An Addiction Recovery Community in the Islamic Republic of Iran: An Interview with Mr. Hossein Dezhakam Founder, Congress60 William L. White Senior Research Consultant Chestnut Health Systems ([email protected]) A vibrant addiction recovery movement is rising within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sixteen years after the first NA meeting was first held in Iran in 1994, 29% of all Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the world now take place in Iran. Also evident is the growth of culturally indigenous recovery movements, one of the most noteworthy of which is Congress60, founded by Mr. Hossein Dezhakam in 1998. I first met Mr. Dezhakam at an addictions conference in London in 2009. Since our initial meeting, we have maintained a lively exchange of ideas and have developed a great mutual respect and a warm friendship. Through these communications, I have become quite enthralled with many aspects of the approach to recovery support pioneered by Mr. Dezhakam within the Congress60 recovery community. There are many aspects of the philosophy and activities of Congress60 that are worthy of worldwide replication, including a truly unique approach to integrating athletic activity, competitive sport, and the arts into the recovery process. (Note: The images of all persons in the photographs accompanying this interview are included with their permission.)   1 In the following interview conducted in the fall of 2010, Mr. Dezhakam shares his personal story of recovery, the story of Congress60, and his thoughts about the processes of long-term addiction recovery. William White: Could you describe for our readers how you first became involved in creating a community of people recovering from addiction in Iran? Hossein Dezhakam: That is an unlikely role given that I’m an electronic engineer by training. I worked in the field of industrial research, design, and repair for 30 years as my addiction to alcohol and then hashish and opium took over my life. I was a hardcore addict for 17 years. I tried many different treatments to cure myself but was repeatedly unsuccessful. In the end, I began playing a game that evolved into the research and trials that I tried on myself. By determining my daily dosage, time of use, and tapering of the drugs, I implemented a plan and to my own disbelief, was successful after an eleven month period to break my physical addiction. It was through this that the DST Method was invented. I described this method in my book, Crossing the Zone 60 Degrees Below Zero, which has been published 11 times in Iran. After publishing this first book, I decided to establish a non- governmental organization (NGO), which I named Congress60 Human Society—the number 60 drawn from my book title. I believed that this new organization would one day cross the borders of my country, so I chose the name “Congress” to convey that people from all nations could participate in it. The DST Method William White: Please explain the DST method in more detail. Hossein Dezhakam: The DST method is a tested formula by which drugs, alcohol, and addictive medicines are tapered and finally relinquished. D stands for Dezhakam coefficient of 0.8.   2 S stands for step, which means maintaining the daily dosage for 21 days. T stands for time; the duration of the treatment is at least 10 months and averages approximately 11 months. Daily drug use, the amount of each dosage, and times of each usage must be clarified in this method and then the tapering can begin. To illustrate the point, here is an example. An individual drinks 1000cc of alcohol 3 times per day; the D coefficient is used for tapering in the following manner: THE FIRST STEP: The amount used currently × 0.8 = the amount used in the new step, e.g., 1000cc × 0.8 = 800cc. Thus, the amount of 1000cc is reduced to 800cc in the first step. The individual should stay in this step for 21 days and then, the next step is calculated in the same manner. THE SECOND STEP: 800cc × 0.8 = 640cc. The amount of 800cc is reduced to 640cc in this step; after staying in this step for 21 days, the individual goes to the next step. THE THIRD STEP: 640cc × 0.8 = 512cc. This operation is performed in every step until the daily drug or alcohol use is reduced to the minimum amount and finally discarded. This program should be planned for approximately 11 months. However, in the case of one or two months longer than usual, it is no problem. William White: Are the decreasing doses of drugs over the 11 months self-administered by each traveler or by someone else? Hossein Dezhakam: It is done through a guide or an assistant guide; the traveler does not have the permission to self-medicate. Each traveler upon entry must choose a guide or an assistant guide and receive his or her tapering program in the legion under strict supervision. This plan is carried out according to the DST formula and is tapered every 21 days. William White: May the process of tapering be sped up at the request of travelers who wish to stop using completely and immediately? Hossein Dezhakam: No, according to the DST protocol, the required time for the treatment process is at least 10 months. Even if a traveler is ready and able to discontinue his drug use, he cannot do so due to the philosophy of the DST method of cure. Here, immediate cessation of drug use is not the main concern; it is the restoration and repair of the Opioid production systems within the body (X system) that we are concerned with. This system requires an average of 11 months to become fully functional, and we have determined the time factor through actual experience. I view this process as similar to the pregnancy period, which averages nine months; speeding up the birth of an infant is an impossible matter even if the mother is ready. Therefore, no traveler is allowed to cut the journey short. This might appear hard to believe, but for those who are interested in understanding the DST method in depth, I recommend reading my two   3 books, Crossing the Zone 60 Degrees Below Zero, which explains the foundation of the DST method, and Love, 14 Valleys for Recovery. I hope that these two books will be published soon in the United States. William White: Does the continued