methadone addiction

[ashtanga]

i would like to find out more about how the method for quitting
methadone addiction is done at the Thamkrabok. can anyone share any
experience on this please?

[Vince Cullen]

Hi Ashtanga,

Thank you for your 'offline' email.  I'll reply to it here, as the FOTM group as a whole, have a lot of experience to offer in these matters.  

You, mentioned that it is your 37-year old brother who is taking methadone.  Your brother, may or may-not, want help at this time... that has to be his choice and his choice only.  But you, Linda, and any close family should get all the help, advice and support that might be available and appropriate to your circumstances.

I'm not sure where you live so I couldn't hazard a guess at what might be available to you?

I'm glad you found the Friends-of-Thamkrabok-Monastery forum.  A lot of the members are ex-users of heroin and/or methadone, so I hope some of them will be able to offer some positive support.

Be well and kind regards,

Vince
__________________________________
86
Although it is difficult to cross over
the storm-swept sea of passion,
those who live in accord
with the well-taught Way
arrive at the beyond.
__________________________________
A DHAMMAPADA for CONTEMPLATION
(c) 2005 Aruna Publications
http://www.ratanagiri.org.uk/Book/book5/index.htm

[Linda Yeo]

Dear vince

Thank u for your rapid reply.

Well, I am sorry but I have to give you some background perhaps. 

My brother is 37yrs.   At age 30 yrs of age, he got involved with heroin after a failed marriage with a woman from Indonesia.   He was arrested and jailed subsequently for a year and half by the Singapore authorities for a theft felony which he committed in funding his heroin purchase.   He was clean of heroin addcition when he came out of jail, but subsequently,  he got into a pill called SuperTec.   I think it is methodone as he has explained to  me it was used for treating heroin addiction.  

It is normally not that easy to obtain such drugs in Singapore, but my brother's frequent visits to neighbouring indonesian island (Batam), makes it easy for him to source these drugs.  He is currently in another relationship with an Indnesian woman.

Two days ago, my brother has got arrested for another theft felony, the article stolen was apparently a $40 DVD.  He is possibly facing a small jail sentence of 2 mths as he has a previous theft felony conviction.   I am working in Africa, while my brother lives in Singapore with my parents.  My parents think the government would help him by putting him in jail.  They feel that this is the chance for him to possibly get a jail sentence and clean up his habit.  But I do not agree with their simple thinking.

With methadone, I understand it's not easy to get off methadone addiction simply. He will need medical guidance to detox but also counselling to stay on course.  But my parents in Singapore aren't willing to help him go through the seeking medical help from the authorities for his methadone addiction.  They feel he is irrational at the moment and not someone who can be saved.   Also, my father is most unwilling to go through the requisite counselling session which my brother will surely need as follow-up. 

My father is also an ex-heroin addict, but he managed to quit now at 63yrs old.  But only after many many years of going in and out of rehabilitation centres and mandatory  jail sentences for almost 30 years. 

My brother has sought my support and asked me to guide him to obtain professional help.  But we made a deal that I would help him with a lawyer for the felony case coming up for hearing and in return, he will seek medical help for his addiction. 

My parents I feel are not able to give him support especially as my father isn't particularly well placed to fit that role after so many decades of failure himself.   They are pressuring my brother to give up his Indonesian girlfriend whom they see as a bridge to the drug source.  But he wants to keep that relationship and start a family with her and move out of my parents' home.

We agreed that he should sort out his trial first, then tackle his methadone habit next.

But I am finding out all the possible local venues in Singapore for him to do the methadone detoxification.   My parents reluctance to support is causing me to think of taking my brother to Wat TBK in Thailand as an alternative.  I haven't talked to him about the Wat TBK yet, but my brother has always been a devout follower of the Buddha. 

He's only 37 years.  He is quarrelling now with my parents that they are not givng him the support he needs right now to quit this thing.  My father has asked me not to give him false hopes about a reprieve for his felony charge.  I believe my parents are seeking an easy way out for themselves.  The jail sentence won't rid my brother of his addiction forever.  

Please let me know if you think that my brother wants to quit drugs how will Wat TBK work for him properly?

I really appreciate your guidance in this matter.

best regards
Linda

[Toufia Dewhurst]

Dear Linda
You don't know me but I am the step mother of a young 37 year old man, Mike,
who is currently at Thamkrabok Monastery. This is the last straw for him. It
was his decision to go. We were thrilled that he decided to go. His father
and I have been trying our best to help him quit his addiction to marajuana
and herion. He has tried the methodone programme and he seems to have done
quite well. But he still takes marajuana.

