Wake Up and Dream Catalyst: Short inspirational thoughts for the day. Raising questions & hopefully opening a dialogue with people interested in learning how to turn their dreams into plans and start navigating their way towards them.
Thought for the Day: On Tuesday's, I have been sharing some of the questions and answers I have given on HealthTap on various Mental Health issues. This week, I chose one about drug addiction. I have given a more detailed response than I can provide on HealthTap, but you can see the original post and follow my other answers on my HealthTap virtual practice by clicking on my name below. Today's question was:
Who should I see for my anxiety from extreme drug cravings? Addiction counselor? Therapist? Drug detox? CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)? I can't get rid my substance abuse mindset.
Thought for the Day: Today's song is a love song with a positive message and a sad lilting melody that became a huge hit for Frank Sinatra and many other artists. As Valentine's Day approaches, I decided to share a love song. I intended to share a simple upbeat song. Little did I know that "All the Way" which has been a favorite of mine since I was a young child would take me on a very different path. As I researched the song, I realized it was more than a love song & has a powerful connection to the problem of addiction which, as a psychologist has been on my mind due to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's death.
I attributed my love of the song to seeing Sinatra in a movie when I was in just in elementary school. I did not remember much about the movie, only that I saw it one of my Sunday visits with my father & brothers after my parent's divorce. Around the same time, we went on vacation with my father to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. When we traveled with my father we ate only at Diner's Club network restaurants (one of the first credit card businesses), which were usually fairly fancy steak restaurants. When we stopped to eat in Las Vegas, my father spotted & pointed out that Frank Sinatra, whom we has seen in the movie, was drinking at the bar. I think my father went up to him & told him we enjoyed the movie. The song & that encounter led to a crush on Sinatra for many years.
Today, for the 1st time, I researched the movie, "The Joker is Wild."The song, "All the Way" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Given serious adult content, I was somewhat surprised that I was taken to see the movie, but my father was not a very good judge of appropriate movies for young children. Sinatra's character, Joe E. Lewis, a singer, stand-up comic & alcoholic had serious trouble with the mob & his love relationships. In hindsight, I think the song struck a chord for me (although I did not understand the full meaning otf the song or the movie), since my parents were unable to sustain an "All the Way" kind of love. The song somehow made me feel hope that even if it is difficult, lasting love could be found.
The tragic death of actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which I wrote about earlier in the week, What Preventable Plague Is Causing 1 in 4 Deaths?, alongside the movie from the 50's, raise some serious questions. The details of Hoffman's estranged relationship with his girlfriend and the photos of his grieving children, make me wonder why is our society not helping those suffering from the illness of drug and alcohol addiction better than when I was a child? When will we learn how to hate the addiction, love the person & help them get the quality care they desperately need? Can we love "all the way?' I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this important subject.
Here are 3 interesting videos: one of the song performed by Frank Sinatra, an trailer from the movie, and scenes from the end of the movie.
Thought for the Day: I came home from a great weekend in Boston last night, turned on the TV to hear about the Superbowl and instead learned that Philip Seymour Hoffman died. I was surprised to hear he died of an apparent drug overdose in his NYC apartment. He was found after a worried friend went to his apartment to check on him when he did not pick up his 3 children. I was 1st shocked and then saddened at the senseless death of one of the greatest actors of our century. I still am saddened; however, I am angry as well. Hoffman joins a ever lengthening list of actors, musicians, and artists (Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Corey Monteith, Amy Winehouse, John Belushi, Jimi Hendrix) who are dying from a preventable medical illness that is our era's greatest plague. I am angry that stories about these untimely deaths become sensational headlines, instead of stimulating action to treat and conquer the disease.
Since I work in the field, I don't need statistics to know the outrageous proportions of the illness' impact on our society, however, I looked some up in case you are not aware of them:
"Drug-related deaths have more than doubled since the early 1980s. There are more deaths, illness, and disabilities from substance abuse than from any other preventable health condition. Today, one in four deaths is attributable to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use." (Source: Partnership for a Drug-Free America®, www.drugfree.org)
In case you don't realize this, alcohol is the #1 drug in the United States. Don't let the alcohol industry's advertising fool you into believing that it is not a dangerous drug. It is a depressant & does not make you happier or enhance your life. It destroys your body, but it is a slow killer. Many drug overdoses occur with a mix of alcohol and other drugs in the person's system. People make bad judgements while drinking including driving and using other drugs. Mr. Hoffman's drug of choice appears to have been heroine but all drugs can be lethal. About 2 years ago, I received an e-mail from a woman. I'll call her Linda. She asked if I was the same Dr. Barbara Lavi who had been the Director of the Delphi Center in Burlington MA. She gave me her phone number and asked me to call her if I was the same therapist. Linda was surprised that I remembered her well, even though I had only seen her 2 or 3 times ten or fifteen years ago. Linda was a petite thin woman who had only been drinking for 8 or 9 years; however, because she was tiny, the alcohol was already destroying her body. A few days before I met her, Linda had blacked out while drinking. When she awoke she realized she was laying in a pool of blood. Somehow she crawled to a phone and called an ambulance. She was taken to an emergency room, After a 3 day hospitalization for Detox, she was referred to me for psychotherapy. After completing Linda's mental health evaluation, it was clear to me that she needed more than psychotherapy. I refused to work with her unless she went for an immediate evaluation for an inpatient hospitalization. After the intake procedure at the hospital, Linda was afraid she would lose her job if she went directly into the program. She asked me to see her for 1 or 2 sessions until she made arrangements for a medical leave from work. I agreed on the condition that she also attend AA meetings daily in the interim. I saw her until she was hospitalized. After the inpatient program she called and let me know she would be continuing with the program's outpatient services for aftercare. That was the last I heard from her until I got the e-mail. When we spoke on the phone, she told me that she wanted to thank me for saving her life and that she wanted to send me a present. I told her she already had given me the greatest gift. She was clean and sober and alive. If you are shocked, saddened, and angry, like me, by the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, I propose that you can do something. It seems that Hoffman had appeared to have overcome his addiction when he was 22 years old, but relapsed about a year ago. Friends are saying they thought he had licked the problem, but my guess is there may have been some telltale signs that were noticed and ignored that he was in trouble again. When someone has an addiction, it never disappears. The addict, their friends, families and coworkers need to pay attention for any signs of a relapse. Do you suspect that someone you love has a problem with drugs or alcohol? If you do, don't wait till they become another statistic. If you are not sure how to help, call a mental health clinic or hospital that specializes in drug and alcohol treatment. Ask for their assistance. They will help you set up an intervention. You could save their life. Feel free to comment or ask me questions about what else you can do.
