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"Alcoholics who practice transcendental meditation report a decline in alcohol use, as well as a 90% sobriety record after two years."6

 

 

 

 

Essential Oils for Addictions
While giving up an addiction, there are several essential oils which can provide emotional and physical support.
• Counter depression - bergamot, chamomile, geranium, lavender, patchouli, rose, sandalwood and ylang ylang.
• Raise spirits - clary sage and jasmine.
• Ease nervous tension - basil, marjoram, neroli, rose and tangerine.
• Diminish irritability - chamomile, cypress, lavender and thyme.
• Fight insomnia - chamomile, marjoram, rose and ylang ylang.
• Raise confidence - ginger and jasmine.
• Boost the immune system - chamomile, lemon and thyme.

- from http://uk.geocities.com /lucath/relief.html

 

 

 

The number of people with substance dependence or abuse increased from 14.5 million (6.5%of the population) in 2000 to 16.6 million (7.3%) in 2001.7

 

 

 

Are You Addicted?
Questions to Ask if You're Unsure

1. Do you feel you just don't want to stop indulging in a particular substance - caffeine, sugar, tobacco, alcohol - right now, although you could at any time?
2. Have you ever tried to stop for a week but been unable to do so?
3. Do you resent the advice of others who express concern about your substance use?
4. Have you ever tried to control your addiction by switching to an alternative addictive substance? For instance, have you ever taken up smoking so that you could give up drinking?
5. Do you envy people who can indulge without getting into trouble?
6. Has your substance use created problems with friends and family?
7. Do you try to avoid family or friends when you're using your substance?
8. Have you lost relationships because of substance abuse?
9. Are your friendships determined by whether others indulge in the same substances as you?
10. Do you indulge in your substance alone?
11. Have you ever neglected your family or work for more than two days in a row due to substance abuse?
12. When substances are limited or unavailable at social events, do you try to obtain some anyway?
13. Have you missed time from work during the past year due to substance use?
14. Has your substance of choice stopped being fun to use?
15. When you are low on your substance, do you feel anxious or worried about how to get more?
16. Do you plan your life around your substance use?
17. Do you ever consume more of your particular substance than you intend to?
18. Are you consuming more than you used to in order to feel the same effects?
19. Do you consume as much as you can and feel reluctant to discard any leftovers?
20. Are you experiencing financial difficulty due to substance use?
21. Do you use your substance when you are disappointed, depressed or going through a difficult time?
22. Does your substance use affect your sleep?
23. Has your sexual ability or desire suffered from your substance use?
24. Are you concerned that if you stop using, you will lack energy, motivation, confidence or the ability to relax?
25. Do you use your substance repeatedly to sleep or stay awake?
26. Do you ever lie to others about how much or how often you consume your particular substance?
27. Have you ever stolen money or goods to support your habit?
28. Have you lost a job because of substance use?
29. Do you ever regret the way you behaved while you were on a substance-use high?
30. Do you experience irritability, headaches or tremors when you have not consumed your particular substance for a while?
31. Have you ever passed out from substance use?
32. Have you ever felt your life would be more productive if you were not indulging in that particular substance?
33. Have you become more irritable and difficult to get along with?
34. Is your pattern of use potentially dangerous? (This can be true even in cases where substance consumption is neither frequent nor excessive.)
35. Do you lack self-control in deciding whether or not to consume your particular substance?
36. Is your habit putting you into a state of poor health?
37. Is your substance abuse dangerous to others? (via secondhand smoke, drunk driving, using up family resources, etc.)

How many questions did you answer "yes" to? Deep down inside, if you are being honest with yourself, you know if you have a substance-abuse problem or are on your way to one. Do something about it now, while you can.

- from Addiction-Free Naturally by Brigitte Mars (Healing Arts Press)

 

 

Finding New Paths
Using complementary Therapies to Combat Addiction

By Karrie Osborn

 

 

Addictions come in all shapes and sizes. From the obvious struggles with drugs and alcohol, to the less recognized, but often just as destructive, bouts with gambling and shopping binges, addictions can hit anyone, from any walk of life.

