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My clients and I regularly speak of the “force” in their heads that causes them to drink or use drugs. We needed a name for this powerful driver and finally settled on the “Gremlin”, for reasons that will become obvious. By my definition, a Gremlin is an imaginary creature responsible for causing mischief and pranks in the heads of those attempting recovery. Gremlins are fond of distorting thinking, distracting the addict from his or her purpose, interfering with the addict’s communication efforts, and even causing the pattern of recovery efforts to distort, thereby causing progress to be illogical, and often nearly impossible.

The ever present question I pose to my clients is: “where is your Gremlin today?” They know exactly what I mean. Why ask where the Gremlin is? It is essential for the addict to always know the location of their Gremlin. Gremlins are very mobile, constantly changing their location in the addicts head. No self respecting Gremlin wants to be caught napping or with down time, especially in the brain of someone in the early stages of recovery from addiction. Recall, their avowed purpose is havoc.

In my work with clients, I have them view their heads as a plot of land and the brain as a house on it. It’s a typical house with a back porch and steps, a kitchen, and a living room. In the living room is a couch and TV. The Gremlin is supposed to live in the far corner of the backyard in the Gremlodge. So, that’s the picture. The Gremlin should be easily observed by the addict in recovery from the back porch and should be under constant surveillance.

Life events for the recovering addict will determine how the Gremlin behaves on a daily basis. A variety of things such as stress and frustration, among many, will allow the Gremlin the opportunity to move around the yard or toward the house, a.k.a., the addict’s head. If the Gremlin gets to the back porch steps, it’s not too serious, but it’s an indication that the Gremlin is too active that day. The recovering addict’s thoughts may get distorted.

Should life events cause further distorted thinking and less communication by the addict, the Gremlin will slip onto the back porch and eventually get into the addict’s kitchen. This is serious because the Gremlin is in a position to cause damage to the recovery process for the addict. Unless the advance into the house is stemmed, the Gremlin will move into the living room, the ultimate goal. Then it is merely a matter of time before the Gremlin has settled onto the addict’s couch, is watching the addict’s TV, and is eating the addict’s popcorn. At this stage, recovery is seriously jeopardized. If the Gremlin is not stopped, the downward spiral of addictive behavior will start. This addictive process will gain momentum that accelerates the speed of the downward plunge and become irreversible over time.

This scenario represents a recovery failure, or what we call in the field of addiction treatment, “a relapse.” This is a serious event. The addict’s thinking is distorted; the addict is distracted and not communicating. The Gremlin has accomplished its major goal in life, recovery failure.

Sober Talk is a monthly column by the Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County, Inc. and runs in the Ithaca Journal the first Thursday of each month. Tom Lipa, M.Ed, CASAC is a clinician at the Alcohol & Drug Council.