H is for joy; Treatment programs, part 2

The following program is produced as a public service feature by the radio division of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. With cooperation from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the Illinois division of narcotic control we present. H is for joy. To go. Homo man is often said to be a creature of free will that is free to analyze the situation at hand to weigh the values and free to observe the consequences of his choices in the past 20 programs of 8 years for joy. We've observed those who are imprisoned by consequences consequences of their addiction to drugs.

This program is the second to deal with the treatment of drug addicts. Last time we discussed Riverside Hospital of New York City the only hospital in the United States that attempts the rehabilitation of drug addicts under 21 years of age exclusively speaking with Dr. Raphael GAM So it's Medical Superintendent we heard about Riverside history patient intake program and its plan for rehabilitation. There's much to say about Riverside Hospital but time is a limiting factor and the problem of drug addiction is very complex. We asked Dr. game show to confirm our ideas of its complexity. You know nothing could be more correct it. A person turns to drug use after having had many problems in life. And probably having made other erroneous adjustments are likely just means perhaps they were jointed at length from school perhaps and involved with the courts. Our records show

that three quarters of them of anywhere from one to nine arrests for admission. And that they have had other problems. In their social adjustments so that we find that they have problems not just regard to that drug it was. But they have problems in their family. They have difficult housing situations economic situations a poor vocational adjustment is poor or. That this is a complex problem involving So it's a social cultural economic and psychiatric as well as direct physiological medical problems. Complex city a hard hurdle to overcome. Or can it be overcome. We have stocked a game store bought a cure for the drug addict. Is there such a thing as a complete cure for drug addiction. Dr GAM so replied it would be wrong to speak in the terms of cure or wrong because one thing we have no way of measuring

cure we can cure an appendix because we can take the appendix out it will not return as appendicitis. We can cure pneumonia because we can destroy all of pneumonia bugs by a present medication. But we do not know when we have eradicated that mental illness or behavior problem. The seeds of it may still persist lingering in the background and pray to light up again when they saw it was fertile again. And when conditions are such that the repressed desires and fears and inability to cope with. Stress situations again bring it to the surface so that we speak of abstinence that we feel that absence from drug use is our aim. Total Abstinence is our goal that if we obtain a reasonable length of time absence for the individual we can say that an improvement on his part and his service the community as well as to him.

Abstinence is the total abstinence the goal rarely secured but always sought. How Bill Oberg asked Dr GAM so the following question considering the various professional people that are included in your program of therapy I wonder if we might categorize your treatment as being on an approach of team therapy would you say that would be essentially what it was. When that is what it what we plan to do. The purpose is to try to understand the patient and to get some idea about to his inherent oppressed now really has potential. His actual performance as evidence by what he can do at the hospital and work and school and of cost to know his family and to know his associates as best we can and knowing these things to

try to help him to use his potential in a constructive way. Now if your patients may be able to benefit from a psychiatric treatment psychotherapy if they are not psychotic. Very much as neurotic patients might not the conditions for some and for most individuals psychotherapy is not the answer. They do not have the educational background the cultural background and in many ways don't have the ability to sustain themselves. Still I hate that type of interview and work for those individuals on this professional personnel may be more effective at maybe their relationship with the recreation workers or the school teachers or their rather actual supervision. And by the nursing personnel which will enable them to more effectively adjust to what is expected from them by the community. In other words we have trying by having I

thought our knowledge of the individual and a staff which does represent us from various factional disciplines to get the person to the staff and staff the person to be able to make the best adjustment for the patient. In reading over the reports of the hospital which were made available to us before we came to visit with you I was particularly interested in the matter of the patient counsel which had been set up and I wonder if you might share with our listeners the theory behind this and what it does. Lee theory is very simple and it is based upon the idea that if people are to be helped they must participate in the process that we kind of superimpose upon individuals. Our. Idea of acceptable behavior that it must somewhat come from within them and they must take part in developing

the E-type program which will be accepted by them now. For that reason we have created a patient council with expectation that if Representative members of the patient group can meet with the administrators the hospital that to the mutual problems can be discussed and mutual solutions can be evolved. This has been only modestly. Effective. The simple fact is that very few patients want to accept this type of responsibility and that. There is very little. Desire on the part of the patients themselves to work. Try to influence other patients at least towards the direction which we think is desirable. It is true also strangely enough. That patients I'm much more punitive than

Stepha's that if question were raised as to what should be done by some patient breaks rules the patients whether paid by the patient counsel others that often make recommendation much more drastic than a staff member would. Have but it has been a useful forum. For discussion of mutual problems. And to some to be a method of attempting to the patients the reasons why problems are what they are and it means when listing their cooperation and developing satisfactory programs. Dr GAM still said you can't superimpose upon a drug addict the desire to abstain from his powdered joy unless he really wants to change your situation. He must be a part of his own therapy. True the physical need for the continued use of narcotics can be destroyed in a matter of days but the psychological craving for the escape that drugs offer the addict soon overpowers his first hand knowledge of a painful withdrawal

and his doctor game so said this has frequently happened. Once again he seeks an escape through the same needle scarred tunnels he's used before the veins of his body. The doctor GAM so did not say cure is impossible through treatment. Some have been able to re-enter the world and lead a drug free life. How long might this take a month or year two. We certainly cannot expect to accomplish a change in character and development of. Interest in the same things which the average individual is interested in. With willingness to work and share the community in six months or even a year for hospitalization this is something which takes time to develop. If they have raised their 18th birthday with an anti-social attitude with a complete self interest and even lack of concern for their own welfare it is going to take many cases years to make a change even with the

availability of the best of facilities and the best trained staff which you can bring together. We believe that improvement does occur with a short period of time. But this is quickly lost unless it can be sustained by continuous work with the professional personnel that in most cases it may take as much as two years before the individual develop sufficient self concern to try. On his own behalf to change his way of doing things. But even after he has his desire to do this after going through the period the trials and tribulations where he is resupply has got to in his own mind find a better way of living. It still takes another couple of years to help him through the maze of finding the way to do this that this is a long term proposition and that we have periods when proven periods of retrogression that return to drug use doesn't necessarily mean the person cannot be salvaged and that we

should give up with them in some cases this may be true but in many cases it merely indicates that we have to start again and try again with whatever else whatever resources we have because it is not an easy path for the addict to return to the standards of living perhaps not returning never had opportunity to take part in those standards of living. Perhaps he's never had a chance to absorb the proper values of a functioning society. Remember the addict who said that because he could not do something he greatly desired to do because he was moved to do something good was blocked as he said he began to associate with the denizens instead of the citizens. Because of this his personal evolution led to marijuana opium cocaine morphine and eventually heroin. Right now that addict is trying to recover what's left of his punctured life. But he alone cannot make the transition from denizen to citizen.

It's not his problem alone it's yours also and you can help. They have is very active in speaking to a professional and length of time to interpret the needs the addicts and things which we are doing for them and in some cases things which we are not doing for those we feel should be done. I believe that the basis of any effective program is community understanding. Do you understand. Do you think drug addiction is a problem for the experts only. Do you possibly think that you personally have nothing to do with the problem. If so you are wrong. You recognize the fact that a certain amount of the tax money you paid years used to prevent narcotic addiction. And to rehabilitate those who are infected. Do you think it can never touch you. Burn or scar. We hope it won't. But there are those that has type whose scars heal slowly.

These need your help. Your knowledge of their problems. Your acceptance and assurance that the joys of life cannot be found in a. Script by Edwin at a production by Bill Oberg This is Ted Seeley speaking. The preceding tape recorded program was made available to this station by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the end AB Radio Network.