Little Book

of Addiction Recovery

Reflections of Hossein
Dezhakam, Founder, Congress
60 Recovery Community

Edited by William L. White

Translation by Ehsan Ranjbar
 Little Book
of Addiction Recovery
Reflections of Hossein Dezhakam,
Founder, Congress 60 Recovery
Community

© Hossein Dezhakam, 2023

 Preface

The history of addiction

treatment and recovery is filled with
debates and divisions between
those advocating medication sup-
port within the recovery process
and those advocating psychosocial
and spiritual approaches to addic-
tion recovery. Such schisms create
confusion among those seeking
help and reflect a field that has yet
to reach consensus on the essen-
tial source or solution to the prob-
lem of addiction.
Imagine amidst such division
an addiction treatment/recovery
community that integrates time-lim-
ited reparative medication support,
sustained psychological and peer-
based personal and family support,
athletic competition, involvement in
the arts, and community service ac-
tivities. Imagine a community of
i
recovering people of more than
140,000 members whose collective
goal is nothing short of the funda-
mental reconstruction of one's body
(neurological repair), psyche (mind
and character), spirit (worldview),
and interpersonal relationships. For
years, I have been involved with
such a setting: Congress 60, a re-
covery community with 100
branches in the Islamic Republic of
Iran.
In 1998, Mr. Hossein
Dezhakam, inspired by his own re-
covery from addiction, founded the
Congress 60 recovery community.
The pillars of that community in-
clude Mr. Dezhakam’s X Theory of
addiction (addiction as neurobiolog-
ical imbalance) and a unique and
sophisticated approach to neurobi-
ological reset (the DST Method)—
all embraced within a vibrant peer-
supported (Guides and Co-Guides)
ii
recovery community. I have ex-
tolled their efforts internationally as
one of the premier examples of in-
tegrated addiction treatment and
stage-specific recovery support. My
knowledge of Congress 60 is based
on years of weekly communications
with Mr. Hossein Dezhakam and
our collaborations on books, blogs,
interviews, and recovery-focused
scientific studies.
This “Little Book on Addic-
tion Recovery” includes excerpts
from Mr. Dezhakam’s numerous
written works and from our personal
communications between 2009 and
2023. These excerpts were se-
lected to offer information, guid-
ance, and inspiration to individuals
and families seeking escape from
addiction as well as for people
working daily in addiction treatment
and recovery support roles.

iii
 Some of the quotations have
been edited for brevity and clarity;
the full texts can be found in the
cited sources. Those excerpts not
containing citations were written
specifically for this volume. Mr.
Dezhakam’s scientific and technical
papers on the X Theory, the DST
Method of addiction treatment, and
his writings on the broader philoso-
phy and recovery support activities
of Congress 60 can be found at the
website of Congress 60 and at wil-
liamwhitepapers.com.
What readers will encounter
in these pages is an unrelenting
message of hope and help on the
prospects of long-term personal
and family recovery from addiction.
Tens of thousands of Congress 60
members living drug-free, fulfilled
lives offer living proof of that mes-
sage. This book offers insights and

iv
guidance on how such transfor-
mations were made possible.

William L. White
Emeritus Sr. Research Consultant
Chestnut Health Systems
Bloomington, Illinois, United States

v
 Introduction
Mankind is not suffering from
ignorance; we suffer from undiscov-
ered knowledge!
We all have witnessed pain
and suffering in the addiction field.
We have seen families torn apart,
and we have witnessed far too
many addiction-related deaths. If
we truly knew addiction and its
treatment and were familiar with the
effects of narcotics and alcohol on
body and mind, we could prevent
many such deaths.
Alas! As a field, we have de-
clared addiction as an incurable
and mysterious disease. We never
doubted ourselves! We did not
have the courage to say addiction
must have a cure. However, we
have not found it yet! Science or
knowledge must be practical, right?
Have we ever treated an addict to a
vi
point there is no craving to use? Do
we know how long addiction treat-
ment takes? Too often, our goal is
to cease drug use at any cost! The
field’s clinicians present different
methods to achieve that, and I posit
that none of the prevailing methods
work!
Let us curb this devastating
fire! Let us put away prejudice and
invent the wheel again! Let’s once
more study the effects of narcotics
on physique, psych, and soul. Let’s
split the unsplittable and make what
seems impossible possible. Let’s
build up the cities and water the
fields!
In 2009, at an international
conference in London something
miraculous happened. A man was
giving a speech and I could not un-
derstand his words since I don’t un-
derstand English well, but a strong
feeling moved me toward him. Our
vii
meeting took 20 seconds! After
that, we were in communication
once a week with the aid of a trans-
lator. In those days, there were not
many who understood me, but he
was interested. It was like he knew
what I was saying! He pushed me
to write more and to have my writ-
ings translated into English. He is
the reason behind this “little book”.
He is Mr. William L. White and he is
my friend and brother. I appreciate
all he has done.
Everything I have said is
based on knowledge and experi-
ence. During the past 20 years, I
have trained more than 2,000
guides to serve Congress 60 mem-
bers and their families, and the re-
sult has been the curing of tens of
thousands of individuals! You can
access my articles and books on
Mr. White’s website and on the in-
ternet.
viii
 I want to acknowledge and
deeply appreciate dear Ehsan
Ranjbar who has translated all my
communications with Bill and con-
tributed to this book as well.