use of drugs, even at reduced levels, impair the traveler's ability to participate in the Congress60 community or disturb other members of the community who are now completely drug-free? Hossein Dezhakam: Some of the achievements and findings of the DST method and Congress60 might seem strange in the beginning. We all assume that a drug addict will be much higher and happier if he or she uses more and more doses of drugs. However, we all know that most drug addicts and alcoholics are in a state of complete satiation as a result of continuous use. We can compare this to a process of adding salt to a container of water; if we continue adding salt to the water in the container, there comes a time where the salt would no longer dissolve in the water, a state of repletion. Similarly, there comes a time in a drug user’s life where, regardless of the amount of drugs used, there is no satisfaction gained; in fact, he is worse than before. In another case, a drug user who uses a stable amount of drugs every day does so in order to become normal, and after a while, there is no special joy from drugs anymore. Under these conditions, we have come across an unbelievable conclusion, which is improvement in the mental and physical conditions of a drug user when tapering drugs according to the DST method. Reduction in the amount of drug use does indeed boost the traveler’s confidence in addition to providing a pleasant feeling derived from a balanced drug habit. With every tapering step, there is a mild shock given to the body, which induces the internal Opioid production systems back to production. In other words, the X system will produce the exact amount of drugs tapered when faced with reductions as long as it is done accordingly. For example, when a person gives 200cc of blood, the body makes up for depletion in a few days. However, 2000cc of blood loss might lead to major shock or even death. Therefore, existence of travelers who are tapering their drugs does not have any negative influence on drug-free individuals. I know believing this phenomenon might be hard. Rehabilitated individuals in Congress60, due to successful restoration and repair of their physiological systems and receiving the proper training, have no cravings for drugs whatsoever. If someone is using drugs in front of them or they see drugs in their proximity, they are not affected because they no longer feel any physical needs for drugs and mentally understand that the temporary high is not comparable to the natural joy they experience constantly. William White: How are new members of Congress60 able to maintain levels of decreased use when such an achievement in the past was not possible for them? Is this related to the social support and guidance they experience within Congress60? Would use of the DST formula not work on one's own without such support and guidance? Hossein Dezhakam: No one is able to do anything without the necessary training. You can’t give a guitar to someone who doesn’t know how to play it. When you see someone who is playing the guitar beautifully and you know that he didn’t know how to play it in the past, a question arises as to how did he get such skill? The obvious answer would be training and lots of practice. Why should we think differently when it comes to drug addiction and using drugs? How could we expect individuals to change without providing them with the necessary training?   4 Everyone says that it is impossible to use drugs in a controlled manner as a step towards recovery; however, I have successfully done this and have been drug-free for 13 years now. I have written books and guidelines on this matter and trained guides to assist others. More than two thousand individuals have been cured in this manner (by using the DST Method). I also agree with those who insist that no one is able to use drugs in a controlled manner unless they are given the necessary training. Once they have the knowledge, awareness, and training, then it is quite different. Of course, implementing the DST method, tapering drugs, and using it in a controlled manner are in direct relationship with the support of a guide and other members of Congress60. In regards to a part of the question that says “Would use of the DST formula not work on one's own without such support and guidance,” I must say it is not impossible. If the individual knows the method perfectly and has studied the guidelines thoroughly, he might be able to achieve the goal. However, by participating in the meetings and being in the legions, it becomes much easier. It is similar to someone who aims to climb Mount Everest alone rather than in a team. Congress60 William White: How would you describe Congress60? Hossein Dezhakam: I established Congress60 Human Society in 1998 for the purpose of assisting individuals who are struggling with drug addiction. Congress60 is a people-supported, non-governmental organization, active in the treatment and recovery of drug addiction. Its foundation is based on the principal of a revived addict helping fellow addicts who are currently still using narcotics. It has been established with the motto “let’s curb this devastating fire.” It has a license from the Ministry of the Interior, and its purpose is to reduce the harmful results of addiction. Congress60’s axis of activities consists of education, prevention, curbing, and guidance in curing addiction. The main objectives of Congress60 are providing scientific research and practical solutions in recognizing the relationship between the human psyche and illicit drug dependence and providing a useful method and guidance to drug addicts and their families. Drug addiction is formed by the interaction of human beings and drugs, therefore both of these elements have to be studied carefully. After 10 years of active participation in this field, Congrss60 is a strong, active NGO that provides its services free of charge to the public. It has 15 branches in Tehran and other cities and organizes more than 800 educational workshops (2000 hours, with an average of 150 participants per workshop) each year. Each workshop consists of three groups: 1) male drug addicts, 2) female drug addicts, and 3) their families. In Congress60, a