Process vs. Substance Addictions. What's the difference?
Michele Downey describes the two categories of addictions called Process and Substance Addictions. Dr. Ann Wilson-Schaef in the 80's, an organizational psychologist described the differences. This is now a part of the addiction information. routinely taught in school and at treatment centers.
A visionary and trailblazer in the field of addiction
Dr. Ann Wilson Schaef was the originator of the terms Substance and Process Addictions. She was famous for many reasons and passed away this year 2020 after leaving an incredible legacy. She wrote about and categorized the addicted organizations and society. Schaef made a huge impact in the addiction recovery field over the last 40 years with her books, including Codependence: Misunderstood, Mistreated, (one of the first books ever written on codependence), Escape from Intimacy: Untangling the “Love” Addictions: Sex, Romance, Relationships.
Please watch my video on the 7 signs of Codependency.
Society as an Addict
She widened the breadth of knowledge about addiction in general. She introduced the key elements of what makes something an addiction. She examined in her books the different types of organizations. (being trained as an organization psychologist).
Heading up a conference at the Scripp's Mc Donald Center on Codependency in La Jolla, CA. Process vs. Substance Addictions
I was privileged to pick the speakers for this conference in the 80's and got to meet and talk with Dr. Schaef. She had just come back from spending months in Australia with the Aboriginal elders and had told me it was quite a paradigm shift to be speaking to us after those experiences. I found her to be very easy to speak to and she challenged my reason for being a therapist originally. Given her background in Codependency, I had a great deal to think about. She left her psychotherapy practice and license for some of those reasons.
Her autobiography states that she was from Cherokee and Indian ancestry. Drawing from her origins, she spent the latter portion of her life creating a "Life in Process".
Substance Addictions - Application and Living in Process.
One her biggest legacies included her ability to not only have the visionary theory but the practical application.
As a response to requests from people who wanted to learn more about the LIP (Living in Process) approach to living, Anne began facilitating a “training” group in 1981. This “training” group is for people who make a deeper commitment to learning to live in process and the group continues to thrive internationally with network members in North America, Europe and the South Pacific with whom Anne worked very closely.
Greater understanding and compassion for society in general
As the result of her work, people can understand some of the issues that plague our society today. In light of the addictions education, they can formulate ways to deal with the issues in a healthy, constructive way.
For more information please call Michele at 760-207-1067 or write her at Michdwny@gmail.com
This is a great post.
I strongly agree that substance and process addiction can often be linked to codependency, a pattern of behavior in which a person becomes overly reliant on another for their emotional well-being and sense of self-worth. Codependents may feel a sense of control and purpose by taking care of the needs of the addicted person. However, this can lead to neglecting their own needs and mental health. In turn, the stress and anxiety of the codependent's situation can exacerbate their own addictive tendencies. It's important for individuals to recognize the signs of codependency and seek support and treatment to break the cycle of addiction and codependency, improving overall mental health and well-being.