Hossein Dezhakam

February, 2023

ix
 Table of Contents

Addiction (as Substitution), 1

Addiction (Corrupting Influence), 2
Addiction (Hossein’s Journey), 3
Addiction (Loss of Control), 5
Addiction Medicine (Limitations), 6
Addiction (Spirituality), 7
Addiction (Stages), 8
Addiction (Biological Roots), 9
Addiction (Medical Treatment), 12
Amends in Recovery, 14
Anger, 16
Anonymity & Disclosure, 18
Art & Music in Recovery, 19
Awe and Wonder, 21
Balance/Moderation/Harmony, 22
Character Defects in Recovery, 24
Citizenship in Recovery, 25
Co-Addiction Risks, 26
Congress 60, 27
Congress 60 (Duration of Partici-
pation), 29
Congress 60 (Early Criticisms), 30
x
Congress 60 (Financial Self-suffi-
ciency), 33
Contemplation in Recovery, 34
Contentment, 34
Courage in Recovery, 35
Craving/Compulsion, 37
Cure of Addiction, 38
Death and Dying, 41
Depression, 43
Diet/Nutrition in Recovery, 44
DST Method of Treatment, 44
Education, 51
Experiential Knowledge, 53
Exploitation of Addicts, 53
False Addiction Cures, 54
False Experts, 54
Family, 55
Family Recovery, 56
Family / Family Relationships, 57
Fear in Recovery, 59
Financial Problems, 60
Financial Recovery, 61
Financial Sustainability, 61
Flourishing in Recovery, 63
xi
Forgiveness, 64
Fourteen Valleys, 64
Freedom and Responsibility, 68
Friendship, 69
Gratitude, 70
Grief, 71
Guide / Recovery Coach, 72
Guilt / Remorse, 73
Happiness, 74
Hitting Bottom (Necessity of?), 75
Honesty in Recovery, 76
Hope, 77
Hopelessness, 79
Humility, 80
Intellect and Faith, 81
Knowledge, 82
Language/Words, 83
Love, 85
Medications (Limitations), 86
Mentors / Guides / Co-Guides, 87
Motivation for Drug Use, 88
Need for Holistic Addiction Treat-
ment, 88
Opium Tincture (as Treatment), 92
xii
Pain (As Teacher), 94
Parenting, 95
Patience, 96
Peer Recovery Support, 98
Personal Recovery, 99
Positive Thoughts, 101
Psyche, 102
Purification, 103
Racism, 103
Recovery, 104
Recovery and Aging, 105
Recovery Definition, 106
Recovery (Three Stages), 107
Recovery Celebrations, 108
Recovery (Challenges within), 111
Recovery (Financial), 112
Recovery Journalism, 112
Recovery (Karma within), 112
Recovery Leadership, 113
Recovery Leadership Succession,
117
Recovery Movement, 118
Recovery Pessimism, 119
Recovery Research, 119
xiii
Recovery (Second Chances), 120
Recovery (Self-disclosure in), 120
Recovery Space, 121
Recovery (Stages/Spheres), 122
Recovery Turbulence, 124
Recovery University, 124
Relapse, 125
Relationships in Recovery, 127
Religion and Spirituality, 128
Resisting Destruction, 134
Responsibility in Recovery, 135
Romantic/Sexual Relations, 139
Rules of Life/Recovery, 142
Self-knowledge in Recovery, 142
Serenity, 143
Service / Volunteerism, 143
Smoking Cessation, 147
Social Relations in Recovery, 151
Sports (in Recovery), 152
Stigma, 156
Suffering, 161
Supreme Force, 161
Thinking/Thoughts, 162
Time Required for Recovery, 163
xiv
Tolerance, 166
Tree Planting Ritual within Con-
gress 60, 168
Trust (Rebuilding), 169
Unity, 170
Values in Recovery, 170
Volunteerism, 171
Willpower, 172
Worldview (in Recovery), 173
Work, 181
References, 183

xv
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Addiction (as Substitution)

Addiction is substitution: substitu-
tion of outer materials for the natu-
ral opioids of the body, substitution
of destructive thoughts for healthy
way of thinking, and, in the end,
substitution of unbalanced psyche
instead of a healthy psyche—or
one might say substitution of Mr.
Hyde for Dr. Jekyll. (Dezhakam,
Email January 20, 2020)
If we are to successfully curb addic-
tion, we must present a practical
and proper replacement for it. Oth-
erwise, we will fail. Imagine an indi-
vidual who has problems in sexual
relationships that medical systems
are unable to cure. His friends sug-
gest that if you take this (narcotics),
your problem will be solved

1
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

instantly. He uses this substance

and his problems are gone. Now
how are we going to take that from
him when we are incapable of
providing a proper substitution?
(Dezhakam, Email April 16, 2016)
Addiction (Corrupting Influence
of)
Unfortunately, and sadly, the attrib-
utes of some of us have changed
tremendously and our negative and
destructive sense has become very
powerful. We are drowning in our
own pool of ignorance and stupid-
ity. We have compromised our
honor and dignity. We cannot rec-
ognize all the beauty and greatness
that surrounds us. Instead, we are
preoccupied with hatred, venge-
ance, jealousy, hypocrisy, and

2
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

selfishness. We have transformed

our world into a living hell.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
People are suffering from addiction
across the world. They are like blos-
soms who turn into ashes before
they become fruit! Or like eagles
who turn into vultures! (Dezhakam,
Email September 4, 2022)
Addiction (Hossein’s Personal
Journey)
As a result of addiction and mental
and physical imbalance, I lost eve-
rything that I had worked for all my
life--including my business, factory
and a few cars that I had owned. I
was even arrested a few times and
detained. For 17 years I was a pro-
fessional addict. For the first five
years I didn’t believe that I had any
3
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

problem, but when I tried to stop us-

ing and experienced difficulties, I
realized how dependent I had be-
come on drugs. (Dezhakam, 2011)
I can say from personal experience
that an addict’s world is like a dark
prison; one feels trapped inside and
experiences fear, anxiety, rage, hu-
miliation, and lack of identity. In or-
der to march towards light, health
and freedom, the individual must
make a move. In Congress 60, we
call it a journey--a journey from fear
to courage, from anxiety to bliss,
from rage to compassion, from hu-
miliation to honor, from sickness to
health. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)

4
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Addiction (Immobility Within /

Loss of Control)
I know the damage that I bring upon
myself mentally and physically; un-
fortunately, I cannot act upon my
knowledge. (Dezhakam, White Ea-
gle)
My mind and body had been in-
vaded by opium during the days
and by demons at nights. No matter
how hard I tried to find a way out by
research, study, visiting experts
and many other things; there was
no way out. It was like somebody
being stuck in a swamp; the more I
struggled, the deeper I sank in the
mud. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
After solving this puzzle [relation-
ship between body, psyche and
worldview], we may find out how the
5
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

“hijacked brain” is happening. Or

who or what is hijacking brains. Or
how this evil force or the dragon or
the monster is taking control of
one’s life. Or according to you, how
we going to slay this dragon.
(Dezhakam, Email November 24,
2019)
Addiction Medicine (Current Lim-
itations of)
Everything is unknown here [pre-
vailing understanding of the neuro-
biology of addiction]. Most physi-
cians and psychiatrists have no
idea what parts of the body are
damaged by addiction. Even if they
know, they still do not have the
slightest idea how to fix those parts.
How long it takes for the body to re-
gain balance is unknown to them as

6
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

well. All they know is to control the

withdrawal symptoms with medi-
cine. They don’t believe in a certain
cure. (Dezhakam, Email March 19,
2016)
Addiction (Search for Spirituality
Within)
Some say that to realize the uni-
verse, creation, and God one must
leave the normal state of con-
sciousness. The easiest way to al-
ter our consciousness is to use al-
cohol or other drugs. That’s the
dangerous path that many have
taken and from which some never
returning. Drugs can never lead a
person to other planes or universes
and provide spiritual powers. In
fact, it brings them down to the