A few months ago a friend of Mike suggested he go of Thamkrabok and we
jumped on the idea. The friend is over there with Mike. He had hardly any
money and was considering suicide. Anyway, we pulled together and now he is
there.

I know how frustrating and worrying it is for you. It is such a waste of a
young life.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there is someone else that has
the same problem.

I hope everything goes well for you and your brother.

God bless.
Toufia

[Vince Cullen]

Hello Toufia,

Have you heard how Mike is doing... OK I hope?

Please pass on best wishes if you speak to him.

Kind regards,

Vince
__________________________________
87 - 88
The wise abandon darkness
and cherish light,
leave petty security behind
and seek freedom from attachment.
To pursue such release is difficult and rare,
yet the wise will seek it,
detaching themselves from obstructions,
purifying heart and mind.

[Vince Cullen]

Hi Linda,

Sorry for stating the obvious here.  Only your brother knows if he wants to stop using drugs.  He has to stop taking drugs for no other reason than he wants to stop taking drugs. 

The detox programme that is offered freely by the Thamkrabok Monastery is truly exceptional for those addicts and alcoholics who are ready and willing to change. 

But there is more to recovery than simple detoxification.

What follows is a personal view of addiction and recovery, from a Buddhist perspective.  This is not necessarily the view of the Thamkrabok Monastery, or of ex-addicts who have passed through the treatment compound - 'The Hey'.

At Thamkrabok, everyone who completes at least 10-days treatment in The Hey should be virtually drug-free and may be considered physically detoxed.  (Those addicts on methadone or buprenorphine / subutex / suboxone etc. are likely to suffer longer than those coming off heroin.  There is therefore a very good argument to be made for prescribing heroin rather than methadone for a period prior to detox.)

But the physical detox, as hard as it is, is only a small part of any long-lasting successful recovery.  In the West, most treatment interventions seem to be expected to fail... "it is OK to relapse"... "it's part of the process"... (it is also said that it keeps rehabs profitable but that's another argument).  

At Thamkrabok you get one chance. 

In 1975 the Abbot of Thamkrabok was presented with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.  The citation reads:

"Addicts volunteering for treatment at the monastery, which now has some 100 monks in residence, take Sajja, a sacred vow, never to touch drugs again and commit themselves to a new life."

Note the words "commit themselves to a new life" - this is critical.  The citation goes on to say:

"The treatment that Phra CHAMROON and his aunt devised for drug addicts is divided into two complementary components: spiritual and physical. The spiritual side involves taking Sajja never to touch narcotics again. Sajja is a Pali word found in Buddhist texts which has the broad meaning of embracing truth, loyalty, purity and honesty. All agree that Sajja is the most effective part of the treatment but the most difficult: the patient has to keep it for the rest of his life. The physical element is the painful part of the treatment. It basically involves quitting the drug habit "cold-turkey," i.e. stopping drugs abruptly with no substitute offered to aid in the withdrawal."

So Sajja is not simply a vow to stop taking intoxicating substances; it is much more than this.  It is a commitment to starting a new life, embracing truth, loyalty, purity and honesty. 

I believe addicts must change their view of the world and their view of themselves in that world.

When ex-addicts leave Thamkrabok and return home, Sajja should be enough to keep them clean, and this would appear to be true for many addicts.

But there are many addicts who stop taking drugs and then find themselves morally lacking or morally bankrupt, as it were.   These addicts have spent too many years lying, cheating, stealing, abusing and even prostituting themselves so when they get clean they do not know how to behave properly. 
 
In the West, they might benefit from joining a 12-Step programme similar to the AA or NA:- The Twelve Steps

These are the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

As many members of FOTM forum may know, I'm not a big fan of 12-Step programs but it can't be denied that they do work for a lot of people – many hundreds of thousands – all over the world.   The 12-Step process challenges behaviour, attitudes and thinking; these steps introduce morality and spirituality into the recovering addicts lives. 

Now, I know this will sound judgemental, but I have sometimes observed ex-addicts, some of whom have completed treatment at Thamkrabok; and noted that although they may have stopped taking their drug of choice they still think, act and talk like drug addicts; they have very little spirituality and often no morals. 

On the other hand, those ex-addicts who find a sense of self-responsibility, a natural morality and some sense of spirituality seem much better placed to enjoy a successful long-lasting recovery.   This is where I think that the Five Buddhist Precepts can help promote morality and self-responsibility in the lives of ex-Thamkrabok addicts. 

