Holistic Addiction Treatment for the 21st Century:

This article was written by John Giordano, one of the owners and founders of the Holistic Addiction Treatment Program and published in the FORENSIC THERAPIST, Vol 2, ISSUE 3

A number of factors contribute to the development of addictive behaviors such as early childhood trauma, mental disorders, family history, and environment. Early childhood trauma includes sexual and/or physical abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Some of the mental illnesses that often accompany addiction are learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression and a multitude of others. Addictions are often developed through an attempt to alleviate the symptoms of these illnesses. The 2001 NHSDA report states that among adults with mental illness in 2001, 20.3% (about 3 million people) were dependent on or abused alcohol or illicit drugs. The rate among adults without serious mental illnesses was about 6%. Family history is also very important as certain genetic factors that are attributed to behavior may be passed down from generation to generation. Genetics is also further influenced by the physical environment surrounding the individual. Some people develop their addictions at an early age and never learn to cope with adversity, thereby propagating their addictive behavior. As these individuals grow older, these behaviors become more deeply rooted and their addiction grows stronger until it becomes more difficult to satisfy. Addiction destroys a human being on every level of their existence. It ravages them mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, leaving them virtually drowning in a sea of loneliness and despair. The hope that they may one day win their battle to stop using vanishes completely. They lose touch with their higher power and their life becomes a seemingly endless series of failures that eventually leads to total resignation to their addiction and their pain. People suffering from addiction not only abuse drugs and alcohol, but every person, place, and thing with whom they come in contact. Although, it is not their intention to cause such tumultuous pain in those around them, these battered emotions seep into all areas of their lives, making attempts at recovery futile.