And it's a sad fact that addictions are becoming more prevalent in our society. An estimated 16.6 million people (age 12 or older) were classified with dependence on, or abuse of, either alcohol or illicit drugs in 2001.1 That's a frightening 7.3% of the population. Of these, 3.2 million abused illicit drugs, 11 million abused alcohol and 2.4 million were considered abusers of both alcohol and illicit drugs.2

Are these numbers growing exponentially because of the world we live in today, or is there something inherently moving us toward excess and destruction? Is it a matter of today's talk-show environment and greater confessional format in which the addict can profess their illness that pushes the numbers upward? Or is it really a combined result of heightened societal pressures, a decrease in the one-on-one support we often found from family and friends, and lifestyles built around factors of incredible stress?

Whatever the answer, we know there are people out there hurting. Some of them know their limits and have confessed their addictions; many more have yet to face the brutal realities. But there are answers, and not all of them come out of a methadone clinic or a traditional 12-step program. Natural programs to combat addictions are being devised every day - some offering proof as to their effectiveness in treating addictions, others having only anecdotal evidence of success. Still, it's an interesting mix of new options for a growing problem.

What Can Bodywork Do?
Obviously, as a massage and bodywork therapist, your role is not to unwittingly unsheath illness you might identify in clients, addictions included. Just as you should not offer armchair psychology to the client who crosses your doorstep presenting with symptoms of domestic violence, nor should you broach the subject of a client's addiction without them leading the way first. The exception is a big one - if a client arrives for a therapeutic session obviously under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you would be well-advised to warn the client of the dangers of bodywork under those conditions and send them home to schedule another appointment. You might even find, unfortunately, that a client forgoes all the health and goodness they feel under your hands in favor of the bottle. You can only hope they'll find their way back, especially as they set themselves on the path toward recovery, because massage and bodywork can help.

According to Tiffany Fields and the University of Miami's Touch Research Institute, massage therapy has its place in dealing with addictions, especially as it relates to nicotine. In 1999, researchers set out to discover if self-massage to the ears and hands could reduce the craving for a cigarette. The pilot study followed 10 males and 10 females from ages 18 to 45, each randomly assigned to either a self-massage or control group. Over the four-week study, the massage group clearly fared better, showing lower scores on anxiety, depression and craving intensity.

The conclusion? Researchers said the findings suggest "self-massage may be a convenient and cost-effective adjunct therapy for reducing smoking-related anxiety." The study's authors admit the underlying mechanism for the effects of self-massage are not clear, but there is certainly something effectively at work here.3

Brigitte Mars, author of Addiction-Free Naturally, writes that massage and bodywork "are tremendously helpful for those struggling to give up addictions." She recommends cranialsacral therapy and Alexander technique, in addition to Swedish massage as a means toward recovery. How can they help? Improved circulation, combined with the relaxation and re-energizing effects offered by massage, assist in fighting off the depression, low self-esteem and lethargy often intrinsic factors of addiction.

Mars also gives credence to Ayurvedic medicine for visualization exercises, journaling to express your emotions, yoga and exercise for the physical body, homeopathy to help the mind say "no" to the cravings, acupuncture and acupressure to invigorate the body's own healing processes and flower essences to bring the addict's unresolved emotions and issues to the surface.

According to experts at Geocities.com, "Anyone who is trying to come off drugs will benefit from a regular massage." With all the self-imposed shame and guilt addicts often suffer, massage shows them they are worthy of self-care and attention. "For once, they realize there are other ways of feeling good apart from taking drugs. By relaxing and experiencing a new form of pleasure, drug addicts are able to remember their pre-drug days, and regain respect for their bodies. The mother of one addict said having a massage was the turning point in her daughter's recovery."4

For heroin addicts, massage helps them relax after they've given up the drug. One ex-addict said "I felt terrible when I was withdrawing and didn't think anything apart from heroin would help. I was delighted to find after having a full body massage I felt totally at ease. The shivering stopped, and I felt warmer. My muscles stopped cramping, and my nerves weren't jumping around so much. I also felt much less depressed and, for a few minutes, the world didn't seem so awful."5

There's no doubt massage and bodywork can help the client of addiction - just look what it does for your healthy clients. The hardest part will be helping them understand the power of therapeutic touch and what it can return to their soul. The tools are there for the taking; remember that when you have the opportunity to help.

Footnotes
1 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).
2 ibid.
3. Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T. and Hart, S., "Smoking Cravings Are Reduced by Self-Massage," Preventive Medicine 28. 1 (Jan. 1999): 29, 31.
4. http://uk.geocities.com/lucath/relief.html.
5. ibid.
6. Mars, Brigitte, Addiction-Free Naturally, p. 17.
7. 2001 NHSDA, ibid.

 

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