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   Arapahoe House Administrative Offices   •   8801 Lipan Street   •   Thornton, Colorado 80260   •   303.657.3700


 

POLICY STATEMENT REGARDING ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT AND USE AT ARAPAHOE HOUSE EVENTS

The Arapahoe House and The Recovery Foundation Boards of Directors

February 2004

  • Alcohol and drug abuse, and alcohol and drug dependence, have been and continue to be major problems within the United States and Colorado. These problems led to the creation of Arapahoe House as a non-profit, charitable organization almost thirty years ago. The mission of Arapahoe House is to design and implement a continuum of alcohol and drug intervention and treatment services that are accessible, affordable and effective with adolescents and adults in need of these services

  • Substance abuse should be distinguished from substance dependence. Alcohol and drug abuse may or may not lead to alcohol or drug dependence. The treatment services designed by Arapahoe House for alcohol abuse emphasize responsible drinking; where indicated, the interventions may also focus on abstinence. Drug abuse treatment focuses on abstinence where the drugs of abuse are illegal, but may or may not focus on abstinence in those cases in which the drugs of abuse are legal medications.

  • Alcohol and drug dependence are serious, chronic illnesses, comparable to type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The optimal outcome for treatment of alcohol dependence (or alcoholism) is abstinence. However, we recognize that for some clients, where immediate abstinence is not realistic, a reduction in the amount or frequency or consequences of alcohol consumption and the resulting reduction in harm caused by alcohol dependence may be an acceptable proximal outcome. (A harm reduction strategy also may be appropriate in some cases of drug dependence.) This recognition does not alter or minimize the longer term goal of complete abstinence, because experience and well-conducted research have clearly converged to conclude that there is no viable alternative to abstinence as an acceptable outcome for alcohol or drug dependence.

  • Bio-psycho-social factors are inherent in the causation of alcohol and drug abuse and dependence. Accordingly, these factors must be addressed in any effective treatment regimen.

  • There is a large variety of illnesses in which voluntary choice plays a role in initiation and the course of the illness; alcohol and drug abuse are but one of many such illnesses. Generally, these illnesses reflect a complex interaction of familial, cultural and choice factors.

  • Despite the voluntary nature of the initial use of alcohol or drugs, as with many other illnesses there are involuntary components as well. The initial choice to try alcohol or a drug may be voluntary, but the effects of alcohol or drugs on the individual who has exercised this choice may be significantly influenced by genetic factors. Research has shown, for example, that sons of alcohol-dependent fathers inherit greater tolerance to alcohol's effects and thus are less likely to experience 'hangovers' than sons of non-alcohol-dependent fathers.

  • Addictive drugs including alcohol have a clear and well-specified set of effects on the brain. Alcohol, cocaine, opiates and nicotine significantly affect the dopamine system. It has been demonstrated and replicated that at some dose, frequency and chronicity, alcohol and other addictive drugs will reliably lead to enduring pathophysiological changes in the brain circuitry, in the normal levels of many neurochemicals, and in the brain's stress response system.
  • A growing body of research has further established that the brain's reward circuitry interacts with the motivational, emotional and memory centers that are co-located within the brain's limbic system; in effect, the brain not only experiences the pleasure of rewards from alcohol and drugs, but quickly learns, through a form of classical conditioning, to respond in an anticipatory manner to cues associated with these rewards.

  • In sum, while the initial choice to ingest alcohol or drugs is voluntary, for some individuals this initial choice carries with it substantially higher risks of abuse and addiction, risks emanating from the individual's unique constellation of genetic, familial, cultural and personal factors. Addiction, defined as alcohol or drug dependence (as opposed to abuse), is thus clearly a 'brain disease.' In addition, withdrawal from alcohol and drug dependence leads to changes in the body which, in combination with the changes to the brain resulting from dependence, act as a powerful disincentive for recovery. The notion that the challenges faced by persons who are alcohol or drug dependent, when they endeavor to become alcohol and drug free, can be overcome solely by the application of 'will power' is refuted by clinical experience and scientific evidence.

  • Arapahoe House makes a distinction between alcohol and drugs. Alcohol is a legal drug in this country, one that is included in a wide array of beverages, including beer, wine and hard liquor, as well as some food and other products. Drugs of abuse tend to be either illegal (e.g. cocaine, marijuana) or medicinal (e.g. oxycontin). Our treatment continuum has been designed to address the problems of alcohol and drug abuse and dependence.

  • Recovery from alcohol or drug dependence is transforming, life-changing, and in a very real sense, miraculous. Because of their unique experience, we believe that this organization can never be optimally effective unless recovering persons are represented at every level within Arapahoe House. Arapahoe House values the experience of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts; Arapahoe House is committed to providing employment to recovering persons; Arapahoe House is committed to recruiting recovering persons to serve on its Board of Directors.

  • We do not view alcohol as being the cause of alcoholism. This organization does not view the beverage alcohol industry as 'the enemy,' but we do believe that the beverage alcohol industry should be contributing resources, including funds, to organizations like Arapahoe House. While alcohol is a legal and legitimate product that does no harm to the vast majority of people who consume it, the beverage alcohol industry should, in our view, assist to mitigate the problems that will inevitably occur in a small but significant minority of persons exposed to it.

  • In general, alcohol is not served at events sponsored by Arapahoe House. Employees are prohibited from consuming alcoholic beverages during the work day, including breakfast or lunch.

  • At fundraising events such as the Pillars of the Community Gala and the Sports Legends Golf Tournament, alcoholic beverages may be available for those persons who wish to consume them. We expect that consumption will be responsible. Arapahoe House will make every effort to be sensitive to the feelings of recovering persons who attend these events; where feasible and appropriate, announcements about these events will clearly indicate that alcohol is served; in addition, where feasible, alcohol free tables or zones may be created to avoid any discomfort that may be felt by recovering persons who attend these events.

  • Any new special fundraising or other special event to which people external to this organization are invited is reviewed and approved prior to implementation by the Arapahoe House and The Recovery Foundation Board of Directors with respect to the issue of alcohol consumption. In general, it is the policy of the boards that Arapahoe House will not be directly involved with an event in which alcohol consumption is the central purpose of the event, e.g. a wine tasting event.

  • These policy statements reflect the formal position of the Arapahoe House Board of Directors, the Recovery Foundation Board of Directors, and the Friends of Arapahoe House (FOAH).