Just for ease of reference let me list again the "Five Precepts" (commitments or endeavours) that all Buddhists, addicts or otherwise, should try to live by:

1. To undertake the training rule to refrain from taking, or harming life (including our own).
2. To undertake the training rule to refrain from stealing (taking that which is not given).
3. To undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual misconduct.
4. To undertake the training rule to refrain from telling lies (being mindful in our speech).
5. To undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicating liquors & drugs that lead to carelessness.

A belief and commitment to Sajja is imperative for a successful detox at Thamkrabok, so I would not dream to promote the Precepts (or 12-Steps) over Sajja. 

For most addicts, the power of Sajja is very strong; but when you put Sajja together with a moral code, as in the Five Precepts, a pathway to recovery and happiness is made much more accessible; recovery is much more likely.

I don't think - "Sajja verses Precepts" - like a competition.  I think they complement each other so that - "Sajja PLUS Precepts" - equals long-lasting successful recovery.

So, Linda, detoxification at Thamkrabok Monastery, or in prison, may or may not be enough for your brother.  But is he willing to embrace his Buddhism?  Is he willing to look at his life and make the changes that are intuitively necessary?  Only he can answer those questions.

I shall step down from the soap box now. I hope I haven't bored you too much!

I wish you, your family and your brother health and wellbeing.

May all being be free of addictions.
May all beings be free of suffering.

With Metta,

Vince
__________________________________
89
Freeing themselves from longing,
unhindered by habitual grasping,
those who align themselves with the Way
delight in non-attachment
and, while still in the world,
are radiant.

[Vince Cullen]

Hi Linda,

First, my apologies for taking so long to reply.
Second, it is really good to hear from you again.

It is sad to hear of the passing of your father but his death seems to have been a catalyst for your brother's change of heart.  This change of heart, in turn, has signalled the way for the whole family to start healing.  This can only be a blessing.

Your brother will be around 40-years old now; and your own daughter is just 1-year old but both of them have good lives ahead of them.  It's never too late to start 'living' mindfully and contentedly.

I looked at the retreats run by S. N. Goenka and I will keep these in mind for my own use in the future.  Meditation is becoming more and more of a focal point in my own life... the more I do, the more I get out of it.  I hope you continue to do too.

Best wishes to you and your family for this Christmas and New Year.

May you be filled with Loving-kindness,
May you be well,
May you find peace of mind,
May you find true, long-lasting happiness.

Be well and kind regards,


Vince
__________________________________

333
Pleasure arises from
sustaining virtue into old age.
Pleasure arises from
sustaining sound faith.
Pleasure arises with insight.
Pleasure arises from
renouncing evil.

__________________________________
A DHAMMAPADA for CONTEMPLATION

http://aruno.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=241&Itemid=80

2009/12/1 mbogo

Dear Vince, Toufia

It has taken me a long time to come back to the forum but in the
interim years, i have lost my father in an operation that went wrong.
That took place early last year. And it was also the death of my
father which enabled my brother to finally make the decision to quit
drugs and be drug-free.

After the funeral, i took him to the local hospital where they run a
psychiatric clinic and a recovery group for ex-addicts and their
families.  My brother broke down as he tried to explain his decision
to the psychiatrist why he has decided to quit.  His core reason for
taking drugs was to challenge his own father's drug-taking.  It was a
son's challenge to his dad.  My father had tried to help my brother to
quit, but it was he who was the core reason for the drug taking..
who's to understand a young man's logic??

Anyways, he was put on a programme to taper off his dependency and
detox gradually, coupled with a support therapy to teach him the
coping mechanisms/skills for the after-effects.  He had become very
prone to risk-taking activities, had impulsive instincts that cause
him to run into trouble with the law constantly.. The best part of the
programme was the family support group.  My entire family including my
mother who had been suffering for years with a husband and son  as
drug addicts, she also managed to attend the family support group and
learnt what it means to be a co-dependent, what is the meaning of an
"enabler", how to use "tough love" on the ex-addict, how to basically
focus on ourselves, our own needs first instead of constantly focusing
on the ex-addict and making him/her to be the center of all the
attention that is ever going on in the family.

Since then, I think we have come to accept my brother for who he is
and not what he was... we no long talk down to him, or react with fury
when he still acts like an illogical impulsive young man that he had
been... we just accept that this is who he is..