7
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

lowest conditions of living and be-

having. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Addiction (Stages of)
The first time that you used a drug
the first seed was planted. The sec-
ond, third and fourth times were the
irrigations of the seed. After six
months or a year or more, the tree
of addiction is a strong, tall tree and
you are then a hardcore addict.
(Dezhakam, The Blissful State)
Out of a marriage between drugs
and human beings, addiction is
born. I started using drugs as a rec-
reation and thought I could stop at
any time. Gradually, I became ad-
dicted and turned pro. In other
words, the individual becomes en-
gaged to drugs initially and then re-
alizes that a marriage has taken
8
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

place and an unwanted child

named drug addiction has been
born. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Addiction (Neurobiological
Roots of)
In all the 20 years of my experience
in this field I am trying to say that
the problems of a drug user are re-
lated to the debilitated natural opi-
oids or neurobiology. Unless we re-
store this balance, never, never,
and never certain cure of addiction
is achieved. (Dezhakam, Email,
February 18, 2020)
Drug addiction involves a chronic
substitution of narcotics, alcohol,
and prescription medicine instead
of natural opioid substances inside
our body—substances like dopa-
mine, endorphins, and serotonin.
9
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

When external substances are im-

ported into the body for a prolonged
period of time, the X system is se-
verely damaged. This damage to
the X system is a disease process.
Gradually, these natural opioids are
no longer produced in the body and
this leads to complete dependency
on external drugs and the great dif-
ficulties experienced following any
effort at cessation of drug use. The
imbalance of the X system is the
basis and foundation of the nega-
tive impact of drug addiction and
the root cause of all the physical,
mental, and emotional complica-
tions linked to addiction. Any cure of
addiction thus hinges on regaining
the balance of an otherwise imbal-
anced or damaged X system.
(Dezhakam, 2018 Blog)

10
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

The main problem of the patients of

drug addiction is the physical body;
when it is balanced the psyche of
the individual will also be balanced.
(Dezhakam, Crossing the Zone)
It is the triangle of addiction treat-
ment which I believe: in order to
recreate psyche we must heal body
and worldview simultaneously. I
posit we cannot heal psyche with-
out healing the body. I posit we can-
not heal psyche without also heal-
ing worldview. (Dezhakam, Email
December 18, 2019)
In most addiction [treatment], more
attention is paid to the issue of psy-
che and spirit than the physical
body. When the body is balanced
then we can pay attention to the

11
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

mind. (Dezhakam, Crossing the

Zone)
We will have a great change for-
ward in the addiction treatment field
after we prove and demonstrate via
gene expression that we can solve
the physiological issues of addic-
tion. (Dezhakam, Email June 21,
2022)
Addiction (Medical Treatment of)
There is a huge difference between
addiction withdrawal and addiction
treatment. Three stages can be
considered. First is withdrawal, sec-
ond is treatment which involves
more prolonged support, and finally
is the achievement of balance.
Without reaching this balance
stage, addiction relapse is unavoid-
able. Treatment takes about one
12
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

year and it ends with reaching this

balance stage. (Dezhakam &
White, 2022)
To repair this damaged X system,
Congress 60 utilizes opium tincture
(It is called OT within Congress 60)
tapered over a period of 11 months.
At that point, people are then able
to live free of all opioids and other
intoxicants. The specific protocol
for use of minimum opium in stage
one recovery within Congress 60 is
referred to as the DST method,
which involves at least 15 stages of
decreasing dosages of opium tinc-
ture. The DST method is a formula
by which drugs, alcohol, and addic-
tive medicines are tapered and fi-
nally relinquished. The goal of the
DST method is not the immediate
cessation of drug use, but the
13
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

restoration and repair of the endog-

enous opioid system through sus-
tained adherence to the DST proto-
col. Once tapering through the DST
method is completed, it is recom-
mended that the individual continue
group therapy for a year, at which
time, the person may cease partici-
pation in Congress 60 or volunteer
for one of the many service roles
within Congress 60. (Dezhakam,
2018 Blog)
Amends in Recovery
Don’t think that by just regretting a
wrongdoing and not ever doing it
again that it is over and that you are
immediately forgiven. We have to
answer for all of our wrongdoings.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)

14
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

We have to move forward in order

to repay our debts and rebuild the
damages we have caused. The first
person that we have to pay back
our debts is ourselves, and you
might be surprised by this. If we y
pay careful attention to ourselves
we can see the extent of physical
and mental damages caused by our
addiction. We must begin the re-
payments in the following ways: a)
our body and psyche and b) our
personality or integrity and honor.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
Making amends is carried out by
changing our thoughts, words, and
deeds. In other words, we must
move in a direction of knowledge,
justice, and decency and combine
these with love and in our thoughts,

15
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

words, and deeds. (Dezhakam,

2011)
The last stage is the payback to our
society and the universe as a
whole. By being a decent human
being, we can contribute to the so-
ciety as well. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Acting upon the commandments is
the thing that really matters--to
make amends and repay our debts
to those whom we have hurt the
most. Remorse without decent ac-
tion is useless. (Dezhakam, White
Eagle)
Anger
Anger is created from ignorance.
Imagine we are sitting in a chair and
someone pours a bottle of liquid on
us! We are enraged! But if we knew

16
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

that the fellow is mentally ill our

rage would turn to understanding
and our anger would decrease.
We expect all human beings to
have all the virtues. However, you
can’t find a saint! Humans possess
a combination of good and evil,
beauty and ugliness. Every individ-
ual is making decisions based on
knowledge, feelings, awareness,
envy, competition, friendship, love,
fear, and benefits at every moment
of his life.
Now if we are fully aware that mak-
ing mistakes is part of our creation
until we reach high peaks of wis-
dom, then it is easy not to get angry.
All methods to prevent or release
anger are just like using a painkiller,
and anger will always come back

17
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

unless we learn about ourselves

(know thyself!)
Anonymity & Recovery Disclo-
sure
When addicts enter the treatment
process in Congress 60, they usu-
ally want to remain anonymous,
and we also require no proof of
identity from them. There are no
limitations here, and everyone is
free to hide or reveal their identity.
However, an atmosphere of confi-
dence has been created over the
years where all the cured individu-
als are eager to reveal their identi-
ties to the public. They have no fear
appearing in front of TV cameras
and are eager to share their mes-
sage of revival from drug addiction,
talk about their personal

18
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

experience, and challenge false

methods of treatments. (Dezhakam
in
White, 2012)
Art & Music in Recovery
We believe that besides the issues
of treatment, recovery, and
worldview, it is important that all in-
dividuals have meaningful activi-
ties—something that awakens their
inner talents. Therefore, the arts
are a fundamental aspect in our
therapy. The power of sound and
image assist words in our work. For
example, theater and plays have
played an instrumental role in our
recovery process. We have been
able to communicate through the
media the obstacles regarding
treatment and recovery for

19
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

ourselves, society, and government

officials. We have also been able to
challenge the mainstream views of
addiction while presenting its
proper solution. Another example of
the use of the arts in recovery is our
view on the role of music in recov-
ery. We use specific songs and mu-
sical pieces composed by our
members for special ceremonies.
Song and music illustrate different
stages of the recovery journey and
celebrate recovery progress.
(Dezhakam in White, 2012)
We have been active in field of the-
atre and short movies. We have
formed a musical team and hope-
fully it will be transformed into an or-
chestra soon. We have always tried
to utilize music to sooth and inspire.

