Volume 5 – June 2021

Newsletters

Periodic Newsletter

Volume 5 • June 2021
Hand-in-hand, we can work to remove the stigma and provide needed support / guidance  to our congregation members and their families who are suffering.

Dear Savannah Faith Leaders,
You are receiving this e-newsletter because we have designed it for you. This is our fifth edition.
We are sending this to professionals in addiction treatment and recovery, mental health, health care, education and others who have expressed interest in our work.

We are the non-profit Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition, based in Savannah, Georgia and founded in January, 2019. Our purpose is to provide education and support for faith leaders on the subject of addiction and recovery.

Faith leaders tell us that they feel ill-equipped to help congregation members when they – or their loved ones—struggle with addiction. Our aim is to prepare you to offer the help your congregation members need with educational forums, one-on-one consultation, resources on our FaceBook page and this e-newsletter.

In this issue, we feature:
* Demystifying Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous: a primer for faith leaders by Pamela Deloach, a person in long-term recovery and member of our volunteer team.
*A candid commentary on one man’s struggle with alcohol and drugs and how it was received in his faith community. He urges readers to speak up, show up and “give their faith ‘legs’”.
* A discussion of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), how they can contribute to addiction in adult life and what faith leaders need to know – provided by Dr. Steve Delisi, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

Content Editors: Pamela Deloach, Dr. Steve Delisi and Carol Pine
Layout  and Design: Ardra Hartz and Jodi Becker, Jaime Towns

Claudia Black on Youth and Addiction:  July 14

Claudia Black, highly-respected addiction author and pioneer in work with family systems and addictive disorders will discuss addiction and mental health issues faced by youth in a special webinar offered at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 14. She will be joined by Dr. Hoover Adger, professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, whose focus is adolescent medicine and substance abuse.
 Register by clicking the blue button BELOW to attend. This excellent program is sponsored by NACoA, the National Association for Children of Addiction. NACoA advocates for all children and families affected by alcoholism and other drug dependencies. WWW.nacoa.net
Click here to register for the Claudia Black Webinar on July 14

DEMYSTIFYING  NA  AND  AA


By Pamela Deloach 

        Addiction literature from the early days tells us that alcoholics and addicts could not co-exist in the same meeting rooms. Alcoholics were too noisy, it was said, and beset with the jitters. Addicts nodded off during meetings and came with the awful stigma of being junkies.
        Fortunately, much has changed in the recovery community of Savannah and all around the world.
        Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1935 by Bill W. and Dr. Bob. As an alternative to AA, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was founded in 1953 in California by Jimmy K. Before Narcotics Anonymous existed, many drug addicts attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Unfortunately, they noticed a less-than-positive reception because, at the time, Alcoholics Anonymous was only concerned with an “alcohol” problem. Because of AA’s singleness of purpose, the movement enjoyed admirable success. Because of this success, the founders  didn’t think it was prudent to change anything about AA’s principles or practices.
            Even so, the founders of AA were willing to offer this life- changing opportunity to people with drug issues, even though drug addicts arrived in the rooms of AA carrying a loaded stigma.
            It is not surprising that Narcotics Anonymous was created. Though the distinction between an “addict” vs “alcoholic” still lingers today, the prevailing belief is that the disease of addiction is the same, regardless of the “substance of choice”. 
            AA and NA are more open to anyone seeking help and recovery and a new way to live, whether the addiction is to cocaine or cognac, beer or barbiturates.
            If you are in a situation where you have been strongly encouraged to change your life such as: (1) possibly facing jail time, (2) you are simply sick and tired of being sick and tired, or (3) you have hit your “bottom”, 12 Step Programs have been established as the cornerstone of the recovery process with a return to sanity (a life that makes sense).

            The goal of a 12-step program is to serve as a road map out of a deep, dark and lonely place. Twelve step programs have room for every manifestation of addiction. While Alcoholics Anonymous is traditionally reserved for alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous for drug addicts, those lines have mostly been erased. In recent years, many people with both addictions attend both types of meetings. Whether its NA or AA, find a meeting that you are comfortable with, one that best fits your needs, and that you believe will help you to become the best version of yourself. That is the only true way to choose what is best for you and your life.
            Now suppose you are a member of a faith-based organization, your local church, and/or another religious institution and you have a problem with drugs and/or alcohol. Do you feel comfortable taking this dilemma to your faith leader? In 1985, I did. Unfortunately my Pastor was not aware of any available recovery programs. After some years in recovery, I now wish my Pastor had the information available [to him] to direct me toward some type of recovery program or someone who was familiar with the disease of addiction. That is one of the reasons why I am a member of the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition in Savannah.
            Today, my Pastor and I are both willing to provide our fellow members and religious community with the information anyone needs to assist them with facing addiction and finding healthy recovery.
           