It's been a long journey after what i have gone through with my own
brother's recovery programme.   I have my own daughter who is now  1
year old and i can see how easy it is for even a little child to be
addicted to mommy's breasts, or the pacifier or a rag doll or
whatever... it's strangely seems to be a very human thing to be
addicted or "conditioned" to something or worse, someone, in life!!

I have also attended two silent Insight (Vipassana) meditation
retreats run by a Burmese named S. N. Goenka along the precepts of the
Sajja.   I can truly savour the path of the Dharma which the Buddha
has taught to mankind.  It is priceless.  I hope someday, my brother,
may have enough merit accumulated to undertake the path of the Dharma
and lead an existence that is as the Buddha himself has wished for all
mankind:  Bhavatu Sava Manghala

May you be free from suffering
May you be free from danger
May you be peaceful and be at ease

Metta,
Linda

>    1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had
>    become unmanageable.
>    2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore
>    us to sanity.
>    3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of

>    God as we understood Him.

>    4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
>    5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact
>    nature of our wrongs.
>    6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
>    character.
>    7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
>    8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to

>    make amends to them all.

>    9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to

>    do so would injure them or others.

>    10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
>    promptly admitted it.
>    11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious

>    contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His
>    will for us and the power to carry that out.

>    12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we

>    tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles
>    in all our affairs.
>
> As many members of FOTM forum may know, I'm not a big fan of 12-Step
> programs but it can't be denied that they do work for a lot of people – many
> hundreds of thousands – all over the world.   The 12-Step process challenges
> behaviour, attitudes and thinking; these steps introduce morality and
> spirituality into the recovering addicts lives.
>
> Now, I know this will sound judgemental, but I have sometimes observed
> ex-addicts, some of whom have completed treatment at Thamkrabok; and noted
> that although they may have stopped taking their drug of choice they still
> think, act and talk like drug addicts; they have very little spirituality
> and often no morals.
>
> On the other hand, those ex-addicts who find a sense of self-responsibility,
> a natural morality and some sense of spirituality seem much better placed to
> enjoy a successful long-lasting recovery.   This is where I think that the
> Five Buddhist Precepts can help promote morality and self-responsibility in
> the lives of ex-Thamkrabok addicts.
>
> Just for ease of reference let me list again the "Five Precepts"
> (commitments or endeavours) that all Buddhists, addicts or otherwise, should
> try to live by:
>

>    1. To undertake the training rule to refrain from taking, or harming
>    life (including our own).
>    2. To undertake the training rule to refrain from stealing (taking

>    that which is not given).

>    3. To undertake the training rule to refrain from sexual misconduct.
>    4. To undertake the training rule to refrain from telling lies (being
>    mindful in our speech).
>    5. To undertake the training rule to refrain from intoxicating liquors

[Jimmy]

Hi Vince.

Great to hear all your comments,and all the rest of the guys,well done on your daily battles,against beer and drugs.

I note with interest you mentioned S N Goenka,I have been following his meditating for quite some time,I think a super insight into the wildness of the mind.Do you know if there is A group in Dublin?i have been checking around,and i can not find one?also do you know where they do a short retreat say three or four days?ten days is to long.

Thank you.

Jimmy from Dublin.

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[Vince Cullen]

Hi Jimmy,

I must admit that the S. N. Goenka meditation courses are new to me.  I don't really know anything about them, although reading the website it looks like most courses are 10-days unless you have already attended one of these, in which case there are 3-day courses available in both England and Ireland.

I'm sure you've already seen this on the Vipassana in Ireland website; "for information relevant to old students and Vipassana activities in Ireland" you might contact in...@ie.dhamma.org

I've attended a few 10-day silent Anapanasati meditation retreats at Wat Suan Mokkh in southern Thailand so the 10-day Vipassana courses being offered in England and Ireland are a real alternative... and I don't have to travel 11,000 miles round trip!

There is a Dharma & Recovery Retreat planned for next year at The Barn in Devon, England which will run from Sunday 9th May at 15:00 until SATURDAY 15th May at 10:00.  The retreat will be lead by Kevin Griffin (Sunday until Wednesday).  There will be 1 complete day of silence - probably Thursday.  For more details see FOTM message or FACEBOOK event.

Best wishes to all.

With Metta,

Vince
__________________________________
335
Fostering habits
such as craving and clinging
is like fertilising noxious weeds.

__________________________________
A DHAMMAPADA for CONTEMPLATION
http://aruno.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=241&Itemid=80

2009/12/13 Jimmy <butl...@eircom.net>