“What Karina Inzunza did for me or better yet, helped me do for myself.  I am a CEO of a defence manufacturing company in … who developed a severe life-threatening addiction to alcohol that spanned about six years.  I had been in and out of detox centers in the US at least 4 times and had been hospitalized in intensive care with life threatening alcoholic pancreatitis. The consequences were severe.  I am now diabetic from the alcoholic pancreatitis.  I also had life threatening heart arrhythmias because of cold turkey attempts to quit alcohol without medical management.  Alcoholism can be an acute life-threatening disease as well as one that slowly destroys your brain, liver and organs.  It is only 1 of 2 substances that you can die from while detoxing, which is why doing it properly with medical management and observation and therapeutic and mental health support.

I did what they told me joining a 12-step AA program.  I went to Intensive Outpatient therapy for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week.  Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result (insanity).  None of it worked.  I would fall off the wagon after 3-6 months and repeat. 

I was diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which was the cause of my alcoholism, but every Therapist discouraged me from talking about the trauma.  Especially in a group setting, as describing the trauma was very uncomfortable for the Therapist and group members.  The trauma thoughts would not leave me alone.  They replayed in my mind constantly like a video on loop.  All the Therapists said, “You have to stop talking about it and move on with the program”.  

Very young therapists with very little clinical or life experience would simply push photocopied sheets at you and then discuss the content.  After an AA meeting, I always had the urge to stop at the beer store or liquor store whereas I didn’t have that intense urge before the meeting.

I could not listen to another “rock bottom” story, and deal with my own mental issues.  Nothing worked.

There are two types of addiction rehab centers in America.  Those for the extremely wealthy with lobster dinners, and complete relaxing environment and so many activities that when you leave and go back to your real life, you are lost and have difficulty returning to duties, responsibilities, and ultimately…..drinking or other substance abuse.  Many of the wealthy become addicted to going to these centers as it is an escape from reality and a brief relief from the substance. 

The other type is State or Hospital-based Rehab centers or mixed Psychiatry/Rehab units.  Here you are treated like a child and a prisoner.  15 min bed checks around the clock.  You will find most of the people there are Psychiatric patients with severe behavioral problems or are there mandated by the court for substance related charges.  They seem engaged in group therapy, but on meal breaks they are exchanging drug dealers contact information or talking about what they are going to drink when they get out. This only makes the rehab process more difficult.  Even the State facilities are expensive, costing more than the therapy in the Dominican Republic.  

That’s when I started searching the web for something in Canada or the Caribbean.  The Canadian system seemed similar to the institutional system in the US.  I looked at beautiful centers in Mexico, and the Caribbean.  The scary thing about many of those countries is you read about how they use hallucinogens like Ayahuasca or keep you against your will until your bank runs dry.  The scariest of all is you do not have patient rights.

Then I found this program run by Canadian health and mental health professionals, including Karina Inzunza who was ultimately in charge of my case.  The facility is set up based on Canadian health care standards and practices.  It has a beautiful resort like feel, but you are there to do the work of healing yourself so don’t expect to get a deep bronze tan (maybe a sunburn). 

They incorporate various types of therapy.  Medically supported detox, mind and body therapy, and even relaxing trips to the beach.  The therapists eat meals with the clients in a very family-like atmosphere.  When you get there and are in the detox phase, it is your choice to eat alone as most will feel like isolating themselves through this phase.  As for feeling uncomfortable going to a foreign country for this type of therapy, I was nervous right up until the point I was picked up at the Airport by the smiling welcoming face of the center’s facilitator.

I spent many of my daily hours of work, one on one with Karina.  She specializes in Trauma therapy.  It was the first time a therapist in a program focused on the cause of the alcoholism instead of just the alcoholism itself.  I had suggested this over and over again to my therapist in the US.  They just told me to move on from it.  It felt extremely satisfying and anxiety relieving to talk about the trauma, and it was not a one-way street.  

Karina analyzed every piece of my life experience and trauma and gave feedback helping me to understand how the traumatic experiences actually rewired my brain, creating unconscious and conscious loops of thoughts and vivid memories that I couldn’t control from clouding my brain every minute of the day.  She trained me in mindfulness.  She educated me on neurological changes that occur in the brain both related to the trauma and the resulting addiction behavior.  She showed me the research on how the brain can be rewired back to a healthier state through various techniques like mindfulness, and neurofeedback.  

She recognized in me the therapeutic benefit of going to the beach at sunrise.  She would bang on my door if I overslept and the group of volunteers would go to the beach for a long walk in the ocean air.  The entire atmosphere is healing in itself.  Getting out of your atmosphere at home or the cold, rainy weather of the North East US was important in this process, further relieving your anxiety just as a vacation does.

Karina gave me homework exercises be it reading or writing, and techniques to overcome the repetitive thoughts that result in paralyzing anxiety.  She taught me why all this was going on mentally which was half of the battle.  This allowed me to work on myself each day.  

Over the course of time I spent with Karina and the other staff and exercises, my night terrors began to decrease.  I was less tired because I wasn’t waking repeatedly in the night.  I became less isolated and enjoyed my contact with other staff and clients.  I spoke at dinner without feeling social anxiety.  I was sharing thoughts on all manner of things.  Normally I would just want to get a group dinner over with as soon as possible.  Instead I found myself sitting there when the meal was over having enjoyable conversations.   

The involuntary “movies” of the trauma playing on loop started to fade.  By the end of the course of therapy these loops were all but gone.  The depression started to lift when the anxiety subsided.  With this urge to drink subsided, Karina reminded me I was not cured.  I had to continue to seek trauma therapy on discharge and do the work myself as my brain was also wired with an addiction to alcohol.  

It is a lifelong process, but at least years of life aren’t just passing by while you sit in a semi-drunken or drugged comatose state.  You start to feel joy again.  You start to enjoy your job.  You enjoy the company of others.  Your relationship with your family will improve.  

Karina even suggested a family therapy session by Skype after discharge, so my wife and children understood the cause of my drinking.  Karina helped them understand my diagnosis and why I had changed so drastically in the last 6 years.  She made suggestions to them on how they can help me, because as all addicts know, you can’t do it alone.

A friend of mine from the Military has severe PTSD from being shot seven times in the 1990s as a Peacekeeper in the Bosnian war.  His life was destroyed as there was really no recognition of PTSD or therapy for it.  He turned to alcohol, and ultimately his Doctor prescribed him medical marijuana. Maybe this helps with his trauma and he stopped drinking, but what I see is a miserable person who is just stoned every waking hour and is disabled and useless to his wife and kids.

The answer for an addiction is not another substance.  This story is played out the same way for millions of people no matter what has caused the trauma.  Even with therapy, the success rate is poor and the instance of substance abuse whether prescription, street drugs like heroin or alcohol are just a very ineffective and life destroying band-aid that people think is getting them through the day. 

As I discovered, it is very important to find a true specialist in trauma with vast training and experience like Karina whom are very few in number.  She is surrounded by a support team that works with your body and mind to include medical support, yoga, massage, swimming, even Spanish lessons to stimulate your mind and memory. 

Karina and the entire program, facility and frankly the atmosphere of the Caribbean have given me the tools to fight addiction.  I highly recommend this program and Karina.  As I said before, to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is insanity. Karina and center saved my life, and on top of that I have made a lifelong friend.”