Metro
Emotional Sobriety
Dec. 23 event to discuss finding
peace in your way of life.
I
Ronelle Grier
Special to the Jewish News
f problems with children, parents, health
issues, bosses, co-workers or finances
make it difficult to stay happy and calm,
"emotional sobriety" may be the solution.
Author and Jewish mysticism expert
Tim "111.111
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DETROIT
INSTITUTE
OF ARTS
Rabbi Shais Taub will explain
this innovative concept in a lec-
ture,"Emotional Sobriety: How
to Remain Reasonably Happy
and Calm While People Around
You are Acting Insane."
The event, at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 23, at The Shul
in West Bloomfield, is spon-
sored by Jerry and Gail Beale
of West Bloomfield in honor
of the first yahrtzeit of their
son Steven. Co-sponsors are
Rabbi Taub
the Daniel B. Sobel Friendship
House and The Shul.
According to Taub, who wrote the book
God of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality
and Recovery from Addiction (Ktav
Publishing House), emotional sobriety does
not pertain to problems with alcohol. It is a
way of life based on spirituality that applies
to anyone who wants to face challenges with-
out sacrificing inner peace and happiness.
"When we talk about sobriety and recov-
ery, what we really mean is finding a more
effective way to live by letting go of things we
can't control': said Taub.
Rabbi Yisrael Pinson is director of the
West Bloomfield-based Daniel B. Sobel
Friendship House, which provides Jewish
recovery and support programs for individu-
als and families struggling with addiction or
other isolating conditions. Pinson believes
that Taub's message has relevance for all
members of the community.
"You don't have to be an addict to benefit
from the concepts of recovery and spiritual-
ity": said Pinson."It's about learning how to
live a serene life."
Taub will offer practical advice for achiev-
ing emotional sobriety, including how to
discern which situations require action and
which are beyond one's control.
He will address issues such as know-
ing how to recognize when a situation or
relationship has hit a dead-end, how to let
go and move on, and how to distinguish
manipulation from helpfulness.
"Sanity is 'letting go and letting God:"
said Taub. "Insanity is wasting our energies
on emotional black holes, such as trying to
please a boss who is never satisfied or pursu-
ing a relationship with someone who is just
not interested:'
According to Taub, the relationship one
develops and maintains with God is one of
the keys to achieving emotional sobriety
"How does a regular person develop a
meaningful relationship with God, a rela-
tionship that's real enough to actually grant
emotional relief?" he asked.
Taub's book presents a view of addiction
and recovery that is different from many tra-
ditional works on the subject. He contends
that traditional treatment models focus on
eliminating the chemical dependence or
CODI our
Underkandin8
Jemer, Stantaallty and
Recovery from At:Ithaca,
Rabb •lais Taub
behavior instead of addressing the real prob-
lem — the addiction.
"Using does not;cause addiction," he said.
"Addiction causes using:'
He said a person does not become addict-
ed from using a substance; rather, being
an addict causes someone to use drugs
or engage in compulsive, self-destructive
behaviors such as gambling or overeating.
He described addiction as an "incurable,
progressive and bewildering malady" that is
completely treatable.
Taub, who has worked extensively in the
field of addiction and recovery, said his book
is based on human experience rather than
theory
"I didn't write anything that I haverit seen
work for someone else or that I haven't tested
myself,' said Taub, who moved this year from
Milwaukee to Pittsburgh, where he lives with
his wife, Brocha, and their children.
The drugs are not the addict's problem;
they are his solution. His book addresses
the significant role that a relationship with a
higher power plays in recovery.
"The addict's drug of choice serves a
crucial function," he said. "It allows him to
live, just as food and water do for a normal
person. If you take away the addict's solu-
tion without replacing it, he will go back to
the only solution he knows — his drug of
choice
Taub agrees with Pinson that the basic
tenets of recovery, induding 12 step pro-
grams, can also benefit those within the
general community
"All of us have at least a little bit of dys-
function, chaos and pain in our lives": he
said. "We all try to play God and take too
much responsibility for things that are
beyond our contront's a universal problem.
The same solution that works for addicts
works for everyone'
-
❑
The Shul-Jack & Miriam Shenkman
Building is at 6890 W. Maple Road in
West Bloomfield. The Dec. 23 lecture
is free. For more information, call
Friendship House, (248) 788-8888.
December 16 2010
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