Clinical Cases

A Chronic Case of Substance Addiction and Sex Addiction

Written by Hermeet Suri

Dr. Hermeet Singh Suri presents a case of substance and sex addiction.

On October 27, 2014, a 35-year-old male came to my clinic for help with chronic addictions of meth, weed, crack and cocaine and also sex addiction.  I greeted the patient and directed him to follow me to the assessment room, where we sat across each other. I asked the patient to tell me about his problem.

Case Taking

This 35-year-old man was thin, Irritable, and very talkative during the session.

Practitioner: What is the reason for your visitation?

Patient: I have trouble with substance abuse, like meth, cocaine, and weed and also sex addiction.  What I think started this all is when I was forced between the ages of 5 and 11 years of age to attend an Islamic school. During this time I remember becoming very rebellious, as I hated school. This is rebellious behavior became a habit and I eventually went to jail at the age of 15 years old due to this habit. Even after being jailed, I continued my life with a lack of discipline, feeling different and not good enough.

Practitioner: Tell me more?

Patient: Since my 18 th birthday until my 30th birthday I was heavily binge drinking beer. With this started my sexual addiction and the use of drugs on occasion. Between 30 and 35 years of age I started cutting back on alcohol but increased my drug intake drastically. All these habits cost a lot of disappointment in my life. Like, I was forced to resign a career job due to my habits. I have crashed my car badly on the QEW after falling asleep behind the wheel. My fiancé left me a year ago. My financial position is unstable and this has resulted in me  living with my parents even though I’m 35 years old. All my relationships with women have suffered unnecessarily due to my addictions.

All these addictions have resulted in me thinking and worrying all the time that I will remain single, deprived sexually for the rest of my life, not being successful, living at home forever and thus I distract myself and keep myself busy but always end up using drugs. I feel that what accompanies these habits is emotional and mental stress. This has led to premature ej-aculation and the lack of confidence when I’m off substances. I now wear sunglasses almost all the time due to becoming light sensitive.

Practitioner: What else can you tell me about yourself?

Patient: I sleep with the windows open often as I love the fresh air, whether I am at home or in the car. At a young age I suffered from asthma that was treated homeopathically. When I am in bed my head and back perspire a lot and I always have a strong order to my urine and it’s very yellowish in color. I have been currently diagnosed with herpes. I have flatulence with a strong order mostly after my meals. If I miss a meal I feel irritated.

I work very hard when I’m at work. I like things to be proper. I am very impatient when I have to wait for things. I get very angry with people who are contradictory. I love hot, spicy, fried foods. I use stimulants to keep active, especially to achieve my goals.  I can’tsee my own madness. I use substances and feel shitty about it afterwards. Then I go and do it again like nothing happened. I’m a mess at the moment.

Practitioner: Tell me about your family history with disease?

Patient: my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her early 30s. My brother had heart problems after his 40th birthday. My uncle (mother, brothers) was alcoholic and diabetic. There are no other health conditions that my parents remember with regards to the grandparents.

Objective findings

I performed a physical examination. I visually examine the eyes, nose, throat and tongue to understand the physical conditions of the patient.  No physical damage, lesions, bruising, swellings or rashes were present at the time of examination.

Patient:

Skin  –  Never had any issues that I remember.

Respiratory –  Had asthma in the past, during childhood, and treated it with homeopathic remedies. That I was supposedly caused by allergies.

Gastrointestinal  –  I eat everything. I love spicy, hot, fried foods. I have 2-3 coffees per day and alcohol drinks on the weekends. I don’t have any issues with my bowels, I go daily 1 to 2 times.

Reproductive  – I have been currently diagnosed with herpes. I have a great need for sexual pleasure.

Urinary –  I have no issues with urinary problems.

Sleep/Dreams  – If I am full of thoughts, it affects my sleep. If I’m not sleepy by 3 AM, I cannot sleep until morning. I find that naps help me to revive my energy.