20
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

(Dezhakam, Email November 22,

2017)
Actors who have been cured in
Congress 60 have performed in
venues such as our branches,
streets, and prestigious halls
across the country. We also have
training materials for acting in our
educational package for newcom-
ers. (Dezhakam, Email December
4, 2010)
Awe and Wonder (in Recovery)
Imagine a person in a foreign coun-
try that speaks a different language.
He is walking the streets sadly while
hungry, and out of the blue, sees an
old friend! How would he feel? A
drug user has friends, but when he
decides to walk the treatment path
he suddenly becomes alone. He
21
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

thinks he is alone with tons of prob-

lems, but when he enters recovery,
he sees people like himself and
makes new friends. It is then that he
feels awe and wonder.
Balance/Moderation/Harmony
(Role in Recovery)
You can enjoy all the blessings that
the universe has provided but in the
right and proper way. You don’t
have to live an ascetic life; you can
enjoy wealth, marriage and all the
other joys in life but not with indul-
gence. The last words are: you can
drink water but not under water so
as to suffocate or drown.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
Lines of work, hobby, love, sport, al-
cohol, education, intellect, drugs,
money, position… if an individual
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

progresses in only one area in life

and does not pay attention to other
areas, he or she becomes a one-di-
mensional human being. One must
refrain from all kinds of over-indul-
gence or extremisms and always
keep moderation in mind. It is in
moderation that everything is made
and designed: a suitable amount of
wind is needed in life but too much
wind leads to a storm. (Dezhakam,
2011)
The more knowledge, training and
awareness one has, little by little
the individual gets closer to peace
and bliss and the power of the dark
forces are decreased gradually until
almost zero. This path is very diffi-
cult but reachable. (Dezhakam,
2011)

23
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Having great manners, speaking

politely, wearing clean clothes, and
showing respect to elders are the
indications of being balanced and
well within Congress 60.
(Dezhakam, Email April 2, 2022)
People are like the sun! If we get
too close, we will burn; if we get too
far, we will freeze! We must main-
tain a balance in our relationship
with other members of the recovery
group. We must avoid talking about
religion, politics, or ideologies to
stay united.
Character Defects / Reconstruc-
tion in Recovery
To be released of addiction’s grasp,
one must take a journey and re-
place [these destructive] attributes
with desirable attributes. From
24
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

darkness to light, fear to courage,

anxiety to bliss, atheism to faith,
and humility to exaltation. This is a
travel which must happen both
within and without the person so
that he can revive. That is why [in
Congress 60] we call each other
travelers. (Dezhakam & White,
2022)
Citizenship (in Recovery)
If the teachings are sweet, the stu-
dents will attend school even on
holidays! If we have a proper recov-
ery program, the newcomer will
stay in the program.
I believe we must turn recovery into
a game that brings winning and los-
ing. I don’t mean a gamble of
course. What I mean is feeling good
after doing a good deed and vice
25
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

versa. One of the deeds that brings

about a good feeling is helping and
serving others. If the recovery pro-
gram is like a group, then we must
have rules.
Co-Addiction/Cross-addiction
(Risk of)
My drinking habit started as an ef-
fort to quit opium addiction. Unfor-
tunately, it did not help with the ad-
diction, but added to my dilemma.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
A narcotic or drug is a kind of sub-
stance (matter) which has dam-
aged our life. Sometimes libation
from one can lead to dependency
on another, such as sex, career,
money or others. We must act in a
manner that such things are under

26
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

our control, and not the other way

around. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Vices include a wide spectrum and
excessive substance use is only
one of its branches. Therefore, we
must create a harmony in our life
where we refrain from doing any in-
decent act (vices). All the branches
of vices are inter-connected, and
they must be tackled together. It is
impossible to solve one issue alone
without resolving the others.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
Congress 60
I established Congress 60 Human
Society in 1998 for the purpose of
assisting individuals who are strug-
gling with drug addiction. Congress
60 is a people-supported, non-gov-
ernmental organization, active in
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

the treatment and recovery of drug

addiction. Its foundation is based
on the principal of a revived addict
helping fellow addicts who are cur-
rently 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 re-
duce the harmful results of addic-
tion. Congress 60 is a strong, active
NGO that provides its services free
of charge to the public. (Dezhakam,
quoted in White, 2012)
Congress 60 has proven that addic-
tion has a cure and addicts do have
a choice to redeem themselves.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Congress 60 (Duration of Partici-

pation)
Congress 60 believes that individu-
als who have been cured through
the DST method should only take
part for a year in classes and group
therapy. Thereafter, they must ei-
ther volunteer their service or at-
tend to their lives and personal mat-
ters. They can only remain in pro-
grams such as sport, arts, or the ex-
tra-curricular activities. Otherwise,
we are faced with the extreme ob-
stacle of over-population due to
lack of space. Congress 60, unlike
AA and NA, does not believe that
rehabilitated addicts must remain in
groups all their life. The rate of re-
lapse in our NGO is very low.
(Dezhakam, Email October 1,
2011)
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Congress 60 (Early Criticisms)

Opium is one of the most harmful
drugs. Due to prolonged misuse, it
has brought destructive harms to
humanity as a whole and has a very
bad reputation. When I began my
work, whenever I told anyone in-
cluding the experts or government
officials that I intended to treat drug
addiction with opium tincture or
opium, they looked at me with an
expression of surprise in their face.
They initially thought I was joking;
when they realized that I was seri-
ous, they either dismissed me as
mad or out of rage, wanted to hit me
in the face. However, I continued
my work with persistence and pre-
sented many cases of successful
rehabilitated individuals who had
such balanced personalities that all
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

were astonished. Now it has be-

come an accepted fact that even
though opium and opium tincture
has been destructive, if used under
a correct protocol, it can be a useful
and remedial for various kinds of
addictions. (Dezhakam, Email De-
cember 5, 2011)
Because Congress 60 rejected the
short detox treatment and long-
term treatment was yet to be recog-
nized, it came under heavy criti-
cism. Since we used OT and opium
as medicine to maintain and substi-
tute the addicted drug using the
DST method while gradually taper-
ing the very medicine itself, many
experts in the field attacked us. Of
course, this method of treatment
was still very unknown to the public
and doctors. Clinics and members
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

