Why reach out? If you or a loved one is struggling with either alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance abuse disorder (SUD), we invite you to connect with us. In a non-judgmental, confidential, safe, supportive and loving space, you will learn about ways to feel, deal and heal. You are not alone! Tap into your community resources that can guide you and light the Road to Hope.

How to reach out?  Call or email Beth Budny at 774-277-5191 or [email protected]. She will set up a private discussion with an I THIRST Spiritual Companion either in person, or remotely through video conferencing or phone conversations. These discussions are intended to provide spiritual consolation, guidance and resources (See Resources) to navigate the challenges faced with alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance abuse disorder (SUD).

Signs of AUD – According to Healthline, there are distinct signs of alcohol use disorder:

• Being unable to control how much you drink
• Being unable to control when you drink
• Feeling compelled or having uncontrollable cravings to drink
• Having a “tolerance” to alcohol so that you need to consume increasingly larger amounts of alcohol in order to experience the same effects
• Having to drink in order to feel “normal” or “good”
• Storing alcohol in hidden places, such as at work, in your car, or in unusual places in your house
• Drinking alone or in secret
• Irritability if you cannot drink when you want to
• Continuing to drink despite negative consequences in your personal or professional life
• Preferring to drink over engaging in other activities and hobbies, including spending time with friends and family
• Experiencing blackouts, or periods of time when you cannot remember what you did, where you were, or who you were with

• Feeling that you have to use the drug regularly — daily or even several times a day
• Having intense urges for the drug that block out any other thoughts
• Over time, needing more of the drug to get the same effect
• Taking larger amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended
• Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug
• Spending money on the drug, even though you cannot afford it
• Not meeting obligations and work responsibilities, or cutting back on social or recreational activities because of drug use
• Continuing to use the drug, even though you know it is causing problems in your life or causing you physical or psychological harm
• Doing things to get the drug that you normally would not do, such as stealing
• Driving or doing other risky activities when you are under the influence of the drug
• Spending a good deal of time getting the drug, using the drug or recovering from the effects of the drug
• Failing in your attempts to stop using the drug
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop taking the drug

Signs with family members: The Mayo Clinic indicates these are possible signs to be aware with family members:

• Problems at school or work — frequently missing school or work, a sudden disinterest in school activities or work, or a drop in grades or work performance
• Physical health issues — lack of energy and motivation, weight loss or gain, or red eyes
• Neglected appearance — lack of interest in clothing, grooming or looks
• Changes in behavior — exaggerated efforts to bar family members from entering his or her room or being secretive about where he or she goes with friends, or drastic changes in behavior and in relationships with family and friends
• Money issues — sudden requests for money without a reasonable explanation; or discovering that money is missing or has been stolen or that items have disappeared from the home, indicating maybe they are being sold to support drug use

OUR VISION

To be a Resource for those Suffering from Addictions and Their Families

• We are called as Christians to “sharpen” in each other our deep desire to love God and do good works.

• Grace comes to us in community where we participate in systems of shared histories, states of both intimacy and interdependence, and coalescing energies, and share in covenants and traditions.

• The Church is the ultimate community as it fulfills all the above. However, it is made even greater by the fact that we participate in a “koinonia”—a community in Christ, as members of His mystical body.

• As secular society moves away from the concept of community, we as Christians must be called to it, for we have been commanded, by Jesus Himself, to love and care for one another.

• The Church can provide spiritual companionship, guidance, and support to those who are afflicted by all sorts of addictions and to their families.

• The Church can be a resource for education and prevention through catechesis and through an educated clergy and laity who understand the nature of the disease of addiction.

WHAT IS THE ITHIRST MINISTRY?

I THIRST is a three-part program that focuses on education and prevention, on support for treatment facilities and for those who are incarcerated, and on aftercare and community building services.

The programs were developed to help the Church become educated on the nature of all addictions to support and provide pastoral care to individuals and families on both a parish and diocesan level.

The I THIRST Initiative is a mission of The Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity and is a comprehensive approach to education/prevention; support for treatment facilities, jails, and prisons; and aftercare and community-building for those suffering from substance-use disorders and for their families.

The goal of the I THIRST Initiative is to educate about and prevent substance use disorders and to support those who already suffer, and their families, by providing a community in Christ. This community in Christ will provide spiritual support, guidance, and empathy to all who journey on the ROAD TO HOPE. This companionship, support, and community will provide grace and healing for all those affected.
The ROAD TO HOPE is the journey “homeward”—back to the love and the freedom for which God created us. It is freedom from the attachment that has enslaved us.

