Holistic Programs for the Drug Addict and Alcoholic (From Holistic Approaches to Offender Rehabilitation, P 450-465, 1982, Leonard J Hippchen, ed. - See NCJ-85681)

• NCJ Number: 85700
• Author(s): M A Nebelkopf
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Charles C. Thomas
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The addict and alcoholic are being exposed to alternative treatment approaches -herbs, acupuncture, nutritional therapy, megavitamins, yoga, meditation, and biofeedback -- that emphasize the 'whole person' rather than the specific symptoms or substances abused.

Abstract

There is a growing development of programs for substance abusers that use a holistic approach to deal with mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual problems accompanying substance abuse. In these programs, such factors as nutrition, relaxation, stress reduction, and physical exercise are as important as peer pressure and psychological counseling. One of the major obstacles to the use of holistic techniques in the treatment of substance abusers is the categorical funding policies of governmental agencies. Abusers of various substances must therefore participate in separate programs funded separately, which complicates funding for holistic treatment approaches. Another obstacle to the development of holistic programs is the vested interests in maintaining the dominant forms of drug abuse treatment, such as methadone maintenance and therapeutic communities. What is needed is for a network of counselors and exusers who have been helped by holistic treatment methods to work together to develop a model for a natural detox center -- a therapeutic community in a rural setting with a strong emphasis on holistic health -- where persons addicted to anything can come for treatment. Treatments through herbs, acupuncture, nutritional therapy, megavitamins, yoga and meditation, and biofeedback are briefly described. Twelve references are listed.