UNHOOKED THINKING 2007 WHY STOP AT RECOVERY? ANTHONY HEWITT

UNHOOKED THINKINGUNHOOKED THINKING 20072007

WHY STOP AT RECOVERY?

ANTHONY HEWITT

“I wouldn’t change my life with you or anybody else…meeting people who are much further down in recovery I don’t think most of them would change it…”

HALF FULL?HALF FULL?

HALF EMPTY?HALF EMPTY?

ARE WE IN THE

HEALTH BUSINESS

OR THE

ILLNESS BUSINESS?

We need to know how things We need to know how things work as well as how they don’twork as well as how they don’t

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN IN

SELF AND OTHERSSELF AND OTHERS

• ALLOWALLOW

• SUPPORTSUPPORT

• FOSTERFOSTER



The Continuum of Recovery from Addiction

????

Addiction


Survival

Addiction


Survival

Recovery

Addiction


Survival

Recovery

Thriving

Addiction

PTSDPTSD

&&

PTGPTG

PTGPTG

• PTG COMMON

• PTG ‘NORMAL’

• HAPPENS TO ‘NORMAL’ PEOPLE

“I don’t regret it because I’m quite happy with most of me now and its part of my experience…I learnt a lot, I probably wouldn’t have learnt half the things I’ve learnt…about myself, and a lot about my relationships with people…”

Areas of development and thriving

•Changes in relationships with others•Change in the sense of self•Change in philosophy of life

Personal OutcomesPersonal Outcomes

• MaterialMaterial

• KnowledgeKnowledge

• SkillsSkills

• BeliefsBeliefs

“…its made me a better person, its made me understand myself more.”

Attitudes and approaches to lifeAttitudes and approaches to life

• AwarenessAwareness

• ChoiceChoice

• ResponsibilityResponsibility

• AcceptanceAcceptance

• Appreciation and opennessAppreciation and openness

• OptimismOptimism

• ProactivityProactivity

“… I would expect anyone who has gone through an addiction process and come out the other side to have a very different perspective on life than if that hadn’t happened, and that can be quite a wise and positive perspective.”

SpiritualitySpirituality

• Practices and beliefsPractices and beliefs

• Making meaning and senseMaking meaning and sense

Social OutcomesSocial Outcomes•‘‘Better’ peopleBetter’ people•Better relationshipsBetter relationships

Social OutcomesSocial Outcomes•‘‘Better’ peopleBetter’ people•Better relationshipsBetter relationships•Increased intimacy & closenessIncreased intimacy & closeness•Greater self-disclosureGreater self-disclosure•Increased emotional expressivenessIncreased emotional expressiveness•Increased empathy and compassionIncreased empathy and compassion

Social OutcomesSocial Outcomes•Better peopleBetter people•Better relationshipsBetter relationships•Other Social CapitalOther Social Capital

Strategies for thrivingStrategies for thriving

• awarenessawareness

• choice-makingchoice-making

• responsibilityresponsibility

• proactivity and goal-settingproactivity and goal-setting

• meaning-makingmeaning-making

• positive relationshipspositive relationships

“…“…now I am a much better judge now I am a much better judge as to what I am really enjoying, as to what I am really enjoying, as opposed to what I think I as opposed to what I think I should be enjoying…I am vastly should be enjoying…I am vastly better at judging what is OK and better at judging what is OK and trying to stick to what is good for trying to stick to what is good for me….”me….”

Positive feedback loopsPositive feedback loops

• ReflectionReflection



• Better choicesBetter choices




• Better resultsBetter results

• Increased resourcesIncreased resources




• Better resultsBetter results

• Increased resourcesIncreased resources

• Even better choices….Even better choices….

““……once you start realising that you can do once you start realising that you can do things, then you entertain the possibility things, then you entertain the possibility of doing more, and you also get to be a of doing more, and you also get to be a bit of a success junkie…the good feelings bit of a success junkie…the good feelings that you get about yourself having been that you get about yourself having been able to achieve something, you just want able to achieve something, you just want more! [laughing].more! [laughing].””

Motivations to ChangeMotivations to Change

• Intolerable nowIntolerable now

• Future could be differentFuture could be different

• Cognitive dissonanceCognitive dissonance

Processes supporting changeProcesses supporting change

• Schema ReconstructionSchema Reconstruction



• ‘‘Momentum’Momentum’

“I was really driven when I stopped using and started doing things with my life, I was so...motivated. I felt like I had come back to life, really keen and energetic about everything…”




• The pull of the positiveThe pull of the positive




• The pull of the positiveThe pull of the positive

• Ongoing benefits of ‘recovery’ Ongoing benefits of ‘recovery’ resources and strategiesresources and strategies

Resources supporting growth Resources supporting growth and thriving – and thriving – Growth CapitalGrowth Capital


• Personal CapitalPersonal Capital



• Social CapitalSocial Capital



• Social CapitalSocial Capital

• Environmental CapitalEnvironmental Capital

ImplicationsImplications

• Basic needsBasic needs

• Basis of helping relationshipBasis of helping relationship

ImplicationsImplications

• Basic needsBasic needs• Basis of helping relationshipBasis of helping relationship• Extend narratives in society and clinical Extend narratives in society and clinical

practice, including meaning makingpractice, including meaning making• Specific interventions that support PTGSpecific interventions that support PTG• Work in ‘positive’ wayWork in ‘positive’ way• Reevaluate 12 stepsReevaluate 12 steps

Wei

“…“…I grew through it and the experience I grew through it and the experience of it…I feel happier than I ever have, I of it…I feel happier than I ever have, I don't know that I would ever have don't know that I would ever have reached the position that I am in now reached the position that I am in now without having gone through it to be without having gone through it to be honest, I think it has given me a reason honest, I think it has given me a reason to work on myself and to look at stuff…”to work on myself and to look at stuff…”



ANTHONY HEWITT

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UNHOOKED THINKING 2007 WHY STOP AT RECOVERY? ANTHONY HEWITT