drug addict is referred to as a traveler (Mosafer) and their companion as Hamsafar. They embark together on a journey of recovery. The achievements of Congress60 have been the redemption of thousands of addicts from their harmful habits with the lowest rate of relapse, and the training of more than 155 expert guides on addiction treatment for men and 10 for ladies; 120 guides for the ladies’ companions and 5 for   5 men’s companions. Congress60 has produced for the first time the protocol for curing this disease, and it has been recognized and accepted by many professionals, scientific research centers, medical personnel, and other prestigious centers in this field. As a scientific research center, Congress60 cooperates with other professionals, universities, academic centers, and non- governmental organizations, and is constantly open to new ideas. William White: What model did you follow in establishing Congress60? Hossein Dezhakam: Let me start from 13 years ago, the time that I had finished my own treatment using the DST method and had finished writing my first book titled Crossing the Zone 60 Degrees Below Zero. Even though seven months had passed since I had become drug-free, I entered an addiction recovery support group, which was well known worldwide and was active in my country as well. I spent seven months there conducting research of my own and discovered several strong, positive points and a few confusing, complicated issues. There were many questions in their approach that were left unanswered. In those days, I knew the solutions to the complex and confusing issues in that group, but due to the rules and restrictions in place, I could not point them out. No one was open to my suggestions, and there was no room for change. I had no choice but to establish my own organization to convey my knowledge and experience to others. William White: Elaborate on the differences of your own conclusions. Hossein Dezhakam: For instance, their view was that drug addiction was a strange and incurable disease, and they saw it as always progressing rather than regressing. They viewed addiction similar to a disease such as cholera, which was thought of as an incurable disease 200 years ago. They similarly viewed addiction as a complex sickness with no cure. At present, many experts in this field hold this opinion, but I strongly disagree. With my 10 years of experience in the field and our successful treatment of over 2,000 hardcore addicts, I have found out that prolonged addiction to drugs causes disruption and disorder in the brain’s neurotransmitters and hormones that are completely curable using the DST method. This internal system, which I have named the X system, can be restored and repaired to its natural state, perhaps even better than its original form, meaning before drug addiction. I believe that just as drug addiction could be a progressing phenomenon for the addict; it could be transformed into a regressing process that results in complete cessation. In fact, the DST method is a kind of regressing trend in using drugs, alcohol, or substitute medicine. William White: How do you define the X system? Hossein Dezhakam: The X system is an entity that contains all the neurotransmitters and hormones in the human’s body. All our spiritual, psychological, emotional, sexual, and physical activities are influenced by this system. To clarify, I should provide a definition for drug addiction in terms of its human physiology. Drug addiction involves a chronic substitution of narcotics, alcohol, and prescription medicine instead of opioid-like natural substances inside our body—substances like Dopamine, Endorphins, and Serotonin. Having the above definition in mind, we can see that when external substances like drugs and alcohol are imported into the body for a prolonged period of time, the X system is damaged extensively and this in turn causes   6 an imbalance, dysfunction, and disruption within the physical system. Thus, we can name the above-mentioned drugs and alcohol as anti-X, as they cause extensive damage to this vital organization. In fact, understanding the X system and anti-X factors are the important parts of a definitive cure of addiction. William White: What was the group you previously attended? Hossein Dezhakam: I previously attended Narcotics Anonymous, and I continue to have a lot of respect for them. I have learned immensely from their teachings and organization. In my view, Congress60 is a complementing branch of NA, and I’ve always been interested in their progress. William White: So in contrast to NA, you believe that the addict can benefit from stabilizing doses of medication to support the early stages of recovery? Hossein Dezhakam: Yes, but of course, not every type of drug addiction is suitable for this method. It must be an appropriate substitute so that it can repair and restore the X system. Implementing such a process also needs its own specific conditions and without a guide and the required training, one can never accomplish the intended result. For instance, we all know that weapons and explosives at the workplace or home could be very dangerous and even fatal, with the risk of disaster at any time. Then how is it that storage of such dangerous material in military bases and garrisons does not lead to daily disasters? I think the main reasons are proper training, awareness, and expert instructors. When we trained addicts and gave them the necessary knowledge and support, successful implementation of the DST method proved to be quite smooth. They might make some mistakes initially, but as time goes by, they will learn to treat their drugs as medicine and control their usage until full cessation occurs. In this method, one does not need to become distant from friends, social gatherings, or certain places. William White: What is the substitute medicine in Congress60? You also said that not all drugs could be controlled. Which drugs are you actually referring to? Hossein Dezhakam: In Congress60, we use opium or opium tincture as the substitute medicine, and we have reached an important conclusion that opium tincture is much better when it is made of opium, water, and a small amount of alcohol as a solvent. Through