The ROAD TO HOPE is the spiritual path we all travel as we seek the “alignment of our will with God’s” which, “must happen at a heart level, through authentic choices of faith that are empowered by God.” — Dr. Gerald G. May
This connectedness will undoubtedly include clinical professionals but must also include “spiritual companionship” to provide consolation, guidance, and empathy. This is the role of pastoral care.

The Importance of Pastoral Care for the Afflicted and Their Families

Spiritual Consolation

Spiritual Guidance

Spiritual Empathy

Pastoral care provides spiritual empathy, the ability to share in someone else’s suffering and pain and vulnerability, much the way the Jesus would have. We seek to look beyond our own judgments and revulsions so that we might be a source of comfort and hope for those that need it most.

How Can the I THIRST Ministry Help?

I THIRST – Education and Prevention

“Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that prevention is still the best way to fight the epidemic of drug addiction, and the best way to prevent is to educate. Education becomes critical as young people, particularly adolescents, have to negotiate the often tumultuous situations associated with changing schools, challenging new social and academic situations, or parental divorce. The opportunity to abuse drugs and alcohol is especially prevalent during risky times such as these. Also, it is natural that a young person desires to explore and experiment and to test the boundaries of the world. However, experimenting with drugs or alcohol at this age can lead to long-lasting health problems, interaction with the juvenile detention system, and poor family relationships.

Early education is a must!

The education and prevention portion of the I THIRST Initiative provides programs that educate the Catholic community on the nature of substance-use disorders in age-appropriate language and demonstrate how our Catholic faith can be a powerful tool of prevention. These programs are geared toward helping our faith community develop a pastoral approach when treating those afflicted with substance-use disorders and assisting their families.

I THIRST – Support for Treatment Facilities and for the Incarcerated
“Sowers of Seed”: The parable of the sower of seeds is found in each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew 13: 1-23, Mark 4: 1-20, Luke 8: 1-15).

In the story, the seed tossed by the sower falls either on the path, where it is eaten by birds; on rocky soil, where it sprouts only briefly, then dies; among the thorns, where it perishes, or on rich soil, where it bears much fruit.

Jesus explains that the “seed” is the Word, and where it falls represents one’s acceptance or rejection of it.

The I THIRST program for those in treatment and those incarcerated is a program for sowing the seeds of spirituality. The beauty of the parable is that, despite previous failings, the seed eventually succeeds, growing and bearing much fruit. Individuals navigating the ROAD TO HOPE have often experienced many similar phases in their spiritual journeys.

The Support for Treatment Facilities and for the Incarcerated portion of the I THIRST Initiative aims to assist those who are currently in treatment facilities, halfway houses, and correctional institutions develop their own spiritual lives. The program introduces them to the concept of spirituality as a necessary dimension of wellness and offers a roadmap to help them find a Higher Power, even amid their struggles, and allow that Power to change them.

The I THIRST trained representative would speak to folks in detox/treatment facilities (perhaps on a regular basis) and in essence “sow the seeds” of spirituality by addressing spirituality as a “system of beliefs, existing outside of ourselves, from which we draw a moral code.” The representative might share his or her own spiritual journey through the prism of our Catholic faith but would be sensitive to the respective traditions of others as well as to those who do not believe. Here, the representative would bring hope and light to those who have been in darkness.

I THIRST – Aftercare and Community Building
Aftercare and Community-Building are tremendously important to an afflicted individual and are essential if one is to maintain a sustained sobriety, begin the healing process, and find joy. Individuals who have not found aftercare and community resources are often prone to isolate themselves and to relapse. The goal of the Aftercare and Community-Building portion of the I THIRST Initiative is to provide a true koinonia—community in Christ—where individuals share histories, covenants, and traditions, intimacies and interdependencies, and coalescent energies— all in Him, who strengthens us. Community provides spiritual companionship, guidance, and support for all those journeying on the ROAD TO HOPE.

Who is the I THIRST Spiritual Companion?

• Presence: Being present to someone who has felt marginalized because of the effects of addiction is a calling that requires determination, perseverance, compassion, courage, and love. Listening, and being present in a deeper way to someone who may have felt as though he or she had no voice, is a privilege that provides a moment of connection, and realizes a common humanity, a “oneness in us.” - Marcia Wakeland

• Prayer: Throughout Sacred Scripture we have been taught both to pray for our brothers and sisters and to pray with them.

• Relationship: It takes courage to serve those who may have been marginalized and who are clearly vulnerable due to their addictions or those of their loved ones. It requires dedication and clarity of purpose to listen to the same stories over again, knowing that the person may be caught up in a continuing cycle of self-abuse and destruction.

