A culture is a way of life of a group of people -the behaviours, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

Culture is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted…simply put…

Behaviour through social learning.

BEHAVIOUR (Disorder)

THOUGHT EMOTION ATTITUDE

BELIEF SYSTEMS (Insecurity, social anxiety and fear)

IDENTITY

LIFESTYLE

UNDERSTANDING OF ADDICTION IN TERMS OF BEHAVIOUR

Addiction and recovery are more than something that happens inside someone. Each involves deep human needs in interaction with a social environment.

For addicts, addiction meets a multiplicity of needs and the culture of addiction provides a valued platform where these needs can be met.

No treatment can be successful if it doesn’t offer a pathway to meet those same needs and provide an alternative social world that has perceived value and meaning.

The culture of addiction is an informal social network in which group norms (prescribed patterns of perceiving, thinking, feeling and behaving) promote and protect excessive drug use.

The culture of addiction is a way of life, a means of organising ones daily existence, and a way of viewing people and events in the outside world.

The culture of addiction plays a role in both initiating and sustaining substance abuse disorders.

DAGGA Johnny's circle

of friends

Ecstasy

Cocaine/ CAT

Chrystal Meth

Crack

Heroin

VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CULTURE OF ADDICTION

All tribes are interlinked through individual members who belong to other tribes and ultimately are joined creating a bigger culture of shared group norms.

Drug users seek out other drug users which mirror their use to form a tribe.

BENONI DRUG

CULTURE

Each tribe has it’s own patterns of behaviours, beliefs, thinking patterns etc

They have their own symbols, dress code, music preference and preferred lifestyle.

Benoni

Alberton

Boksburg

Randburg

Sandton

Pretoria

GAUTENG DRUG

CULTURE

Gauteng

Cape Town

Kwazulu Natal

Bloem

Limpopo

Mpumalanga

SOUTH AFRICAN

DRUG CULTURE

(South) Africa

United Kingdom

Europe

Asia

Australia

America

CULTURE OF

ADDICTION

As we progress from tribe to tribe, drug to drug, social group to social group, we learn more about the ways of life as outlined by the culture of addiction.

The longer we stay, and the deeper we go, the more ingrained the culture becomes in us.

The more we learn the more we change.

The culture of addiction is a context for human needs to be met. Some of these needs include:

IDENTITY AND SELF ESTEEM – Addiction is often rooted in insecurities, low self-esteem and social anxieties (a feeling of not quite fitting in).

The culture provides a platform off of which to find acceptance and to develop a new identity through providing a set of values morals and beliefs.

Probably the biggest draw card of the culture of addiction to the addict is the instant acceptance into the culture just through the use of a substance.

Suddenly the addict has friends, has respect and has found a sense of belonging.

Drug taking is your entrance card into a world that most addicts long for way before picking up their first substance.

Transforming stigma (looser, reject, no good) to status.

Adolescent needs:

Many of us start to engage in the culture of addiction in our teens which has it’s own specific needs such as the need to:

- develop a personal identity separate both physically and emotionally from our family.

- chart a path to ones adult role or career amongst many others.

The culture of addiction cleverly provides for those needs.

The Culture of addiction also provides: knowledge on how and what to use, skills in sustaining addiction and avoiding detection etc.

There are specific milestones in the culture of addiction. Joining the culture being the first.

Contrary to popular belief almost all initial drug consumption is characterized by the following:

Initial drug use takes place in a social context with ones peers, the new addict very seldom paying for the substance – drugs are provided as a token of friendship.

Initial use is sought after by the addict more often than forced upon by others.

Due to the social context the decision to use seems natural and of no great consequence.

In this stage the first regular drug purchases are made by the addict.

Preoccupation with drug supply begins and...

..the addict begins to desire the drug during designated social activities.

The addict begins to learn from more experienced users, basic etiquette surrounding rituals of use and learning desirable precautions.

Justifying usage through changing ideological beliefs (belief structure – rooting in denial).

The change in identity.

Letting go of the outside world.

Developing status and reputation within the culture.

Learning to hustle.

Escaping and reframing consequences.

Getting busted and “doing time”.

“Doing treatment”, incarceration or death.