Pamela Deloach, happily and recently married, is a member of the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition volunteer team. She was born and raised in Chatham county. Pamela serves on the Usher Ministry and as secretary at her church. Pam recently retired from 25 years working as a Registered Nurse specializing in women’s health.

 

OVERCOME YOUR FEAR
GIVE YOUR FAITH ‘LEGS’ 

Michael, based in Georgia, is a Certified Addiction Counselor and remains active in his church. He is a volunteer with the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition.


       It is my sincere hope and prayer that any faith leader who reads this will be motivated to learn what they can about how to properly assist people in their presence who struggle with the fatal disease of addiction – not only their fellow clergy, but their lay leaders, church members, and people suffering in silence.

       In that moment when a person summons the courage to ask for help, or you believe you can offer help, you will both share a common feeling: FEAR. A lot has been said about Faith over Fear. This is the time you can give your Faith “legs” – legs of healing and love. It is vitally important to make this help widely known both publicly and within your communities.

The secrecy that accompanies addiction is deadly.

       Faith leaders have a voice, and they have created positive change throughout history. Please use your God-given voice to speak up about this epidemic.

       The pandemic has stolen the lifeline of support group meetings from many in recovery, even with the advent of Zoom. This loss of group support has had a fatal human toll. I have personally lost 12 people in the last year to overdose or suicide.

       Some people living with the disease of addiction are predisposed to be treatment-resistant. Your voice can help break through the stigma of alcoholism and drug addiction and assure people who are struggling that recovery and a new life is indeed possible.

        My name is Michael. I have served my church as a campus chaplain and a national campus ministry coordinator covering nine states. I am also past president of the LGBTQI organization. I am presently a Certified Addiction counselor serving rural communities in Georgia. Out of respect for traditions, organizations, and some people, I choose to remain as anonymous as possible.

      If you need help or you have questions about addiction, please contact the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition by emailing Carol Pine:    carol@pineandpartners.com

      DUI, divorce, prison, multiple treatments. These are often the obvious signals that someone has a substance use issue. In my own experience, these events represented the culmination of an ongoing Spiritual sickness.  My disease of alcoholism and drug addiction led me through all four crises with many confusing and painful experiences in between.

       I made many mistakes. Without any apparent role model, spiritual leader, mentor or guide to help me, I was on my own. As a young man, my church of origin had shunned me when I came out as a gay man. I was seeking to become a minister while in college. I asked a minister, who was also a Theology professor, how I could become a minister while also being gay? In 1983 his answer was hurtful and shaming. Not long afterward, my life took a dark turn into alcoholism and addiction.

 Life for me is better today.

      Society has begun to recognize that treatment is the best way to help anyone begin recovery, although untold millions have managed to find sobriety and better lives through the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, alone. 

      When I first found sobriety, I also found a church that welcomed me. I became a Lay chaplain and leader in the LGBTQI organization. While being gay was not the impediment it had once been, being an alcoholic and drug addict held its own stigma.

        I found myself on the edge of relapse and there was no safety net available for lay leaders in my church, although clergy received help for addiction. I needed a compassionate ear and an open heart from my church. Without it, my fear, loneliness, and feelings of inadequacy grew. My shame and feelings of failure kept me sick even while I tried to serve those I loved. I was destined for trouble.

      During my travels for the church working with other chaplains, my practice on airplanes was to drink a virgin Bloody Mary. On one trip I was upgraded to first class and asked if I would like a drink. First Class was a first for me and the words “Bloody Mary” fell out of mouth. My safe non-alcoholic drink lost its’ virginity. This was my last relapse.

       During treatment for my addiction, I learned that I had confused Religion with Spirituality.  I had translated God’s will into the rigor of a religious life. I scrupulously attended holy days of obligation, mass every Sunday, working with students to clothe, feed, and minister to those whom God brought to us. However, in treatment, I learned that I did not embrace the Belovedness (the state of being beloved) that the great theologian Henri Nouwen taught. I wasn’t living in that “thin place”  described by the Celtic faith where the distance between heaven and earth collapse.

       I quit listening to that still quiet voice that speaks to each of us. I was leading from the head and relapsed without the Spirituality that lives in each of our hearts. I was being led and directed by Men and not by a Spirit.

         Today, I breathe in my purpose for each day during my morning meditation. Each evening, I breathe out the gratitude of accepting the Belovedness that God made in me and in each of us. I have gratitude for my Spiritual recovery and a life free from addiction. I am grateful that I live and work in a church without walls.

        With the blessing of recovery, I answered a call to become a Certified Addiction Counselor. While I was being treated in the hospital, I attended a physician’s lecture. The presenter described the science of addiction. He made this statement:  “We can treat your body and mind. We cannot treat your Spirit.” This hit me! This is my wheelhouse. All of my experiences with my church working with young adults and fellow chaplains now can serve a greater purpose in my life. 
           
