
until substance abusers develop the capacity to establish mutually satisfying relationships,
they remain vulnerable to relapse and addiction.
Relationships, therapeutic and social, are shaped by the
projections, assumptions, hopes, wishes and fears
of all it's participants.
The relational perspective in treating addiction
has ushered in more innovative ways
of understanding and treating the disease.
If addicts or alcoholics are to achieve abstinence and sobriety,
they must first detach
from their primary destructive relationship to substances
then develop the capacity for healthy interpersonal attachments.
From this perspective
the 12 step communities
furnish the support and emotional regulation
that newly recovering addicts need
while they make the difficult transition from
the detachment to drugs/alcohol
and the attachment to recovery.
To remember,
the essence of being human is social,
not individual.
Addiction as an Attachment Disorder
Flores