of NA and AA knowingly or unknow-

ingly spread the worst rumors about
us and concluded our method and
NGO was a failure. Currently, clin-
ics compete with one another to co-
operate with Congress 60 and im-
plement the DST method as their
main treatment protocol. This is be-
cause the DST method is harm re-
duction and a maintainer with a plus
factor which is gradual tapering.
This means that the medicine is
gradually tapered until complete
cessation within an eleven-month
period. The clinics are now inter-
ested in our method. (Dezhakam,
Email December 26, 2011)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Congress 60 (Financial Self-suf-

ficiency)
Congress 60 is supported through
the voluntary donations of its mem-
bers. Only second travelers may
donate, and I interview them first to
determine if they will be granted
permission to donate! One of the
conditions that I check is that they
must have an apartment for their
own family. Some who fail to re-
ceive permission to donate leave
my office in tears! But I always tell
members that first they must
strengthen the pillars of their per-
sonal lives. Then they can start do-
nating to Congress 60. Dezhakam,
Email November 11, 2022)
If the outcome of NGOs is tagged
as satisfactory by people and

33
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

governments, then they will never

cease to have support. If any NGO
deviates from its path, it shall col-
lapse like a clay cliff. (Dezhakam,
Email July 15, 2019)
Contemplation (Role in Recov-
ery)
All structures begin with contempla-
tion, without thinking all that there is
will decline; thus, contemplation is a
complete triangle: one must think.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Contentment
The emphasis here is that we must
be content with whatever resources
that we have and maximize our
benefits from them and value the
things that the universe has pro-
vided for us. We should not spend

34
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

our time envying all the things we

don’t have because the only real
asset that remains with us is the
thoughts and knowledge which we
have gained. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Courage (in Recovery)
We must know that war is always
with blood and death, but courage
will change everything. When I
cured my addiction, it was a time
that everyone was trying to stay
anonymous, and I also was an en-
gineer known by many colleagues.
In 1998, I was invited to be in a TV
show with six addiction treatment
experts. The director told me; since
I was an addict, they will not show
my face to keep my anonymity. “I
have no fear, introducing facts to
people is more important than me,”

35
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

I replied. It looked like I was killing

my persona! However, I was able to
talk with reason before six experts
and let everyone know addiction
treatment methods are wrong and
that is why you are claiming addic-
tion has no cure. I announced that
brief detoxification will help add an-
other problem by increasing the ad-
diction withdrawal symptoms!
That day courage helped me to
move forward and that is why we
have tens of thousands of addiction
redemptions today in Congress 60.
That is why physicians are listening
to me now. That is the reason we
are friends now and have done so
much work together. If we believe in
our recovery, courage can yield
great benefits.

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Craving/Compulsion (Source
and Management)
Any time we decide to quit drugs,
the lower self as the commander in
chief orders the savages to attack
all the cells in the body and create
wonderful images in our mind of
drug consumption or being high. It
tells us we can just use a little and
all the physical and mental pain will
be over. As soon as we do that, the
voice changes the topic and recom-
mends the continuation of drug use.
How delicately tricky and decep-
tively manipulative this carnality
within works. One must fully recog-
nize the white eagle within to be
able to overcome the challenges on
the path. (Dezhakam, 2011)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Remember that if a person is full, he

doesn't require food. If he is still
hungry then he will crave eating! If
we rebuild the X system or natural
opioids of the body in the tapering
process, then the job is done! This
person will not be hungry! The key
to addiction treatment is to rebuild
the X system or the natural opioids
within the body. (Dezhakam, Email
September 18, 2022)
Cure of Addiction
We have to prove to the world that
addiction has a certain cure. Addic-
tion is not a mysterious, progres-
sive, and incurable disease any-
more! Addiction is completely cura-
ble with proper treatment com-
posed of medical treatment, psy-
chological treatment, and true

38
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

recovery. (Dezhakam, Email Au-

gust 23, 2022)
When I say cured, I mean a former
heroin user can sleep in a ware-
house full of heroin without the
slightest temptation to use.
(Dezhakam, Email December 18,
2022 )
Nothing else in this world can sub-
stitute narcotics for an addict. Not
money, power, spouse, religion, or
even God for that matter can be a
substitution. The only substitution is
the natural opiate-like substances
within the body. Because with re-
building these narcotic producing
systems of the body, the addicted
drug user can enjoy his own body’s
natural, healthy, cost-free narcotics
and most of the problems that we

39
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

think are mental and psychological

will disappear. (Dezhakam & White,
2022)
Addiction and other incurable dis-
eases (psychological and physical)
are due to damages of the X system
within the body, thus if we restore
balance to the X system, we can
cure addiction and other illnesses.
(Dezhakam & White, 2022)

We are not struggling with issues

that other so called recovered peo-
ple are facing. Our cured members
are functioning fully in their daily
lives. One might say they have for-
gotten about their addiction history!
(Dezhakam, Email January 5,
2021)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Death and Dying

American culture has a beautiful

word for dying. When someone
dies, they are said to have passed.
The human being is an incredible
creation. The whole creation is
stunning! Our physical body con-
sists of billions of cells! Each cell is
like a city! Each moment millions of
them die and new ones are re-
placed and yet we are still alive!
We have other bodies as well! One
of them is what we see in our
dreams! In fact, every night we are
dying and every morning we are
alive again! When we depart from
this world we will continue in an-
other world without our physical
bodies.

41
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

We have been with the creation

from the beginning, and we will be
until the end. In fact, there is no
death! There is only traveling from
one world to another! Our real age
is a bit less than God!
The only thing that we can take
from this world is the knowledge
that we have gained. Those who
have the bond of love here shall be
together in the next life! All the at-
tributes we possess will travel with
us. If we die as an addict or an al-
coholic, we will be an addict in the
next world! Addiction and other at-
tributes [including recovery] are
with the body that we see in our
dreams and will not be destroyed by
so-called death!

