John is a volunteer teaching Yoga and Buddhism and providing other
health and educational resources for men and women in a local
provincial prison in Cambodia. He has lived in Asia for twenty
years.