Allopathic Therapy (Psychiatric Medical Model)

A few years ago one could still look up statistics on the success rates of secular drug rehabilitation programs. The standard answer nowadays is that it is either an incurable disease or its is a life long struggle and process. Every now and then some new miracle cure hits the recovery industry such as ibogaine  or naltrexone implants, but these fads do not last long. Here and there you may find a honest answer from a medical practitioner who will confirm that to date there is no medicine that will cure addiction to drugs. The best they can do is to put someone on a replacement drug that at least guarantees a clean product, controlled dosage and less involvement with street crime.

• Closely related and often times integrated with  psychiatric medicine we find different disciplines in psychology, such as narrative therapy, rational emotive behaviour therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy and the list goes on. These too contain no magical power to untie or unravel the complex psychological (mental/emotional) issues that give rise to and cause the anguish and pain associated with substance abuse.  So many theories have seen the light of day concerning why people use drugs and once they do, how to get them off, yet none seem to work too well. At House Regeneration we have seen countless people who have been in therapy with the best and most expensive professional mental health workers and yet have not beaten their inner demons. They keep on relapsing!

Key to really understanding and treating drug addiction is found in the Biblical approach. It is recorded in several places in the New Testament as witchcraft and sorcery. There is a spiritual root which leads to rebellion against God ultimately manifesting as anarchy and aggression towards people in authrity. It is a direct counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, hence the initial euphoric experiences that the user tries to have over and over. Drug addiction affects all three dimensions of human existence, body, soul and spirit.

Body, soul and spirit constitutes three levels of therapy. The Christian Bible addresses addiction primarily from a spiritual perspective, requiring a change of heart (spirit), mind (soul) and then behaviour (body). The reason why secular programs so often fail is because they do not acknowledge the spirit of man.

The root cause of addiction lies in the belief system of the addicts. We are what we believe. Drug abuse is symptomatic of one’s core beliefs. Core beliefs are formed by parental influence, education, environment, social and cultural networks, childhood friends, religious beliefs and the media. Many of these contain non-biblical lies.

Our Faith-based program focuses on bringing out the lies that are self-destructive, emotionally negative and lead to dysfunctional behaviour. Although addiction leads to physical and mental disease it is not a disease of the brain in itself. That is why medication cannot cure addiction it can merely replace it with other drugs. There is no quick fix or implant that will cure addictive behaviour. Various models of Psychotherapy only address the mental and emotional results of addiction and might bring temporary relief but not a lasting cure.