How your loved one got addicted & the steps for them to live life beyond it
Let’s look at the Birth to Addiction Spectrum (BtAS). Have you heard of it?
The traditional approach to addiction recovery is narrow. The BtAS expands the narrow view. It provides a sequential understanding of how people get addicted. On one chart, we see multiple factors that lead up to addiction.
The BtAS shows 4 components involved with every addiction:
Genetic imbalance
Adverse childhood experience(s)
Pathway symptoms
Coping mechanisms
With no genetic imbalance and no adverse childhood experiences one’s vulnerability to addiction significantly drops. One exception to this is the teenage brain (see “Should I shield my teen from drugs and alcohol?”).
Another exception is the chemical toxicity pathway (in green on the BtAS chart below). The chemical toxicity pathway is one pathway into addiction where genetic imbalances and adverse childhood experience(s) do not need to be present.
Addiction without genetic imbalance and adverse childhood experience(s) points to the power of environmental factors to cause harm. Also, it points to the power we have to create conditions to minimize risk. Our ability to create conditions in our environment is especially important to remember in the healing aspect of the journey.
The Birth to Addiction Spectrum diagram above was created by my friend and colleague, Mark Styles in the UK. This diagram shows that with genetic polymorphisms (abnormalities), trauma or adverse childhood experiences, one can get any number of symptoms that are managed with numerous coping mechanisms, which leads to dependence and eventual addiction.
Try this now: Think of anyone’s addiction and consider the BtAS. See what I mean?
The coping mechanisms and sometimes the pathway symptom are most obvious. Trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and genetic polymorphisms hide underneath.
At the bottom of the BTAS chart (in green), you see the 3 pathways into Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and addiction. Reward Deficiency Syndrome may be a more fitting name for what we call addiction - any addiction.
All pathways start with neurotransmitter imbalances, environmental factors (like ACES and childhood trauma), and eventual Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS).
When all three are addressed, the individual has a good chance to live life well beyond their addiction.
You can learn more about Reward Deficiency Syndrome here (RDS).
So what are the 6 steps to live life beyond addiction?
Identify and learn what specific underlying factors have been sustaining an individual’s addiction (Checkup/Blueprint)
Identify and understand your unique-to-you pathway
Command and self management (continues from here on)
Repair**
Deliberately Creating Rewards in the schedule of one’s life**
Living life beyond addiction**
**command & self management
The link on Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) goes into healing from it, which the above 6 steps are applied.
We start with a checkup - assessing for underlying factors. The factors are compiled into a list of underlying factors found to sustain addiction. We prioritize the list and create a timeline for repairs - the blueprint.
This 6 step model gives command, self management, and responsibility to the individual for tracking and maintaining their daily protocol. The coach ‘walks’ with them through the ups and downs. Together, we collaborate to add new mindsets and activities that create healthy rewards.
The visual diagram of the journey looks like this:
This is the pathway I use with coaching clients.
Comments and questions are welcome.
www.alcoholbioquiz.com or sjeffjones@me.com
To learn more about Mark Styles, creator of the images.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-addiction-smashers/
Resources to learn more about Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS):
A Novel Precision Approach to Overcome the “Addiction Pandemic” by Incorporating Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) and Dopamine Homeostasis Restoration, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8002215/
The Benefits of Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS) Testing in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30198022/
GARS Innovative New Precision Genetic Risk Tool Helps Doctors Better Predict And Treat Addiction, https://www.prweb.com/releases/gars_innovative_new_precision_genetic_risk_tool_helps_doctors_better_predict_and_treat_addiction/prweb15450080.htm
Introducing Precision Addiction Management of Reward Deficiency Syndrome, the Construct That Underpins All Addictive Behaviors, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00548/full
Geneus Health Granted Rare Groundbreaking Genetic Patent, https://www.prweb.com/releases/geneus_health_granted_rare_groundbreaking_genetic_patent/prweb15762330.htm