Treatment for Methamphetamine Users:
Traditional Healing for a Modern Problem
It's one o'clock Sunday
afternoon and Joe* is on his way to Alpha House in Billings, MT, to pick up his
brother Allen for a sweat lodge ceremony.
However, Allen must be back to the Alpha House promptly by four. A late arrival means he will have to go back
to prison and finish his sentence.
Alpha House is a halfway
house for inmates, and Allen is serving out the last part of a sentence for a
crime he committed while addicted to alcohol and methamphetamine. Allen's incarceration includes
treatment. He goes to AA meetings and
sees a counselor, but his treatment also includes traditional sweat lodge
ceremonies.
Many
non-Indians may think that all American Indians are alike, but each is
different culturally. There are over 500 federally recognized tribes reaching
from coast to coast across the United States and a lot more living in South
America and Canada. Different American Indian cultures attempt to solve drug
problems in a variety of ways. Some treatment programs have incorporated
healing treatments from the tribe(s) located near the treatment centers. These
traditional methods provide support for tribal members by using their own
American Indian culture.
What
To Expect of Withdrawal From Meth?
Being addicted to meth is a
bad situation. Meth is a highly addictive drug. Treatment providers say that meth addicts are the most difficult of
all drugs users to treat. The nature of the treatment program for someone
addicted to meth depends on the severity of the addiction. Withdrawal may take
as long as 6-8 months and about 3 days to a week for the body to eliminate the
drug. Once in this withdrawal stage,
the meth users may feel depressed, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression and
often think life is not as pleasurable without the drug. Short-term use causes
the body to increase wakefulness and decrease appetite. Long-term use will definitely cause some
damage to the brain and to every organ in the body. Meth has toxic effects to
the body and may even lead to death.
Prolonged use of meth causes
changes in the brain including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing
disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and drug use. The meth addict will experience a relapse if
they are in an environment with drug-using friends or relatives. This is where
community support and family ties come in to encourage the former drug user to
lead a positive life and give them strength to carry on.
Who
Should Be Committed for Treatment?
Many
treatment providers for meth users say that the only reason meth users come to
a treatment program is because they are in trouble with the law. Rarely do they
see meth users come to treatment voluntarily. Other reasons for entry are
mental or emotional problems or problems at work or at school.
What
Are the Types of Programs at Treatment Centers?
At this time, the most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction change the user's attitudes and thoughts about life. These approaches are designed to help modify the patient’s thinking, expectancies, and behaviors and to increase their skills in coping with various stressful situation. Methamphetamine recovery support groups also help the addict to a long-term drug-free recovery.
There are currently no particular pharmacological (drug) treatments for dependence on methamphetamine. Pharmacological treatments for cocaine dependence have not met with much success in controlled clinical studies. However, antidepressant medications are helpful in combating the depressive symptoms frequently seen in methamphetamine users who recently have become abstinent. According to Deena Vandersloot, director of the Methamphetamine Cross Site Treatment Project, located Billings, Montana, valium is given when to crank users who are having withdrawals.
What
Are Traditional Treatment Programs?
Native American people look to their cultures to answer the questions that face them on a daily basis. Culture gives them a sense of place in the world, and provides them with a worldview that fits that positive structure in life. Darrel Rides At The Door, a Blackfeet counselor says, "When you work with Native Americans, you have to incorporate their cultural healing processes." There are a variety of traditional treatments used, all focused on changing the meth user's the way of life.
The
Four Directions: Medicine Wheel
One method is called “The
Four Directions: Medicine Wheel.” In this program in Minneapolis, the
recovering addict works towards living a healthy life by integrating a
well-balanced life-style that is physically, emotionally, and spiritually
stable.
Illustration by
Robin Rexroat
Many American Indian cultures believe that the Medicine Wheel
is a symbol of an environmental concept. The wheel symbolizes organized
knowledge of the wholeness of life and the significance of health and balance. It
is a circle divided into four quadrants with different colors representing the
four directions.
This program has four steps.
The first step embraces the balance and wellness of the individual. The next
step involves letting the individual know that the addiction is known as a bad
spirit to the body and easy to overcome. The third step entails understanding
the reasons why they have an addiction problem. The fourth step is the healing
time, in which the addict slowly overcomes the problem by understanding who
they are as an American Indian. All four
steps intersect each other and speak to the understanding of the American
Indian health wellness.
Sweat Lodge
A sweat lodge is where
Indian people purify themselves with steaming hot rocks and is similar to a
sauna. Sweat lodge ceremonies are frequently combined with other traditional
treatments.
Medicine Men
Medicine men treat illness,
but also provide guidance and protection as well as improvement in life.
American Indian drug users may go to a medicine man for treatment.
Native American Church or Peyote Church
Another traditional
treatment the Native American Church or peyote church incorporates Christianity
and the use of the peyote plant. It is comprised of praying, singing, eating
peyote, and quietly contemplating about life. The Peyote church encourages it
members to follow the "Good Red Road," which includes not using drugs
and alcohol.
The Extended Family and Clan
The nuclear family and
extended family, including clan mothers and clan fathers provide a positive
support for the drug user to cope with the problem and not run away from
it.
The Talking Circle
The talking circle is used
to motivate the individual to speak about their problems with the drug to other
recovering addicts. It is conducted in a circle, because the circle is never
ending. The participants pass an object such as an eagle feather around the
circle to the person who is willing to talk to the group. The Blackfeet
Chemical Dependency Center uses the talking circle as part of its treatment program.
The Sundance
Another traditional
treatment is the sundance, a summer ceremonial that includes dancing, fasting,
praying and piercing. Sundancers make sacrifices to the Great Spirit to obtain
help or guidance. They also participate in sweats and prayer ceremonies all
year long.
Many Native Americans
realize the connection between traditional culture and a healthy
lifestyle. At a substance abuse program
located at Crow Agency, Montana, a poster reads, "Drugs and Tradition
Don't Mix."
*These names have been
changed.