something to consider when we speak about addiction and treatment and the 12 step model. i believe that herbs and natural things meditation and spirituality are perfect for use in overcoming of addiction the 12 step model is very white and western in formula and practice. folk vulgarize my argument by claiming that i just want to smoke weed. very incorrect. the most successful bout of quitting using was when i began a practice of smoking mug wart and lavender joints with weed laced in them. it wasnt strictly about experiencing a high but instead more about communing with and guiding my spirit man. i was not suffering from 2 hour at a time sleeps and constant nightmares. not even cravings too much. and this, i know would beg one to ask- then why did you relapse afterwards? i believe that the fact that i became homeless due to in fighting at my home (which was filled with white womyn moving through diametrically opposed ways of life) and lack of strength/ clarity/ space to continue my practice with community can be seen as reasons. the model of 12 step which posits that it only works for those who want it doesnt translate to the program works. If it did, I believe we would see larger numbers of recovering addicts. the program reflects to me a lot of ideals of survival of the fittest, eurocentric Christianity in the fact that it is punitive and self effacing (a persons entire being can not be summed up as im an addict that is not the entirety of a person and in fact i believe it begins to demean the spirit and create an even more intense self loathing.) In fact I believe that if the numbers were brought up- we would see that it has a success rate of less that half. Just because something has the highest rates of success does not mean that it is correct and always applicable to every being. For a moment consider that the majority of the west is Christian- does this con notate an essential right-ness of that faith that disregards others? does this translate to Jesus being the way? No. The majority of the folk moving in Europe once thought the world was flat. . . More over, if we observe folks habits and those who have found salvation through the program we will also see meditation and other (mostly non- European practices) being pillars of strength that enhance the recovery process. this statement is not made to bash or denounce the program- I support folk finding healing however it works for them. this statement is made instead to call attention to the real fact that for folk of color (and perhaps even white folk) it may be healthy to examine a broader spectrum or needs and practices. this statement is made in the spirit of challenging dogma, embracing the truth of the program possibly having an inherent racism in it, and challenging things which would claim to have an absolute authority. call me rude or anti authoritarian or excuse driven if you want.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 20:29:20 +0000
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