“Summer Season” of Addiction

  Sixteen year-old Tom had been abusing pain medications for over a year before his father found four Darvocets (prescribed pain medication) hidden in his son’s scriptures.  His father confronted him with the “The Golden Question” which is “Whose are these?”  (Knowing deep down inside they were Tom’s all along, but not yet ready to accept the truth.)  Tom responded with “The Golden Answer” which is “I’m holding them for a friend.  Dad, you know I’d never do drugs.”

  During the Summer Season of Addiction substance abusers become experts in hiding and lying about their use.  Even when obvious signs of substance abuse are discovered, the user tends to passionately lie!

Spring Season
  The Spring Season of addiction is characterized by joy and pleasure as illustrated by the following scriptures.  ” … to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,” Hebrews 11:25 and ” … they have joy in their works for a season … ,” 3 Nephi 27:11.  (See Spring Season of Addiction blog.)

Seasons
  The above scriptures describe sin using the word “season”.  In fact if we continue reading 3 Nephi 27:11 we learn the “joy” season ends “… verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season (Spring Season) and by and by the end cometh (Summer Season) …”  The concept of the Lord taking away the “happiness in sin”  is also taught in Mormon 2:13.

  Elder Russell M. Nelson also describes the addiction process as different seasons or stages: 

“From an initial experiment thought to be trivial, a vicious cycle may follow.  From trial comes habit. From habit comes dependence.  From dependence comes addiction. Its grasp is so gradual.  Enslaving shackles of habit are too small to be sensed until they are too strong to be broken,” (“Addiction or Freedom,” New Era, Sept. 1989).

 Summer Season
  Like others in the Summer Season of addiction, Tom began to experience negative consequences- such as being confronted by his father.  Examples of other problems experienced during this season include: increased guilt and shame; lack of money; school and work failure; and relationship conflict with parents, spouse, and old friends.  Nevertheless, despite these occasional problems the substance of choice continues to generate the joy and pleasure.  The user becomes convinced their drug of choice is effective and dependable.

  Tolerance and dishonesty are common characteristics that occur in the Summer Season of addiction.

Tolerance
  Tolerance means it takes more of the same substance to get the same level of pleasure or joy experienced during the Spring Season of addiction. 

  For example, initially a “few tokes of a joint” (hits of a marijuana cigarette) result in an individual experiencing a certain level of joy.  With ongoing use the number of “tokes or joints” needed to get that same level of joy increases.
A lot can be learned by discovering how much of the substance an individual’s body and spirit has learned to handle.  I recall one 95 pound Mia-Maid who when asked about how much alcohol she could handle replied “9 beers and still walk and talk.”  In another case a member of the Elder’s quorum presidency abusing pain pills claimed he could handle “7 Percoets at a time”.

  I knew immediately the tolerance of these two individuals had increased and they have moved into a more problematic season of addiction.  Tolerance is powerful.  People can develop a tolerance to amounts of substances that would otherwise be lethal.

  Tolerance also exists with pornography as noted by the LDS Church First Presidency in the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth. We read:

“Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive.  Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression…” (LDS Church, 1990, pg. 11).

Dishonesty
  The use of substances in the Spring Season of addiction results primarily with disobedience and not significant negative consequences. Nevertheless, the seed of disobedience planted in the Spring always grows into some form of dishonesty.

  The inside joke among substance abuse counselors is:  “How can you tell if an addict is lying?”  The response, “His lips move.”  The fact is “Teens [and adults] in substance-abuse trouble invariably tax their parents’ [and spouses'] patience to the very limit. They [the substance abusers] are almost always deceptive, secretive, manipulative, and belligerent.” (“When a Teenager Uses Drugs or Alcohol: How to Cope …,” Sue Bergin, Ensign, Mar. 1988).

The First Question to Ask
  It’s been my experience Latter-day Saints dealing with a loved-one’s substance abuse are often ignorant. They lack understanding of the addiction process and when and how to effectively intervene.  Clinically we understand the addiction process quite well now days.  For example, we realize the intervention of choice varies depending upon which season of addiction the user is experiencing.  Interventions effective during the Spring Season of addiction often are not effective for those in the Fall Season of addiction.

  One of the first things parents and a spouse must do when confronted with an individual’s drug, alcohol, or pornography use is to ask themselves:  Which season of addiction is he or she in? Are they in a later season requiring outside professional treatment or in the earlier season and an intervention involving the family and church leaders would suffice?

GOSPEL PRINCIPLE: The “Summer Season” of addiction continues to result in joy or pleasure.  Negative consequences and tolerance begin.  The “seed” of disobedience sprouts into dishonesty.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

James R. Goodrich, “Alcohol Addiction: Hope for Understanding and Recovery,” Ensign, Jul. 1981.

“Lesson 39: Drug Abuse,” Young Women Manual 1, (2002).