In Response to the Addiction Experts

I was recently interviewed by a journalist from the Chiang Mai City Life magazine about my experiences of addiction in Thailand. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to talk about myself so thanks Grace. I do recommend that people read this article Staying Sober in Thailand.

The Expert View of Thamkrabok

The one thing that really caught my attention in this article was the views of Simon Mott – an addiction expert. In particular his claim;

"This practice may be more beneficial for Thai people who are spiritually linked to Buddhism, also especially if they continue to live as a monk after treatment. However, it is vital to find and deal with the root of the problem causing addiction, which is better sought through psychology, counselling, and cognitive behavioural therapy. It is important to examine the way people think about things, and try to adapt thinking patterns to heal addictions."



I must admit that his comments have irked me. Mott does not appear to know much about the temple yet he feels qualified to make blanket statements. I do not pretend to act as a spokesperson for Thamkrabok but most of the ex-patients I've met have already tried the therapies he has suggested. I entered my first treatment facility and nineteen and had twenty years of psychology, counseling, and CBT – these methods did not work for me, but I found success at Thamkrabok.

I would love to know on what basis Mott is making his claim "This practice may be more beneficial for Thai people who are spiritually linked to Buddhism, also especially if they continue to live as a monk after treatment". Buddhism was hardly mentioned during my stay and most of the people who establish a solid sobriety afterwards do not live the life of a monk. I certainly don't live this life anyway.

More Than One Solution

I'm sure that the therapies Mott endorses do help many addicts. I'm not going to say here it will be better for people to go to Thamkrabok. It seems reasonable to assume that there is no one solution that suits everyone. It is obvious though, that the western approach is failing too many people so to insist that 'more of the same' is the way to go sounds stupid to me. This point was made clear by a report provided by the National Health Executive in the UK last year called Addicted to the Status Quo. It concluded that 'Current treatments options are limited and substantially rest within a symptom management model'.

There is not yet enough scientific research into the efficacy of Thamkrabok. Groups such as East-West Detox are working to get some studies completed, but it is a hugely problematic thing to judge. This means that any claims that recovery is "better sought through psychology, counselling, and cognitive behavioural therapy" is based on zero evidence. It bugs me when experts dismiss those therapies that they do not understand and that could be of benefit to many people. To keep on insisting that these individuals return to those therapies that have already failed them sounds ridiculous to me. To be honest, it bugs the shit out of me.