Winter/seasons  –  Not much affects me out of the ordinary. I do feel cold/chilly when I have a fever and have to remove the coverings all the time even if my body is hot.

Practitioner’s notes:

After evaluating the totality of the symptoms and selecting the characteristic symptoms, which reveal the dynamic disturbance of the patient, I decide to do a repertorization of the case to reach homeopathic diagnosis.

Initial Assessment  – The patient has come for help with getting rid of his addictions to drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity and high sexual drive.

He described himself as a competitive, high strong, irritable, easily angered and impatient individual. Craving for spicy, fried, alcohol and coffee. His insomnia was due to thoughts about work and life and he will wake 3- 4 AM and remain awake until morning .

Based on the presented information I feel the best approach for analysis is the totality of symptoms. Due to lack of physical conditions and a strong picture of mentals and keynotes, totality of the case was the best approach.

Repertorization

Mind anger easily

Mind irritable

Mind ambitious, increased, competitive

General food and drinks spicy desire alcohol drinks – Desire

Coffee desire

Sleep – sleeplessness Night midnight after 3 AM after

Mind love perversity sexual

The remedies considered based on the repertorization were Nux Vomica, Lycopodium and Arsenic album.

Nux Vomica  – It was a strongly indicated as it covered all the mental symptoms of the patient like irritability, easily angered, impatient and sensitive to light, order and noise.  The craving for spice, fat and alcohol and coffee is the main keynote in R. Morrison’s Desktop guide to keynotes. Another keynote is the awakening after or around 3 AM. Increased sexual desire is also another keynote. The strong mental’s and keynotes make Nux Vomica the strongest choice.

Lycopodium – Was one of the remedies I considered, at the patient had sexual promiscuity, premature ejaculation, herpes, easily being anger, low confidence and craving for alcohol. Also due to drug use, stimulants and alcohol abuse the liver is affected. However, the theme of Lycopodium, which is the feeling of inferiority in which a patient constantly tries to overcome is absent. The causative effects are not from substance abuse thus making the effective of Lycopodium superficial.

Arsenic Album –  He has a strong characteristic off irritability, desire for alcohol and sleeplessness after 3 AM. Another important behavior was the patients demonstrated a desire to control the interview environment and also mention that the anxiety was due to the concern off the addiction. The causative ill effects of food poisoning, poor diet and eating ice is not present. The lack of the mental picture of an addiction makes it a less of a choice.

The strongest point that supports the choice of Nux Vomica was the causative effects of drugs, stimulant like alcohol, coffee and the work ethics of the individual. I further investigated the keynotes and characteristics of Nux Vomica as stated in Robin Murphy’s M.M. to guide me to Nux Vomica.

I communicated the treatment plan with the patient and provided him with written instructions. I also recorded it in the patient file. Nux Vomica in the 1 LM potency was given because the disease was at a higher level of existence in the patient. The strongest disturbance of the vital force was on the mental level.

Instructions were:  One dose dry orally – allow medicine to dissolve under the tongue, and avoid eating and drinking anything for 30 minutes before and after. Keep the remedy in cool environment away from direct sunlight. Do not touch the granules went taking the dose.

Based on the patient’s susceptibility and vitality and strong mental picture a single dry dose was to be taken daily. The patient was informed that prior to taking the dose, the vile in which the granules were present had to be tapped on a book in increments 2-8 times. The patient was also informed that the higher increments if caused aggravation needed to be reduced to a lower increment. Thus the patient had full control over the dosage. The patient was generally in good health, his symptom picture was clear and he had no limiting conditions that would lead to a lower potency.

The patient was advised to avoid eating onions, garlic, ginger in raw form and drink coffee to prevent a slower progress. He was also told to avoid smoking, as it would resurface the desire for addictive products etc. I instructed the patient to call me if any of the symptoms worsened.

The first dose the patient took was on October 27, 2014.

