Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. is a best-selling author and world-renowned expert on mental health, addiction, relationships and shame. He was a UCLA lecturer in the Psychology department at UCLA for the better part of a decade and was the Executive-Director and Co-Founder of one of the most progressive addiction treatment facilities in the country – until he started IGNTD, a Smart Personalized Adaptive Recovery System. Dr. Jaffe’s work and research focus on changing the way people think about, and deal with mental health issues. He is passionate about the role of shame in destroying lives and aims to greatly reduce the stigma of mental health in this country. In this context, Dr. Jaffe has used his personal experience as an incredibly effective inspirational and motivational tool. Dr. Jaffe tell us about his book, “The Abstinence Myth.”
FMM: Have you seen a surge in addiction as a result of the pandemic?
I have personally seen a surge both in individual drinking levels AND in people’s acceptance of and reliance on drinking to relieve stress. During COVID, many people found themselves isolated, anxious, stressed out and without tools they usually would rely on – alcohol and drugs often filled that gap, especially because there was no one to watch. I think that we’ve only started to see the impact because, while isolated, people could hide their reliance on alcohol and drugs much more easily. I am now hearing from more and more people who are worried about how to reverse those patterns with life slowly going back to normal.
FMM: Tell us about IGNTD.
IGNTD was created after I left the traditional rehab world behind and became committed to finding a way to help millions of people who struggle with addiction instead of the hundreds we were helping in the treatment center I had founded. I knew that this meant using technology to fix all of the problems that currently exist in the field – high cost, incredible shame, the logistical nightmare (weeks or months away from family and work), and the incredibly difficult task of quitting something that’s helped someone get through tough times.
And that led to me creating IGNTD – an online program that doesn’t require any of that. It’s affordable, easy to access from phones, laptops or tablet doesn’t require that anyone quit to participate (and doesn’t measure progress only by amount of drinking and drug use) and empowers people instead of making them feel powerless and sick.
Since we started, IGNTD has helped over 1,500 people and has changed lives, saved marriages and families and helped ignite (hence the name) people’s passion and excitement for their own lives. It’s a mission we’ve VERY committed to and are continuing to improve on.
FMM: “People need guidance and understanding, not judgement and stigma.” Explain
The current addiction treatment system aimed for nearly unattainable perfection (only single digit people reach lifetime abstinence, though it’s the only goal allowed) and makes people continuously own their mistakes and slip ups at being imperfect. That judgement (“you did less than perfect job! get a newcomer chip) created stigma, which results in shame for those who struggle. That shame results in more using and the terrible cycle continues. I believe in showing people that you care and understand their struggles, guiding them towards better (not necessarily perfect) outcomes and helping to continue support them as they make changes in that direction. SOMETIMES they do land on abstinence (about 40% of our committed users do) but oftentimes they get great improvement without perfection (like our clients who reduce 95% of their drinking) and that’s to be celebrated too.
FMM: How is IGNTD changing the addiction world?
We are changing the world by making a new way of thinking about addiction commonplace – ALL PROGRESS IS TO BE CELEBRATED! We reward people for positive change and are there for them when they slip back (without judgement). We recognize that the emphasis on perfectionism is destructive and are not allowing those who want to become Heroes in their own lives to be shamed into choosing paths that are not a good fit for them. When we’re one, it will be completely normal for a person to say – I want to cut back on my drinking – without someone saying to them they need to go to AA meetings or rehab.
FMM: What have you learned from clients?
The main thing I learned is JUST how many amazing people who have been through a lot have been left out in the cold searching for help without strings. My clients show me, on a regular basis, how to be a better caregiver and helper. If I stay curious, they show me the answers I need to learn and they’re just so glad to be taken as equals. They’ve proven to me that we all just want to feel understood and part of the group.
FMM: Tell us about your book, “The Abstinence Myth.”
The book was written out of my frustration at everyone looking for “quitting” as the starting points AND sign that someone who struggled with addiction is doing well. It was so obvious to me that this wasn’t true that I had to create something easy to read (123 pages), provocative enough for people to pick up, and helpful enough to be effective for those who’ve felt like no one was talking to them. The concepts are similar to those I’ve already outlined here, but it uses thought exercises and prompting questions to get people a deeper understanding of their struggles and give them hope that they can indeed find their way out. I’m awed by the impact its had (10,000’s sold) and the emails and messages I get about it constantly.
FMM: One of your reviewers said, “Dr. Jaffe is flipping the script on addiction.” How is your approach different?
Our F-Shame approach is just that – it let’s you come as you are, get what you need and find a completely different way of living. We’re called IGNTD (Ignited) because we help people ignite the fire that the drives them towards a wonderful life. We don’t focus on the labels and stigma, we focus on the power and hope and goals!
FMM: What are your goals for IGNTD?
I want IGNTD to become THE central hub for addiction help regardless of method, helping millions of people a year get their life back.
FMM: Do you have any additional thoughts?
I’m so glad to be able to have these conversations and give new hope and help to the people who have been left struggling out there for years and even decades. It’s time we stop using judgement and start using actionable tools and hope to save lives and make the world better, instead of harsher.
FMM: Please provide your social media handles/video
@dradijaffe on nearly every platform
