Vietnam veterans` recovery comes full circle
Here’s an idea: Offer the gift of recovery to others where the concept of recovery is foreign. What if we offered healthy images to show that recovery from addiction is possible and that treatment works? What if people in recovery were willing to share their experience, strength and hope for recovery in places where recovery does not seem possible?
Such was the goal of the Gift of Recovery tour to Vietnam in January 2013. A small group of U.S. veterans of the American War (as it is termed in Vietnam), with long, stable histories of recovery and decades of professional experience in the addiction field, traveled to Vietnam to share their stories. The goals were as follows:
1. For faculty to present to health care professionals, medical personnel and patients in treatment on core issues in addiction, such as the neurobiology of addiction, counseling skills, 12-Step principles, family counseling approaches, etc.
2. For faculty to demonstrate the value of recovery support programs and a range of services.
3. For faculty to train medical personnel in the Vietnamese military on appropriate methods for the prevention, intervention and treatment of substance abuse in the military.
The concept of the Gift of Recovery for Vietnam was born three years ago. I wondered what would happen if a group of American veterans from the Vietnam War were to travel to Vietnam to share their experiences. Often, doctors in other countries do not think it is possible that well-dressed, distinguished professionals are people in recovery. They say, “You can’t be an addict. You are a professional.”
In 2000, I brought four doctors from hospitals in China to attend the 65th Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) conference in Minneapolis. Several of the Chinese doctors remarked, upon seeing women and teenagers attending AA meetings, “Why are they here? Women and youth cannot be alcoholics.” The concept of recovery is essential for people from other countries, especially doctors, to see firsthand.
Moving presentations
In January 2013, the Gift of Recovery visit occurred in Vietnam. A group of four Americans, three of whom had been in Vietnam 40 years ago as U.S. military personnel, traveled to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong to tell their stories of recovery. As addiction professionals, they also gave presentations at medical schools on the neurobiology of addictions, taught counseling skills at methadone maintenance clinics, met with patients and their families, and conducted 12-Step meetings with patients. Patients and doctors sat stunned to hear these individuals’ recovery stories, often with tears of joy in their eyes.
At one AA meeting, as a U.S. Marine told of his drug addiction after his participation in the war, tears streamed down the face of a Vietnamese man with a year of sobriety. (A knowing smile was on the faces of others, with a sense that the American veterans knew what their Vietnamese friends have been through). This man nodded and smiled every time the veteran told of his dependence on drugs and the thousand times he promised himself and his family he’d stop using. The participants saw that people can recover from addiction.
As one of our veterans spoke of his 30-plus years in recovery, a methadone maintenance patient with just three months in recovery said, “I could never have 30 years clean and sober.” Our veteran responded, “You don’t need to think about that. Just how will you stay sober today? One day at a time.”
Concepts that we hold dear about recovery are foreign to so many around the world. They need to be shown that people can get well. They need to hear stories of experience, strength and hope.
What we experienced
For the Gift of Recovery team, the experience of being back in Vietnam under totally different circumstances was life-changing. There was an emotion of gratitude as well as making amends for prior actions. There was a constant attitude of gratitude that pervaded the experience.
The team also experienced sadness for the past. One member of the team, at a lecture at a medical university, asked the forgiveness of the audience, although it was likely that no one in the audience was alive 40 years ago when the team member was last in Vietnam. Some members of the team broke down weeping, with a profound sense of release and acceptance. The Band of Brothers on the team joined together to share a positive message of hope with those who once might have been adversaries.
Big Books, not bombs
Retired Navy Capt. Thomas Glancy, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, recently suggested to me that instead of flying bombing missions over Vietnam, maybe we should have dropped copies of the Sears catalog into villages. Then, we could have given the people a week to read the catalog and ogle the clothing and goods they could buy. Two weeks later, we could have flown other missions dropping credit cards with available purchasing power.
In the long run, it would have been much cheaper, and think of all the friends we would have had—although residents of Saigon wearing winter parkas might have looked a bit strange. Instead of spending the past 40 years uncovering unexploded ordnance near the former DMZ, we’d be finding rusting refrigerators.