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Depression

About 200 illnesses are tagged as

psychosomatic, and they are rooted
in the psyche or thoughts of the hu-
man being. Our negative thoughts
like despair, fear, anxiety, etc. have
a deep impact on our psyches. De-
pression is one of them!
Negative thoughts have a harmful
impact on the X system just like al-
cohol and drugs! In time, the X sys-
tem is damaged and withdrawal-
like symptoms are tangible. For in-
stance, postpartum depression is
due to a lack of opioid like sub-
stances in the body. With positive
thoughts and a well-balanced
worldview combined with a repaired
X system, we can overcome de-
pression.
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Diet/Nutrition (in Recovery)

To be healthy and even to cure dis-
eases and addiction we must pay
attention to organic foods, fruits,
and greens. (Dezhakam, June 17,
2017)
We are not ordering any type of
diet. Our members can eat every
type of food. We are just teaching
them the proper way of eating.
Weight loss must be done slowly.
(Dezhakam, Email October 30,
2022)
DST Method of Addiction Treat-
ment
The DST method is a tested for-
mula by which drugs, alcohol, and
addictive medicines are tapered
and finally relinquished. D stands

44
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

for Dezhakam coefficient of 0.8. S

stands for step, which means main-
taining 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. (Dezhakam in White,
2012)
I believe that just as drug addiction
could be a progressing phenome-
non for the addict; it could be trans-
formed into a regressing process
that results in complete cessation.
In fact, the DST method is a kind of
regressing trend in using drugs, al-
cohol, or substitute medicine.
(Dezhakam quoted in White, 2012)
In short, the X system theory states
that addiction illness and other
chronic physical and mental

45
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

illnesses all have a common point

which is lack of balance or an im-
balance and malfunction of com-
mands issued by the brain and the
nervous system. These commands
are implemented through neuro-
transmitters, hormones and media-
tors; if we are able to restore this
system back to normal function and
balance, the illness will disappear.
This theory states that OT (opium
tincture) is a medicine that when
used with the DST method restores
this system. (Dezhakam, Email De-
cember 7, 2011)
Narcotics, alcohol, amphetamine,
cocaine, hash or other psychoac-
tive drugs are able to pass the
blood barrier of the brain. These
materials interfere with the routine
workings of brain. The person’s
46
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

drug experiences are initially so joy-

ous that the person repeatedly
seeks to reexperience these mo-
ments, and the story goes on and
on. After a while, the brain loses its
balance of feelings and perception
and must be restored through a “re-
placement process.” Narcotics re-
place the endogenous opioids; to
achieve addiction treatment and full
recovery, we must somehow regain
the brain’s balance. In other words,
the brain must become even more
balanced than when the person
started taking drugs. We recreate
this type of balance OT, the DST
method and recovery support.
(Dezhakam, Email, January 16,
2016)
According to the DST method, we
talk to the newcomer to know what
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

he is using and how much he is us-

ing. We use this data to calculate
the OT [opium tincture] amount
which his body requires. The drug
user must use OT three doses daily
(with the gap of about 8 hours be-
tween doses). The amount of OT is
different for different people. Some
may start their treatment with 0.1 cc
of OT and the other starts treatment
with 16.5 cc of OT daily. As you see
the second person takes 165 times
more OT than the first person. This
calculation of OT usage is being
done only by experienced and well-
educated guides of Congress 60 for
their pupils. The treatment [taper-
ing] time period is similar for every-
one and averages 11 months. After
the specified dosage is calculated,
the newcomer will go to the clinic

48
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

with a paper (this paper shows the

calculations and the dosage that
the clinic must provide for the per-
son). The person receives the
needed OT for a week and he takes
his medicine home because he is
required to take his medicine three
doses a day. After a while, if the
guide confirms, then the newcomer
can have OT amount for 2 or 3
weeks instead of one week. The OT
(medicine) must be taken home
and not even his family members
take any kind of supervision over
his OT usage. The traveler must
take full responsibility of his own
treatment. (Dezhakam, Email Feb-
ruary 20, 2016)
If experts take these three parame-
ters into consideration and provide
the necessary materials for the
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

body, the rest is up to the body.

Meaning that the body takes what is
required and uses it to repair itself.
The prime part of treatment is being
done by the body with the therapist
providing the appropriate materials
for the body. Now if the therapist
prescribes the wrong medicine or
materials for an unsuitable period of
time in inappropriate amounts, then
the body is highly unlikely to repair
itself. (Dezhakam, Email June 7,
2017)
One who uses the DST method as
a whole package reaches certain
cure along with considerable
changes in his worldview or way of
thinking. For instance, our mem-
bers will not only achieve addiction
redemption but also are successful
in returning to the society. They are
50
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

doing well in their jobs or pursuing

education. If the DST method is
performed without recovery, then
results will be achieved indeed but
not as good as they could be.
(Dezhakam, Email January 25,
2021)
DST is not only a method; its foun-
dation is based on restoration and
renewal of the chemical com-
pounds within the human brain
which have been damaged by con-
stant use of drugs and alcohol.
(Dezhakam, Email June 22, 2011)
Education
One of our elders advises: educate
yourself from the moment of birth
into your grave! Seek knowledge
even if it is in faraway lands! Ac-
cording to our masters, the most
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

enjoyable work is to search in the

scientific world.
Education brings knowledge, and
knowledge brings distinction. A
good decision based on an accu-
rate distinction between choices will
lead to a better life for us. From
there with experience and contem-
plation, one can enter wisdom. A
wise person tries to decrease the
sorrow for himself and others.
I always encourage our members to
pursue education. We have fifty-
and sixty-year-old members who
have entered universities recently!
It is never too late to continue your
education!

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Experiential Knowledge (Value

of)
When someone sees and smells
and touches a red rose, they can
share their experience with people
who have never seen a flower be-
fore. However, can someone have
the same original experience by
just reading the description of a red
rose? They are not able to add an-
ything to the original account by
merely playing with words.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Exploitation of Addicts
When the subject of addiction is ob-
scure to people, then it is normal to
have treatment profiteers! Then ad-
dicts are caught between two
choices. One is illegal market of
narcotics which takes their money
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

and sells misery to them. And the

second choice appears when they
decide to get rid of addiction and
they get caught in the net of wrong
treatment methods! (Dezhakam &
White, 2022)
Addiction Cures
Most illnesses and mental disabili-
ties are treated by chemical drugs
and this gives a false perception to
patients that they are cured. How-
ever, as soon as the medicine
stops, the illness False comes
back. (Dezhakam. White Eagle)
False Addiction/Recovery Ex-
perts
They are driving the best cars, they
are paid the highest salaries, work
at the best offices and are living in

54
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

mansions. They give speeches at

the best hotels, but if you show
them washing machine powder,
heroin, ashes and cocaine, they
could not tell the difference! They
are talking nonsense about addic-
tion! (Dezhakam, Email September
23, 2015)

Family
In Iran, family values are highly re-
spected and family members are
ready to do any required sacrifice
for their addict to reach redemption.
Family plays a key role in helping
the addict to revive from addiction.
(Dezhakam, Email December 19.
2016)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Second phase of this payback

[making amends in recovery] in-
volves our family, friends and loved
ones. During our years of addiction
and due to our destructive habits
and manners, we have caused
them so much pain, misery, and
sorrow. The payback is not done
through words of apology or re-
quests for forgiveness but must in-
stead be done through our actions
and deeds. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Family problems or work issues still
exist [in recovery], but when we
have fully recovered from addic-
tions, we find the strength to solve
them. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Family Recovery
When an individual falls into addic-
tion, his family becomes muted,
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

and he gets deaf! It is like the family

speaks Spanish and the addicted
person communicates in French!
They don’t understand each other.
This is a sensitive issue in addiction
treatment. We must create a mutual
language and a new way for them
to communicate with each other.
That is why in Congress 60 the re-
covery applies to both addicts and
their families. The education is the
same for travelers and co-travelers.
The traveler has one wing, his fam-
ily becomes the second wing, and
together they can fly!
Family / Family Relationships
Family is the core of each society.
A society or a community moves to-
ward destruction if they neglect
families. Families must be

57
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

educated in the recovery process.

