The impact of addiction has become a common topic. We hear about the opiate epidemic, numbers of overdoses and the rise of fentanyl nearly every day on the news. Many people's lives are impacted every single day by the destruction that substance abuse can cause. There are many hours and dollars being spent to try to intervene and help people enter recovery. Yet, the situation continues, the drug of choice changes slightly and children are still being impacted. After 50 years of a "War on Drugs," what are we missing?

Research indicates what we are missing is EACH OTHER. Isolation/disconnectedness/relational poverty is a significant risk factor in substance abuse, mental illness and academic issues/failure. When people are hurting, they will seek ways to cope. The brain can get convinced that drugs or other maladaptive behaviors are going to relieve the discomfort.

We know that relational wealth is one of the greatest protective factors people can have. Significant hope is being found in recovery programs and processes that intentionally include work around connectedness.  The National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA)  released its fin dings from a recent study.

"... NIDA's Dr. Marco Venniro, required rats to choose between social interaction with another rat or access to a drug (heroin or methamphetamine). The animals consistently chose social interaction when given the choice, and this was true when they were first given access to the drug or when they were experienced drug takers.

The authors of this study point out that our social needs as humans are far more complex than the social needs of rats. In addition to social interactions and companionship (more immediate forms of social gratification), we also need more distal social expectations like the promise of meaningful participation in our community or society. But the findings of the study provide valuable insight into how recovery programs centered on mutual aid, as well as treatment approaches that emphasize social reinforcement, might help individuals overcome drug problems." ( www.drugabuse.gov )

Having relationships with people that we can count on and that count on us provides purpose, hope and resilience. Resilience is a set of skills/behaviors that people can learn and are best taught in the context of relationship. Having a sense of hope is crucial. Having the ability to self-regulate and manage emotions is also pivotal in being resilient. Both are found in being connected to healthy, supportive relationships within our community, having a "tribe."

While information about the need for relationships is not new, the significance of connectedness in recovery has not always been the approach in our country. There was a time when institutionalization, brain surgeries and exorcisms were the best-known method for addictions treatment. In the more recent history, we have chosen harsh consequences, humiliation, isolation from family and waiting for someone to "hit bottom" as forms of treatment. Fortunately, we have begun the process of discussing the lack of success from all of these methods. The conversation and practice is shifting to one of compassion, prevention, treatment, empathy, support and connectedness.

As the community continues to look for the most effective ways to address addiction, consider who you can connect to in a meaningful way. Can you get to know your neighbors better and support each other? Can you visit with an older relative living alone? Can you help children in your life include other children around them so they can feel connected? Can you find an organization in which to volunteer and get to know people? Can you visit with a friend you haven't seen or heard from in a while? Can you talk to the other parents attending an event for your children?

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, you're not alone. Social media is filled with opinions, negativity and judgment. However, it can serve as a connection-apps like Meet Up and Next Door can provide opportunities to meet people with shared interests. Websites can provide volunteer opportunities and information about social activities in your area.

Apps will not solve our addiction problems. There is no one magic answer. To address addiction and the consequences to our families and communities, we need a multi-pronged approach. We need effective prevention opportunities. We need effective treatment options. We need patience and compassion with each other. We need connectedness to community. We need resilience. We need hope. We need each other.

Addressing Diversity Issues in Your Training

(Part 3: How to Navigate "Hot Moments" in the Training Room)

Here's the scene: You're three-quarters of the way into your six-hour workshop, and you're enjoying how training is rolling smoothly toward the home stretch . . .

. . . Until seemingly out of the blue, someone you thought would know better turns to a fellow participant--and with neither malice intended nor awareness of the damage she is about to wreak, in the name of asking a question she says something disparaging to that person about his racial identity. Or sexual orientation. Or faith tradition. Or physical ability. Or generation. Or gender expression. The possibilities, of course, are endless, depending on the bias that's driving the speaking.

Suddenly your workshop has plunged precariously into one of those moments-let's call them "hot moments"-when nearly everything and everyone are thrown off-balance, people's sense of safety and dignity are at stake, and everyone (including you, the trainer in "amygdala meltdown") wonders just what the trainer is going to do about it.

It is decidedly a tough place for most trainers to find themselves in. On the one hand, a trainer does not want to leave the person who made the offensive remark unchallenged. On the other hand, she wonders how she can challenge the person without risking that the person will feel under attack, shut down, or, worst case scenario, withdraw from the conversation indefinitely, where no one can help them move past the negativity or come to see their potential bias. At the same time, the trainer understands that if she says nothing, she runs the risk of conveying a dangerous unspoken message to workshop participants: i.e., namely, that it's okay to leave such disparaging statements unchallenged and unaddressed.

What to do? (Your trainees are still watching and waiting . . .)

First and foremost, be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack for your "sins" of omission or commission--present, past, or even future. Realize that few, if any, of us can respond clearly or appropriately in the moment when our brain is in amygdala meltdown--especially in sensitive moments where much is stake. But perhaps you can use this article as an opportunity to think ahead of time of what you might say or do in the training room-before the dreaded hot moment occurs. Here are some thoughts to consider:

The following are just a few scripts that have been used by fellow trainers and affirmed to have been effective at the times they were needed:

(To direct to the entire group:)

(To direct to the potentially offended party/parties:)

(To direct to the person who made the offensive statement:)

(Then last but not least, one of my personal favorites. You may need to say it aloud to get it:)

These are only a few examples; the list is by no means exhaustive. What's important is that your response be a message in keeping with your own conviction and personality--so that what you say will ring authentic.

Remember: we cannot control or be held responsible for how another will respond when we challenge their thinking. In the words of a respected colleague (whose thought gave me pause): "Yes, I realize that however respectfully I call someone out, I run the risk of losing that person, of their shutting down. But I also realize that by addressing the moment, I have a good chance of not losing everyone else. And that's what our work needs to be about."

Website:

https://www.acesconnection.com/

This website provides extensive and up-to-date information regarding the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Beware, it can lead to traveling down winding roads of the internet for hours ��. If you are trying to stay updated on the finding about trauma and ACEs, this may be the gem you need. Of note, nationally 19% of people experience 4 or more ACEs. During a moment in time review of an Ohio county, 39-42% of social service workers and first responders have experienced 4 or more ACEs. This is important information to consider when developing or presenting workshops for the child welfare workforce and caregivers.

 

Podcast:

https://www.td.org/podcasts/setting-the-stage-for-employee-success-through-improv

Interesting way to spend 14.51 minutes. The leader provides several different improv activities that can be added to training sessions to help participants gain skill. 

Feel free to email your favorite industry podcasts to [email protected] to be shared in future newsletters.

 

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MXc2YOnZHM

This video on spaced retrieval techniques provides some ideas for ways to include spaced retrieval into your training sessions.  I'd love to hear about your effective techniques for spaced retrieval. Send them to [email protected]

 

  Book: 

Easy and quick read that challenges your ability to creatively think.  This book, recommended to me by my leadership coach provided me with many topics for reflective thought. I have utilized several of the activities that he shares in training sessions and meetings that I have led.