experience, we have come to understand that drugs such as LSD, crystal meth, cocaine, and heroin are very hard to control. Even if they are kept under control, no physical or mental balance can be maintained. Since our focus is on restoration and repair of the X system, I believe there is no drug like opium containing vital compounds and alkaloids that is more appropriate for the treatment of drug addiction. Guides and Companions William White: You have referenced guides and companions. Could you describe these roles in Congress60? Hossein Dezhakam: Let’s start with companions. A companion is someone who has no prior history in drug addiction and is either a family member or a friend of the addict and has a close   7 relationship with the addict. As you know very well, addiction is very powerful and destructive and in order to win the battle, there needs to be proper education and training along with the support of the family, guide, and counselor. Therefore, to unite the addict and his family for the common purpose of overcoming addiction, the companion group was established in the early days of Congress60. In fact, to fly towards a perfect recovery, one needs two wings: the traveler together with the companion. In Congress60, the companions are an inseparable unit that forms a solid foundation in the treatment process. They receive the exact same training as the addicts do, participate in the examination to become a guide, and they are given crucial responsibilities in the management of our NGO. They take part in our sports competitions, conduct and manage their own educational workshops, and ultimately, they bring a delicate joy to the atmosphere of Congress60. The presence of children and youth and the sound of their laughter and joy in the corridors create a calm and blissful atmosphere where promise for a brighter tomorrow is constantly felt. In this manner, the breakdown of families is prevented and the meaning of unconditional love is practiced. We have two groups of companions in Congress60: a) the ladies who are the wives, sisters, mothers, and friends of the addicts, and b) the men who are the fathers, brothers, spouses, and friends of the addicts. Now, for the role of guides. Congress60 is based on the principal of a rehabilitated addict helping other addicts who are still using drugs in addition to families supporting one another. A question might arise here: is anyone who has been rehabilitated a suitable candidate to help other addicts? We believe that an individual who has quit drugs instantaneously or as we say “free fall” can share his experiences with others. However, when a specific method of treatment is involved, one cannot help other addicts without the proper training. We think of addiction as a science, especially where discussions of maintenance, treatment, recovery, and prevention are concerned. Thus, only a guide with proper training, knowledge, and experience together with a balanced mental and spiritual state can lend a helping hand to other addicts. Therefore, to determine the above-mentioned qualifications, we   8 conduct oral and written examinations and look for a suitable moral attitude. If a guide gives the wrong instruction, it could have drastic consequences. We must be very cautious in regards to the process. William White: What subjects are tested? Hossein Dezhakam: We focus on three primary areas: 1) technical knowledge of drugs and their effects on humans and methods of effective treatment, 2) worldview or spiritual aspects of the recovery process, and 3) moral aptitude of the applicant, which is judged by the management team. William White: What are the sources for the exams? Hossein Dezhakam: The exams are based on knowledge drawn from a collection of my writings, including 1) Crossing the Zone 60 Degrees Below Zero, 2) Love, 14 Valleys for Recovery (similar to the 12 Steps of NA), 3) the manifest and principals of Congress60, 4) guide and guidance in Congress60 course, 5) worldview discourse 1& 2, and 6) numerous articles and educational CDs. William White: What are the requirements that someone must have to become a guide? Hossein Dezhakam: There are three different levels of guide in Congress60: 1) assistant guide, 2) guide, and 3) master guide. When an addict completes the entire treatment process successfully and achieves one full year of recovery, he is permitted to participate in the examinations for the role of assistant guide. The same applies to companions. Their addict must have achieved one full year of recovery. Upon attaining a good grade, they receive an orange scarf in a special ceremony, and they are allowed to form legions.   9 William White: What is the purpose of the orange scarf? Hossein Dezhakam: It is a sign that distinguishes the guide in the educational workshops and makes it easier for the newcomers to find and choose the guide of their liking. William White: What do you mean by legion? Hossein Dezhakam: Each guide has several students, and we call this group a legion; it is similar to the family unit in a city and legions are like branches of a society. No one is permitted to be on his own in Congress60, and everyone must become part of a family or legion. Once the general workshop is over, every legion gathers around their respective guide and forms a smaller session. Thereafter, the guide assigns a topic for discussion and every member is expected to participate; every week, the guide is given permission to take his legion to a place in nature (not homes). William White: Describe this guide role in more detail. Hossein Dezhakam: In order to keep the cycles of training moving in Congress60, every assistant guide is allowed to volunteer his or her services for four years; after this period, he or she must either become a guide or stop accepting new students. The requirements for becoming a guide are: 1) at least three of his or her students must have reached the assistant guide status, 2) five other guides endorse his or her ability for the new position, and 3) he or she must submit a thesis concerning his or her experiences and findings in the field of addiction. After successfully completing these requirements, he or she becomes a guide and receives the blue scarf.   10