Along the recovery journey, we will
make friends, but those friends are
our recovery companions, and we
must not get engaged in business
or family relationships with them.
In Congress 60, people are not al-
lowed to go to each other’s houses.
This will create different problems
and obstacles in the recovery pro-
cess. A recovery environment must
be dedicated to recovery only and
nothing else.
I have seen people who invited oth-
ers from recovery to their houses
and they have destroyed their fam-
ilies. In Congress 60, if a couple
gets divorced, they are not allowed
to participate in meetings for six

58
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

months, because they may transfer

their problems to meetings.
Maybe it seems that our laws at
Congress 60 are harsh, but we
have gained tremendous results
out of these laws throughout the
years. During the past 25 years, I
have only witnessed one or two
fights in Congress 60, and they
happened at sports competitions
and not meetings.
Fear (in Recovery)
There is also the remaining fear in-
side of you which you have not
been able to get rid of completely;
you must contain your fears and
achieve internal peace. This will
help you face your daily challenges;
you must work hard to review the

59
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

archive and understand your old

files. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Financial Problems
It was Spring and an ant was strug-
gling to carry a seed to his nest. A
bird was sitting on a branch. “All the
abundance of blessings and you
are carrying seed to your nest, how
materialistic!” said the bird. Ant con-
tinued his work silently. Gradually,
autumn gave way to winter, snow
was everywhere. Bird moved to ant
while shivering from cold and he
said, “I am starving, give me of
those seeds, please.” Ant re-
sponded, “The seeds are for my
family, you should have thought
about winter while in spring.” How
to save is part of recovery educa-
tion in Congress 60!

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

If we have a loaf of bread and we

are a family of five we need to save
a piece of bread. If we make even
one Dollar, five cents must be
saved! Our members are educated
in saving and that is why we are not
confronting financial issues both
within and without Congress 60.
Financial Recovery
Strengthen your financial roots and
you shall see that many obstacles
will be overcome. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
Financial Sustainability (of Re-
covery Organizations)
We have a proverb which says: A
cow that begs for food can’t plow! In
other words, an NGO that is always
looking for handouts shall never

61
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

sustain a good financial status.

(Dezhakam, Email July 1, 2019)
Congress 60 accepts no financial
help from government; in fact, we
donate to other organizations. From
the establishment day of Congress
60 we have never faced any finan-
cial issues. We don’t have huge ex-
penses because no one receives
money for working at Congress 60.
Not even one cent of our money
goes on waste or is stolen. Our ac-
counting system is very firm, and
people are taught to be righteous.
Those who have been treated
within Congress 60 and who are
now gifted financially enter the fi-
nancial legion [internal section that
manages Congress 60’s financial
sustainability]. (Dezhakam, Email
November 4, 2014).
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Flourishing (in Recovery)

Evolution happens best as a collec-
tion. Education best takes place in
a collection of people with the same
goal, such as in schooling, universi-
ties, exercising, or in music bands.
Recovery must be in a group as
well. Recovery is a journey with a
team. We will pass cold and warm
lands. Sometimes we need to cross
hot deserts! This is a hard task for
an individual, but a good team can
overcome it with ease.
People flourish in teams by trying to
prove themselves! They learn from
each other, and they can learn from
and serve as role models. People
who left their education undone are
inspired to continue their education
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

in Congress 60. Look at Ehsan

[translator of communications be-
tween Hossein Dezhakam and Wil-
liam White] as a great example!
Forgiveness (in Recovery)
Now tell me if this path is easy, to
forgive someone who has done you
wrong. That’s right, it is very difficult
indeed, but it can be done.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Fourteen Valleys of Congress 60
I’ve designed 14 valleys for individ-
uals to follow and carry out in their
lives in order to leave negative
thinking aside and implement a
positive approach in life. The
method of studying the valleys is
simple; they must be implemented
practically in life, studied in order

64
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

respectively many times and the

duration between each of them
should not be less than 21 days. In
this manner gradually all the ambi-
guities, superstitions and false be-
liefs will leave our mind and instead
a correct and stable way of thinking
comes into place. (Dezhakam,
2011)
First Valley: All structures begin
with contemplation; without con-
templation, whatever
exists will decline.

Second Valley: No creature comes

into existence without a purpose;
none of us are insignificant even if
we think of ourselves as that.

Third Valley: It has to be known that

nobody thinks as much as the hu-
man being for his real self.
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Fourth Valley: In crucial affairs,

leaving the responsibility to God
means neglecting one’s own re-
sponsibility.

Fifth Valley: Cognition is not the ab-

solute power of solution in our
realm of existence. It will be com-
pleted with experience and
achievement.

Sixth Valley: We must fully perform

Wisdom’s command as the com-
mander in charge.

Seventh Valley: The mystery and

secret in discovering the Truth lies
in two factors: finding the right path
and what we derive from it.

Eighth Valley: The path is revealed

with progress.
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Ninth Valley: When a force begins

at a low level and gets to a higher
degree, it reaches an endurance
point.

Tenth Valley: Human beings’ past

attributes don’t remain the same
because we are constantly chang-
ing.

Eleventh Valley: All roaring rivers

and gushing springs will ultimately
reach the sea and ocean.

Twelfth Valley: In the end, the first

command will be carried out.

Thirteenth Valley: The end of each

point is the beginning of a new line.

Fourteenth Valley: The only thing

that exists is Love, without it, there
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

are only empty containers.

