Can Thamkrabok Addiction Treatment Be Accepted by Western Medicine?
I happened to catch to catch the end of radio program on the BBC World Service this morning. They were talking about Thamkrabok so of course this grabbed my attention. I am a graduate of this Thai addition treatment temple. I will always be grateful to this special place because it gave me more than just my life back; I now have a life worth living. I’d been through numerous treatment programs in the west, but nothing worked until I went to Thamkrabok.
There Could be No Thamkrabok Styled Addiction Treatment In The West
I doubt it would ever be possible to have a Thamkrabok style treatment facility in Europe or North America. It is just too outlandish when compared to your average addiction treatment program that you get there. The secret herbal drug that is given to patients would need to be carefully scrutinized; it would take years to win approval by drug regulatory boards – if it ever could win approval. These is also sure to be an outcry if the public heard that addicts were being asked to take a medicine that makes them violently sick. I suspect that is such a temple were to open it would be closed in days.
Another stumbling block for such a treatment facility is that it doesn’t fit in with the most popular view of addiction – the disease model. At Thamkrabok the addict is just somebody who made some wrong choices in life. Once they can find their way back onto a more fulfilling path the need to abuse these substances falls away. There is no requirement for this person to attend any meetings for the rest of their life; although some do join 12 step groups. The only requirement is that they give up their addiction and live their life. They don’t have a disease so they don’t need the help of medical professions.
The philosophy of Thamkrabok also clashes with the idea that relapse is a normal part of recovery. You can only go to the temple once for addiction treatment; there is no revolving door policy. This is because you need to make a sajja; a vow to never use these substances again. It is not possible to make the vow twice – it wouldn’t be much of a vow if you could. I’ve spoken to addiction specialists and quite a few of them are alarmed at this lack of a second chance. I disagree with them. I don’t see relapse as normal – it means you have ‘fucked up’.
Fiditi Listening to an Addiction Expert Talk about Thamkrabok
I spent two decades listening to experts tell me how to beat my addiction. I’ve no doubt that these folk were trying to help me, but in the end it was a group of monks who provided the answer. Of course you could say that I was just ready, but I feel that it was a lot more than this.
Since the middle of the twentieth century the treatment of drunks and druggies has become increasingly a part of medicine. This is an improvement on just treating addicts as bad people, but it has also led to new problems. Maybe the treatment of addiction has become a lot more complicated than it needs to be.
The addiction expert on the BBC this morning expressed his doubts about the effectiveness of the temple. Not because he had any proof, but because he didn’t see how such a treatment could fit in with his way of thinking. He doubted the statistical evidence of the success rates provided by East-West detox; not because of the methodology used, but because the figures were better than those for a typical western detox.
I admire greatly the work of those who are trying to add some scientific credibility to Thamkrabok, but I sometimes wonder if trying to play by the rules of the west will prove successful in the end. Some cures don’t fit so comfortably with western medicine, but this doesn’t mean they are invalid. Thamkrabok temple could never exist in the west, but I’m just so grateful that it is here in Thailand. I’m also happy that it is open to all.
Hi Paul, I think you’re right, Western medicine can never really accept the Thamkrabok treatment and it would not be allowed to be provided in, say, the UK. Concepts like faith, pilgrimage, vows, meditation are all important elements of what makes Thamkrabok so effective in my opinion but they are utterly unmeasurable and so of no use to the Western scientific mind. It always seemed to me that the monks at Thamkrabok who provided the treatment were completely uninterested in statistics to prove their effectiveness seeing the treatment as a free gift to an individual.
However, there is a philosophical battle to be fought around treatment in this country and this is where the research comes in. At one time we (East-West Detox) were getting a few public agencies (including health authorities) in the UK to fund people to go to Thamkrabok as being an perfectly valid treatment option among many. This state of affairs undoubtedly helped a lot of people who would not have been able to go otherwise. Many of these people were successful in getting clean and staying clean. It was to encourage the greater acceptance of Thamkrabok as a valid drug treatment option that the research project at East West Detox was started – it does seem that statistics are the only language these people understand! Unfortunately over the years that the research has been being carried out treatment philosophy has turned further towards substitute medication prescribing and away from anything “a bit spiritual” (including rehab options based in the 12 Steps). At least the publication of these results has re-ignited the debate.
Personally, I was astounded by the medical expert who said he had serious concerns about the safety of people detoxing at Thamkrabok; as though continued rampant use of drugs and alcohol, or the substitution of equally dangerous medication like methadone was going to be any safer!
Hi Nick, I also find it bizarre how people worry about the safety aspects of Thamkrabok – an addict will already be engaging in high-risk activity. Near the end of my drinking I vomited almost every day anyway so doing the same at the temple wasn’t that much of a hardship. I do respect the attempts to get some scientific backing for the temple, and admire the effort you people are making to do this. I suppose that even if only a few minds can be changed it will be worth it.
Paul,
I recently listened to your interview on Bangkok Podcast. I found it very uplifting, and I’m glad you can speak and write about your personal experience. As someone who is researching alternative mental health models in the international development context, I think it, indeed, is an uphill battle for quantifiable research on these things. I spent time in addictions research/work prior to that and continue to follow developments in the field.
All I can say, from what I’ve seen, is that whatever works works. At the risk of sounding over-simplistic, 12-step doesn’t work for everyone, nor does yoga, nor does cold turkey, etc. There is no magic bullet, and I’m glad you were open-minded (or desperate!) enough to give this a shot.
Thanks Debra, I fully agree that different things do work for different people. I think the great thing about desperation is that it dampens down the internal cynic – I became willing to try anything.