The culture of addiction and the culture of recovery are like twins who, while mirroring each other in may ways pursue opposite paths – one nurturing life and the other ultimately embracing death.

Like the culture of addiction the culture of recovery is a way of life, a means of organising ones daily existence. It is a way of talking, dressing, gesturing, believing, working, playing, thinking and seeing that separates those in recovery from those who are not.

THE MIRROR IMAGE

CULTURE OF

ADDICTION

CULTURE OF

RECOVERY SO

CIETY

The physical

The psychological

The spiritual

Relationships

Lifestyle

These are overlapping areas which need to be addressed and recreated bringing them from the effects of addiction into recovery.

Developmental tasks in this zone revolve around three major areas:

1. The adjustment of the body to the absence of the drug.

2. The treatment of acute and chronic health problems.

3. The construction of a health-enhancing lifestyle.

This is a complex process of reconstructing the personality by eliminating the cognitive defence structures that supported addiction and replacing them with sobriety based defence structures.

Basically challenging thought patterns, the management strategies of emotions and attitudes, and recreating the belief structure that underpins all of the above.

The spiritual aspect of recovery is often the initiating and driving force of the recovery process.

Redefining ones spiritual beliefs ultimately guides you in the reconstruction of your values, morals and ultimately behaviour.

The spiritual aspects of recovery also open new social networks that contribute to the culture of recovery as a whole.

This involves the reconstruction of intimate, family and social relationships.

As addicts we need to rebuild healthy, family orientated relationships, we need to get rid of our old relationships within our social networks and create new ones.

If addiction and recovery is a way of life then defining and developing your lifestyle is a crucial factor in recovery.

This involves a systematic reconstruction of daily life with a large amount of focus on routine and balance.

Remembering that the two cultures mirror each other – your focus in recovery needs to be the opposite to that of addiction with one similarity…

The energy, drive and determination you put into your addiction should now be put into your recovery.

There are some specific areas that need to be worked on and upheld in order to encourage continued development in the culture of recovery.

There needs to be a shift in these areas that should be clear and visible enough to separate you, as part of the recovery culture, from those that are not.

As addicts we cannot afford to leave traces of the culture of addiction and must root out them out.

We focus on words we use (no swearing, slang)

We focus on conversation themes (no drug talk, romanticizing, coarse jokes)

We start talking recovery (terminology, principles)

We watch our tone (aggression, manipulative, intimidating)

We watch our body language (the way we walk, our posture).

We get rid of things like “secret” handshakes.

Culturally enmeshed addicts surround themselves with symbols identifying them to the culture – drug paraphernalia, jewellery, tattoos, clothes, hairstyles etc.

We need to shed all symbolic items that we associate to the culture of addiction weather they have sentimental value or not. In holding onto these items we are in a way holding onto out identity rooted in the culture of addiction.

Culturally enmeshed addicts entering treatment must do two things.

They must do alternative, recovery orientated things to fill the void during times of drug taking and …

…they must develop a range of new rituals that promote physical, spiritual and emotional health, that build self-esteem and enhance personal identity.

Music – we have to change the music we listen to (quite a controversial topic).

Dress and appearance – this can easily keep us tied into the culture.

Social relationships and how and when those are developed and nurtured (watching out for the new modern age of facebook, BBM, whatsapp etc)

Time orientation – most addicts live at night and sleep during the day – this has to change. Friday and Saturday nights become dangerous times etc.

We will cover a lot of this in tomorrows presentation.

FROMING A CULTURE OF RECOVERY THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS

SCRC

HEAL/ NA/ AA

CHURCH

WORK

FAMILY

NEW FRIENDS

JOHNNY’S CULTURE

OF RECOVERY

As recovering addicts develop their lifestyle they are exposed to new social networks.

These social networks all have their own values and belief systems.

They have prescribed patterns of behaviours that should obviously promote a recovery lifestyle.

Their affiliation to each one of these networks will help in defining their new identity and in building self esteem.

Johnny's first new social network

I hope you found this informative.

I know there was a lot to take in.

We will address some of these principles in tomorrows relapse prevention planning lecture.

The impact of the family group held by Didi will be after tea – this is for family members only.

See you at the talent show.