 OUR NEW INITIATIVE TO ASSIST
  FAITH LEADERS AND FAMILIES
By Jaime Towns

         We are very excited to be working on a new initiative of the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition that we call our Rapid Response Team.
This new team will serve as a bridge between people of faith and their families who struggle with the disease of addiction and the many resources in our community that offer treatment, support, education and enlightenment.  We will be a link to community resources, a sounding board for questions, a listening ear, and support for people and families who struggle with addiction. Equally important, we will be a resource and support for the faith leaders of our community who want to help their congregation members, but need information and assistance to do so.
 The members of our new Rapid Response Team have personal and/or professional experience with addiction. We are forming our Rapid Response Team now and planning our outreach effort. You will hear more details in the coming months.
CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND ADDICTION
     Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) represent a critical and all too often under-recognized and unaddressed health crisis in our country today. In fact, childhood trauma can contribute to increased risk and higher rates of addiction and chronic illnesses in adulthood.
    Though ACEs are still an under-recognized health risk factor  for many in this country – including some health care providers and mental health professionals — Savannah faith leaders can be a positive force in mitigating this crisis by being aware of ACEs, informed and willing to help congregation members get the help they need.
      This message comes from Dr. Steve Delisi who has served as a clinical psychiatrist for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation for many years and is today Medical Director for Professional Education for the Foundation.

      Dr. Delisi presented an overview of ACEs to our Savannah community in March, 2021. You can find his complete presentation on You Tube, by going to “search you tube” and enter Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition.Scroll down to Savannah Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition Speaker Series with Dr. Steve Delisi for the entire program.

THE PROOF IS IRREFUTABLE

        Research involving about 17,000 Americans conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente in the 1990s discovered how childhood trauma can dramatically affect us, even affecting how our genes are turned on and off into adulthood.

         ACEs can increase the risk of addiction, depression, suicide, cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses, as well as reduce life expectancy by as much as 20 years.

        “We have seen suicide, self-harm, alcohol and drug related deaths increase significantly in the past ten years like no other period in our history,” says Dr. Delisi. “We call these losses ‘deaths of despair’.”
       “ACEs studies are continuing across our country and their results verify the original findings. Our highest priority as a society is to prevent adverse childhood experiences or intervene early. The worldwide pandemic has made this issue urgent, especially for children and youth because they are developing during this global emergency.”

RESILIENCY, HOPE AND FAITH          
     There is hope, even with this harsh reality, says Dr. Delisi: “Human resiliency can have a moderating effect on childhood trauma. We all come through our childhood experiences with some wounds. Our response can be resiliency, hope and faith. We can learn what to do for our communities and what we can do for ourselves and our loved ones.”
         Faith leaders can have an important role, Dr. Delisi says. “They can increase their awareness of ACEs through education, they can provide understanding and steer their congregational families to appropriate support in the community. Most important, they can create a culture of acceptance in their church, temple or mosque. They can reduce the stigma of shame and offer faith and hope instead.”

COMPOUNDING FORCES
           Originally, Adverse Childhood Experiences were defined in three categories:
           Abuse – physical, emotional and sexual abuse
           Neglect — physical or emotional neglect, or

        Household Challenges – mother-figure violence, substance abuse,  mental health issues, loss or separation from a parent or a household member incarcerated.

      In recent years, however, this definition of Adverse Children Experiences has expanded beyond the ten traumas listed here. “These traumas occur above the surface,” says Dr. Delisi, but there are others below the surface (generational trauma, systemic racism, poverty, homelessness, food and job insecurities) and related forces including climate crises and natural disasters can compound the trauma, as shown in this image:

HOW COMMON ARE ACEs?
          * Sixty-six percent of Americans have experienced at least one of the ten ACE factors listed in this article.
          * More than 20 percent of Americans have three or more ACEs in their childhood.
          * Twelve percent of Americans have experienced four or more ACEs as youngsters. They are more likely to experience addiction in their lives. For example, a study has shown that 83 percent of women seeking treatment for addiction report four or more ACEs from childhood.

WHAT FAITH LEADERS CAN DO
     * Get educated by viewing the You Tube presentation by Dr. Delisi.

    * Go to the PACES Connection website (www.pacesconnection.com  for helpful information,      resources and educational programs.

    * Talk about this subject openly with your families.
    * Identify professional resources in Savannah to help families and children.

In our next Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition e-newsletter, we will share what we have learned about local resources that can help inform and support faith leaders on this topic.

IF YOU APPRECIATE OUR WORK….
          Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition. We are a totally volunteer-run organization, and we have been granted our official 501c3 charitable designation by the State of Georgia and the U.S. Federal government.

          If you wish to make a donation, please mail a check to the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition, care of our Secretary/Treasurer Susan Becker, 110 Hampshire Road, Wilmington Island, Savannah, GA 31410.
          We thank you.