• The Wisdom of the Other: It is humbling to discover the hidden presumptions and prejudices that often arise when one accompanies another on a spiritual journey. The Spiritual Companion might look at the individual suffering from an addiction or a family member and think, “That person is needy. I am not.” This idea may be fueled by a lack of cultural competence, the ability to be respectful and responsive and to work effectively with people of different cultures. Here, culture is defined not only as race and ethnicity, but as age, gender, sexual orientation, income level, and religion. However, despite any cultural differences, it is critical to acknowledge that there are three “pilgrims” on this Spiritual Journey—the Holy Spirit, who is the true guide; the Spiritual Companion, who is the attentive listener and facilitator; and the person seeking consolation. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is always a reciprocity between the other two pilgrims, as they build, together, a framework of trust, compassion, and empathy, and learn from one another.

What is Addiction?

Addiction is any sort of unnatural attachment to a substance, behavior, or object that compromises our freedom and distracts our attention from things in our lives that are truly important. It is a compulsive behavior that becomes a habit that limits the freedoms of human desire.

We all have things in our lives to which we may be “attached” more than we should be. These things are distractions which keep us from giving ourselves to God fully.

How do we determine if these attachments are really addictions? Ask yourself these questions to see if you are powerless over these attachments:

• Do I lie to try to cover up my behavior?

• Do I try to rationalize my behavior?

• Are there effects on my physical health or on my emotional health as a result of this behavior?

• Has my “attachment” ever led me to do things that are dangerous, thoughtless, or insane?

• Am I able to talk about these behaviors with anyone? (Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps for All People in the Process of Recovery, Minneapolis, MN: CompCare Publishers, 1989)

The truth is that we are all prone to unruly desires. The addiction experience is the HUMAN experience and always has been.
Addiction is a spiritual disease with devastating effects on the mind and the body.

The components of addiction are repression and attachment.

Repression represents the feelings and hurtful memories that are tucked deep in our “pile.”

Attachment to a substance, or behavior, or object “nails” us to it and enslaves us, distracting us from our important things—namely, loving God and our neighbors.

Attachments are developed through a three-step process: 1) behavior is learned 2) habits form 3) struggle ensues.

True addiction is characterized by 1) tolerance 2) withdrawal 3) self-deception 4) loss of willpower 5) distortion of attention.

• Addiction is a family disease, affecting everyone who has a relationship with the afflicted individual.

Signs of Addiction:
• Loss of interest in social situations — including school, work, clubs, and activities that the person has previously enjoyed
• Loss of memory—not knowing where he or she had been the day or before, or where an injury might have been incurred
• Change in hygiene habits—including less interest in maintaining personal cleanliness
• Change in sleeping and eating habits—including loss of appetite and inability to sleep
• Change in appearance —including sudden weight loss, gauntness, and a general unhealthy appearance
• Requests for money—even when someone is working, he or she is suddenly requesting financial assistance
• Change of social groups—new “friends” may suddenly appear as the old social group is less involved
• Secretive behavior—the individual seems to be much more secretive about his or her whereabouts, comings and goings, and about the friends with whom he or she is spending time
• New health concerns—including nosebleeds, headaches, weight loss, infections of arms or legs, seizures, tremors
• Changes in personality—including sudden outbursts, increased irritability
• Fluctuation in behavior—including acting completely fatigued and disoriented at one moment, then hyperactive the next
• Onset of paranoia—including a sudden and seemingly irrational distrust of others, and a sense of being “spied upon”
 

iTHIRST
THIRST = The Healing Initiative — Recovery, Spirituality, Twelve Steps

The words “I Thirst” are among the last words of Christ on the Cross.

St. Teresa said these words are a reminder that her Missionaries were there to, “quench the thirst of Jesus for souls, for love, for kindness, for compassion, for delicate love. “

Throughout time it is evident that souls express an undeniable thirst to know God as was recognized in Psalm 42: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” — Psalm 42:1

I THIRST and Addiction
Addiction is a defining problem of society, with physiological, and mental health components which must be addressed. Ultimately, however, the desolation, the abandonment and the guilt which are all ‘hallmarks’ of the addicted life, are in many ways spiritual problems which require a spiritual remedy.

The I THIRST program seeks to provide this spiritual remedy to those suffering from addiction through the development and implementation of programs designed to educate and prevent, provide support to treatment facilities, and those incarcerated, and to develop an aftercare community for the afflicted and their families.