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It's common practice to tell addicts that they should move to another city after therapy and therapists are certainly right to do so but I think this is only a
by cheshire_cat 12y ago
It's common practice to tell addicts that they should move to another city after therapy and therapists are certainly right to do so but I think this is only a part of the truth.
The soldiers in vietnam were under great stress from (war) that went away when they returned to the US.
If you start doing drugs or any other coping mechanism because of some emotional problem the problem will travel with you. You can't run away, the only way to break those habits is to learn other coping mechanisms or to get to the root of your internal trauma and come to terms with it.
- jdcarter 12y agoThis is a huge point I was hoping the article would address, but failed to. The war wasn't just a matter of location, it was a matter of stress (in a huge way) and a whole way of living (as a GI vs. civilian). If you're an alcoholic and you move from one town to another, that other town is going to have bars and liquor stores just like the one you left. Your location may have changed, but there are so many things that are effectively the same, I can't see it having quite the same impact when compared to returning from 'nam.
- click170 12y agoThis is more true for alcohol than it is for black market drugs. While still generally easy to find, its a bit harder to go up to a random sketchy looking person and ask them for drugs in a new city that you don't have a network of friends and contacts in. This makes me wonder if "pulling a geographic" is more successful for people with substance abuse problems that do not stem from alcohol.
- jqm 12y agoMaybe they had more trouble scoring dope when they got home? It's certainly one way to clean up, and I didn't see this possibility addressed in the article.