This humorous idea started me thinking: What if we dropped thousands of Big Books translated into the local language on Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, or any other country with which we are warring? We not only would save on warfare but also would help people deal with addiction issues. The U.S. military industrial complex might not be as happy if we dropped Big Books and not bombs, but the book manufacturers would be delighted.
What if we gave the Gift of Recovery to other countries? What if other men and women in recovery were willing to share their experience, strength and hope with others in need? Isn’t that the essence of the 12th Step?
Adapting the Steps
Although we say 12-Step programs are available in most countries worldwide, in some cases meetings are attended primarily by ex-pats, not locals. For some in these countries, the 12 Steps seem too “Western,” too “Christian.” For the Gift tour, our Vietnam hosts asked us to do something about the “God thing” in the 12 Steps. We changed the wording to something akin to the word “spirit,” and that was acceptable.
We have adapted the Steps and literature to people of all faith traditions and to atheists. It was long believed that AA would not be possible in “Communist” China. But such was not the case. 12-Step meetings are now held throughout China. Some of the concepts and translation had to be modified to fit Chinese culture and beliefs, but the core principles remain.
The concept of recovery from addiction is generally a foreign idea in much of the world, especially in Asia. Distinctions are made between alcohol abuse (which is viewed as a “bad habit” or a moral weakness, not a disease), and drug abuse (which is treated as a criminal problem). Many Asian countries have re-education centers where addicts are sent for extended stays of two to three years of manual labor. The relapse rate for individuals sent to the re-education centers is about 95%.
A clear definition of what constitutes recovery is needed in order to deliver the message in these countries. A good place to start is with the generally accepted SAMHSA definition of recovery as “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”
A definition of recovery should be based on the scientific evidence that there are four essential elements to recovery:
1. A stable and safe living environment.
2. Stable and consistent work and daily activities.
3. A supportive community of family and friends.
4. A trusting, therapeutic alliance with a skilled helper, be that a counselor, medical professional, recovery support coach, or recovering addict.
The research is clear: If any two of these four elements are missing, or poor, the chance of recovery is weak or nonexistent. This is critical to the addiction programs in Asia, where in most cases family counseling, skills training, job placement and a continuum of care is absent. Recovery support programs are rare. When they are part of a methadone maintenance clinic, such as in Ho Chi Minh City, recovery rates significantly increase.
One of the first questions I ask when I am requested to train on addictions in a country is, “Do you have any 12-Step or recovery support programs for clients?” If not, I strongly recommend they consider starting such groups. How does that happen? I have found the key is to train healthcare professionals, preferably physicians, in the essential ingredients of a support program. Have the 12 Steps translated into the local language. Have the doctors host support groups at their facilities. They operate the hospitals and clinics and are legitimized to the government.
In the beginning, there may not be any recovering people with strong programs of recovery to chair meetings, so the medical staff will do so. Eventually, people with some recovery will step forward and host the meetings themselves. Let recovery support groups grow organically.
Giving the Gift of Recovery
I think we are on to something. It is my wish that thousands of people in recovery will read this article and feel compelled to share their stories with those in need, those seeking hope for recovery. Faces and Voices of Recovery has led the way around the world in this effort.
Members of the Gift of Recovery received no compensation for their time and expenses. One member said, “How can I be an AA member and not follow the 12th Step of giving back what has been given to me?”
Do you want to drop Big Books instead of bombs? Perhaps you too would wish to be part of a future Gift of Recovery tour to Vietnam. I am seeking men and women, especially Vietnam War veterans with stable recovery and experience working in the addiction field, who wish to give back the gift of recovery given them.
Not only did the people with whom we spoke in Vietnam receive a gift, so did we. For our group there was a sense of closure. Whatever was done decades ago had come full circle, and now new life was brought back to Vietnam.
David J. Powell, PhD, is President of the International Center for Health Concerns, Inc. (www.ichc-us.org). His e-mail address is djpowell2@yahoo.com.