Post 26    

Our Needs:  They Go Wa-a-a-y Back    

Earlier this month, I attended a conference in Owensboro, Kentucky, entitled Spiritual Caregiving for Persons with Co-Occurring Disorders.  The event was coordinated by RiverValley Behavioral Health and the Owensboro District of the United Methodist Kentucky Annual Conference.  It was rewarding to see a wonderful turnout and  shared effort between treatment providers and the faith-based community.

The presenter, Jeffrey M. Georgi from Duke University Medical Center, held our attention throughout the entire day.  His explanations and insights on addiction composed valuable take-home information for all of us who work in the mental health field of addiction and recovery.   Although - so often - we hear how significant for infants is the fulfilling of their basic needs, Rev. Georgi's review of three psychological needs reminded me that we can never hear enough about this topic.

When I considered the outlined needs,  I thought:  how basic - and incredibly important - they are.  If unfulfilled, how does the baby grow - always in search of such needs?  Then too, how might a lifestyle, influenced by addiction, be connected?

Let's take a look at the three needs:

•  to be mirrored:  when a baby smiles, (s)he has a need to be smiled back; when (s)he cries, there is a need for a concerned response, etc.

• to be seen:  hence the child knows that others deem him/her as important enough to be looked at, watched, noticed, paid attention to ...

• to be regarded as unequivocally wonderful:  in other words, the baby is of high value; (s)he essentially is a person of worth: no doubt about it!

Reflecting on these above needs, it becomes obvious: are not these needs STILL significant to older children/teens/adults ...  persons of any age?   And more to the point: how can the goals of recovery work strive to meet these needs in a healthy, constructive way?

There is treatment for compulsive gambling and there is group support through Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon through which individuals can find help and hope  in recovery!

 For more information on Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon Meetings, go to www.gamblersanonymous.org 

For more information on problem gambling, visit  

www.ncpgambling.org 

For more information on Indiana treatment options, go to

www.indianaproblemgambling.org

OR

www.grmumc.org 

Rev. Janet Jacobs

Director, Gambling Recovery Ministries