Fifteen Rounds of Rehab: Why Matthew Perry, Like Countless Others, Struggled for Decades Before He Got Clean

rredick December 26, 2023

Photo credit: Condé Nast Traveller

We don’t know just how the star of “Friends” died, but we do know—because he was so remarkably open about it—that he struggled with substance use disorder for most of his life. We also know that in his last years, he had succeeded in quitting both alcohol and opioids. It can happen, but why is it so hard? This article reviews the deeply intertwined biological and social realities of addiction.

It must have seemed at times that there was no climbing that mountain.

At the time of his death in late October, 2023, Matthew Perry had been clean for well over two years. It was a high point in a struggle that had gone on for decades. Perry entered his first rehab program in 1997, and revealed in his 2022 autobiography that fourteen more sessions had followed. He also estimated that he had attended some 6000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in his lifetime.

Why is it so hard to stay sober, once treatment begins? Why do so many who cease using for a time begin again? The answer does not come down to a single cause. For some of us, genetic predisposition makes us simply more susceptible to developing substance use disorder. It’s a vital but fundamentally invisible part of the puzzle. As Dr. Danielle Dick, director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center observes in this article, these biological differences mean that “the feeling of craving a drink may be entirely different for someone with substance use disorder than it is for you.”

For others, trauma, anxiety, economic or social marginalization, or mental illness set us up for a tough relationship with a drug. For most individuals, multiple factors are at play.

This superb article reviews not only the challenges, but also the winding, forward-and-back shape the journey to recovery often takes. For almost everyone, it’s an effort that doesn’t really end. One specialist cited in the article uses the analogy of a workout regime: ““You can’t go to the gym for a year and then stop going and expect to stay fit.”

But the deeply hopeful message is that progress can come at any time. Perry’s life is one lovely example. It may never be entirely “over,” but it’s also never too late.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/health/staying-sober-matthew-perry-wellness/index.html

rredick

Eating Disorders: Myths, Realities, and Recovery Paths Explained

Finding a health professional who truly understands eating disorders is no easy task. And for those who suffer from them, it can be just as hard to avoid the judgments and unhelpful comments of friends, family, or coworkers. This interview with one of the world’s leading experts on eating disorders takes a broom to those old and stigmatizing ideas. It also offers pointers for standing by a Loved One suffering from an eating disorder.

rredick February 13, 2024

Needles In The Ear Can Help With Addiction? You Heard That Right

You’d be forgiven if ear acupuncture isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when talk turns to substance use disorder. Numerous studies, however, are documenting the efficacy of a specific procedure (the NADA protocol) for help with craving, withdrawal, and other aspects of addiction. As this article points out, however, the key to success with NADA lies in the details.

rredick November 14, 2023

Naming and Understanding the Symptoms of Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma of any kind leaves its mark. Severe or sustained trauma generates certain telltale symptoms in survivors. Licensed therapist and life coach Patrick Teahan, himself a survivor of childhood trauma, breaks down three of the most prominent symptoms. By reaching a deeper understanding of what’s occurring inside us, he argues, we’re in a far better position to overcome the challenges that result.

rredick October 31, 2023

Lower-Risk Cannabis Use: Guidelines From Canada

Some solid, simple guidelines that can reduce (not eliminate) the health risks associated with cannabis. There’s no such thing as zero-risk cannabis use, but this one-page reference sheet from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research provides an excellent, straightforward guide to lowering that risk.

Allies in Recovery April 26, 2023

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Substance Use Disorder: A Guide For the Family

The Recovery Research Institute, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of addiction. This page on substance use and the family is an extremely well-designed information hub. It’s a great place to start your journey to deeper understanding—or to remind yourself of the basics.

rredick March 8, 2023

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Meth In the U.S.: New Treatments Are Coming, But the Crisis Is Now

Methamphetamine use is a national crisis—but not one the drug industry has taken much interest in. Fortunately, that may at last be changing, and not a moment too soon. As this article makes clear, both meth users and treatment providers need all the help they can get.

rredick March 6, 2023

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New National Report on SUD and Mental Health in the U.S. Includes Some Grim Statistics

In 2021, only 6% of people in the U.S. struggling with substance use disorder received any treatment, according to this year’s SAMHSA report. That is just one of a great many statistics gathered in this report. Its findings should concern us all.

rredick January 30, 2023

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Trauma, Community, and Individualism: Dr Bessel van der Kolk on Healing Trauma, Part III

As one of the world’s leading researchers and thinkers on trauma, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk knows better than to offer solutions to this most intricate of problems. In this video series, he brilliantly describes the contours of trauma, community, and individualism, shedding brilliant light on the search for one’s own path to recovery.

rredick December 19, 2022

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“We Were So Blind” : Dr Bessel van der Kolk on Healing Trauma, Part II

In this second part of his discussion on healing trauma—which is perfectly understandable on its own—celebrated psychologist and author Bessel van der Kolk will leave you feeling both hopeful and humbled. Whether it’s professional-administered psychedelics, EMDR, or yoga, he sees a world of promise for trauma sufferers. But he also stresses that these treatments, like trauma itself, are something we’re just beginning to understand.

rredick November 23, 2022

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Gabor Maté: How Childhood Trauma Leads to Addiction

Early trauma and addiction are painfully connected. Understanding that connection can help us recover from both. Addiction, says physician and author Gabor Maté, is not fundamentally a brain disorder or a consequence of genetics. Rather, it’s a doomed attempt to escape the pain and suffering rooted in childhood trauma. For anyone with a Loved One struggling with substance use, this connection is vital to understand.

rredick November 14, 2022

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Photo credit: Condé Nast Traveller

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