Addiction therapy by mail?

I’ve just returned from a few days holiday and this news item caught my attention:

In a world first, the Australian Centre for Addiction Research (ACAR) at the University of Sydney is developing an innovative approach to effectively assist people to manage their depression, anxiety and alcohol consumption by correspondence.

To summarise, participants fill out a questionnaire to assess their symptoms, concerns and level of addiction. They then receive personalised feedback based on their responses, and fortnightly mailings containing advice and tips to help them manage their moods and reduce alcohol consumption. It is generally accepted is that these people are often highly reluctant to seek help for their problems; a major reason for this is because of the stigma attached to the illness.
Professor Sitharthan Thiagarajan, director of the programme, explains:

“The advantage of delivering the treatment by correspondence is that people can be treated in the comfort of their own homes and with relative anonymity.”

Although this treatment programme is targeting alcohol addiction, I’m really looking forward to reading the results. The nature of porn addiction is quite distinct from alcoholism, but the issues of stigma and denial are just as applicable. The link between porn addiction and depression raises similar questions too: whether a compulsive porn habit causes depression and anxiety, or whether it is a soothing mechanism for an already depressed state.

As part of a porn addiction recovery plan, I have no doubts about the benefits of seeking personal treatment from a counsellor or therapist, or engaging in a face-to-face support group. However, I’m acutely aware that because of stigma and embarrassment, many people feel unable to take this step and their long-term recovery is less likely to succeed. This correspondence approach offers both anonymity and personally tailored advice, which could prove to be a highly effective combination.

Right now, I’m in the process of developing some online support programmes for porn addiction recovery. They will eventually be offered on this site, but I have to get the balance right to ensure that they are as beneficial as possible to a wide audience. I’ll certainly be taking the results of this Australian trial into account.

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