Follow update December 11, 2014

Patient: After I took the first dose in the clinic the following day I felt better. My mind seems to be more focused and my desire for substances was less. I felt stronger to avoid distractions, urges. Normally, if I got a call from one of my buddies asking me to use I will leave my work, cash out some money and buy the product. However, after my third day one of my friends called me at about four in the afternoon to meet him to smoke some marijuana. To my surprise I told him that I was busy at work and that I would not be able to meet him. This scared the hell out of me. I wasn’t sure as to how I got the strength and was it the remedy that was making me stronger or what. This remedy caused me to be more intuitive. I felt stronger; it gave me a push and also put a fear of using substances, which helped me avoid usage. I remained cocaine free for two weeks. I joined a sponsorship program and started to attend it regularly. Just before my visitation to you I had to visit Florida. During my stay I smoked a few cigarettes and this caused a relapse of my desires and sexual addictions. I remember after, that you had advised me not to have any cigarettes and that possibly it could call a relapse of desires. Even though it was a relapse I feel stronger.

Practitioner: After hearing the patient my assessment of the remedy Nux Vomica was supported and confirmed. My initial assessment of the strong mental picture of the patient and the remedy, plus the ill causative effects of the substances confirmed the choice off Nux Vomica.   It was not surprising to see any physical symptoms improvement, as it was not a requirement of the case. The strengthening of the constitution of the patient was a strong sign of the action of the remedy. The relapse was also explained by the use of the cigarettes. I instructed the patient to continue using the remedy and to avoid cigarettes. As the action of the remedy was positive and the mental symptoms were quite deep I felt the remedy should be left to act by continuing the daily usage.

Follow up December 23, 2014

Patient:  Since the last two weeks I have been taking Nux Vomica with 4 taps and current at 8 taps. When I was tapping the remedy four times I felt a little uncomfortable and some pressure. I would use the tapping to two for a couple of days and then went back to four Taps and now at eight. I feel mentally more in control of myself especially with my urges and addiction’s. My physical symptoms, which I mentioned about the odor of urine is gone. Also my sensitivity to light is less now. I feel happier, more optimistic and in control of my life.

Practitioner’s notes:  Since the patient is indicating continuous improvement in mental symptoms and now with physical symptoms I feel that the remedy should be continued as its action is still in progress. The mental symptoms are improving, with lessening of impatience and irritability. Follow up was scheduled and he was instructed to call if any symptoms relapsed.

Follow up January 10, 2015

Patient:  After 10 days believing your clinic I have to travel for business. I smoked one cigarette to test whether my symptoms would relapse or if I still needed to continue the remedy.  To my surprise the cigarette like previously did not affect me. I did not smoke after that because I was satisfied that I was healing and I want to see you to get your professional opinion about whether I should be still on the remedy. I started to attendee sponsorship program regularly for addiction of substances and rekindle my relationship with my girlfriend. I feel full of energy mind is fully focused at work and I feel happier than ever. Thank you.

Practitioner’s notes:  Based on the patient’s description of events prior to the follow-up I feel that the patient has come to a level where he can manage his life normally without what the remedy. I instructed the patient to keep an eye on his health and to inform me if there’s any slight regression so that I may give him instructions. I also instructed the patient to continue this sponsorship program as long as he can. His healing has just started.

About the author

Hermeet Suri

Dr. Hermeet Suri here is a certified homeopath and acupuncturist. He was inspired by his father, Surindar Singh Suri who was a renowned homeopath. He graduated from University of Toronto (BSc) and subsequently studied homeopathy with the British Institute of Homeopathy. He established his practice, The Homeopathic Plus Centre, in Streetsville, Mississauga in 2005. He expanded his practice to treating Autism and Down Syndrome in children as well as treating Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Depression. Dr. Suri is a supporting member of The Ontario Homeopathic Association (www.ontariohomeopath.com).

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