(Dezhakam, in White, 2012)

Recovery moves slowly within Con-

gress 60 and Love, Fourteen Val-
leys for Recovery plays a unique
role in this process. (Dezhakam,
Email November 24, 2020)

Freedom (and Responsibility in

Recovery)
Freedom comes with responsibility,
in other words, having freedom
does not mean freedom to do any-
thing and everything without conse-
quence. Freedom means respect-
ing others. We should not insult oth-
ers in the name of freedom of
speech.
It is like renting a cabin on a big
cruise. I cannot dig a hole in my
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

cabin since I purchased it! We have

a series of laws in Congress 60,
and everyone must adhere to them.
Our members are not free to do or
express whatever they want. Every-
one must respect guides, families,
and others who are serving them.
Anyone who wants to enter Con-
gress 60 must adhere to its laws.
We are working with love and disci-
pline. Those who want to use our
meetings just for spending time and
fun have no place among us.
Friendship
Friendship is based on affection.
And affection needs sense and at-
traction. Attraction works like a
magnet. Any type of friendship has
its own place, we may say it resem-
bles closely to wearing clothes! You
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won't wear your swimming suit at a

party, right? What I want to say is
some people are workplace friends,
some are family friends. We must
remember that recovery friends are
only for recovery. If we keep recov-
ery friends as recovery friends, we
shall enjoy the friendship for years
to come. Changing the type of
friendship within a recovery group
may impact other members of the
group negatively.
Gratitude
Manners are more important than
riches. People are not fond of irrev-
erent people. In recovery, we must
relearn how to say, please, I am
sorry, and thank you. When we are
asking for something, we must say
please, in case of making a mistake

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we should express that we are

sorry, and when someone does
something for us we should thank
them.
When you say thank you to every-
one, to the waiter in a restaurant, a
taxi driver, family members even
those who did nothing for you, peo-
ple will love you and they will try to
help you. Try being impolite with
people and see what happens!
Showing gratitude makes living
sweet.
Grief
Grief is usually rooted in losing
something or someone, not having
something, or failing to have some-
one. Grief is deep, like an ocean.
Some may stay in it for years.

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Happiness is being on the surface

of the ocean where you can see the
sunrise and sunshine. One must
cross the ocean of grief to reach the
surface of happiness and compre-
hend its meaning. In fact, grief can
lead you to the depths of the ocean
or help you to reach the surface.
Guide / Sponsor / Recovery
Coach (See Mentor below)
The role of a Guide is like a com-
pass in a vast troubled sea where
no sun or star is visible to show the
path. (Dezhakam, Email June 1,
2021)
We think of addiction as a science,
especially where discussions of
maintenance, treatment, recovery,
and prevention are concerned.
Thus, only a guide with proper
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training, knowledge, and experi-

ence together with a balanced men-
tal and spiritual state can lend a
helping hand to other addicts.
Therefore, to determine the above-
mentioned qualifications, we con-
duct oral and written examinations
and look for a suitable moral atti-
tude. If a guide gives the wrong in-
struction, it could have drastic con-
sequences. We must be very cau-
tious regarding this process.
(Dezhakam in White, 2012)
Guilt / Remorse
Remorse means making a mistake,
I don’t know anyone who has not
made mistakes! Guilt is created for
lack of knowledge! We have a say-
ing: feeling guilt doesn’t help you.
Our beliefs have no value when I

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believe lying is bad but still, I lie, or

when I feel guilt, but I am not trying
to fix things. What is the point of it?
Wishes don’t wash dishes! We
must start making amends. We can
serve other people and then forgive
ourselves. God is forgiving. My
master says: Heaven is not free, in
other words, peace and bliss come
with a price!
Happiness
One can’t define happiness. Pro-
posing definitions for beauty, jus-
tice, grief, and happiness is based
on personal senses and feelings.
One person may appear beautiful
to me but not to you. This is the dif-
ference in our perceptions. Happi-
ness is our reaction to

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pleasantness. Face muscle

changes and our face appear joyful
with a smile.
A poor person can be happy due to
his high-functioning X system and
balanced worldview while a rich in-
dividual feels miserable in a man-
sion due to his unbalanced X sys-
tem and worldview. By repairing the
X system and worldview in recovery
we will achieve happiness.
Hitting Bottom (Necessity for Re-
covery?)
Some people imagine that some-
body must hit dead end to quit
drugs for good. This means being
banished from family, friends, and
the society, losing one’s job,
spouse or home and eventually be-
coming a junkie. At this stage, the
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addict either dies or quit drugs for

ever. I beg to differ. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
Honesty (in Recovery)
The solution [of achieving honesty]
is gradual, of course. Just like the
car, first the speed must be gradu-
ally decreased until full stop and
then reverse and slowly start the
car in the opposite direction, gradu-
ally increasing the speed. Unlike
the car though, it takes a long time
for someone to become honest.
(Dezhakam, The Blissful State)
if you lie a lot, you must change the
way you live your life. Achieving
good attributes like honesty, integ-
rity, bravery…without changing
one’s attitude towards life, is

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impossible. (Dezhakam, The Bliss-

ful State)
Hope
All people can change regardless of
where they are and what attributes
they carry within themselves, in-
cluding even the worst sinners, the
ones who have committed horrific
crimes. No one must carry and
keep all the cruel and horrible attrib-
utes of oneself eternally. Nobody
must remain in hell forever; even if
someone is at the lowest levels of
hell, he has free will and can mend
his ways so that lord’s mercy is be-
stowed upon him. The path to sal-
vation is always open. (Dezhakam,
2011)
If I was an addict yesterday, it’s no
excuse to continue addiction into
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tomorrow; I can either be healthy to-

day or increase my drug consump-
tion. There are no guarantees in life
unless there is continuous hard
work and determination. The im-
portant point is that a person can
change, and destiny is made by
people themselves. (Dezhakam,
Crossing the Zone)
A roaring river knows that there are
many huge obstacles and difficul-
ties on its path, but it is not afraid at
all and with many efforts and deter-
mination, it passes through high
mountains and deep valleys and
pushes aside stones or circles
around them to continue on its path.
Human beings should also know
that the path is not smooth at all.
Two factors are very important:

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desire and reasonable contempla-

tion. (Dezhakam, 2011)
We should not throw addicts into
the sea or execute them! If we know
how to do our job, we can revive ad-
dicts with a proper treatment and
true prolonged recovery.
(Dezhakam, Email May 28, 2014)
Hopelessness
Maybe some of us think that life is
over for us and there is no more
hope, and nothing matters any
more, why are we here, our birth is
useless and many other such views
to sink more into darkness. This is
a sign of losing confidence and sur-
rendering to annihilation, but if we
look at the entire universe, we real-
ize that nothing in this creation is

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without a purpose. (Dezhakam,

2011)
Humility
In Persian, there is a proverb: A
high land never receives water!
The branches of a fruitful tree are
bent! Humble people are always
ready to learn. An arrogant person
is deprived of education since he
thinks he or she is better! With more
wisdom comes the sense of not
knowing! As we learn more, we re-
alize that our knowledge is limited.
This person turns into a humble one
since They have learned what they
do not know easily outweighs what
they already know!
With more wisdom comes humility
and with ignorance comes

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arrogance! My son, Amin says wis-

dom is a triangle: knowledge, expe-
rience, and thinking. None of the
angles of knowledge, experience,
and thinking can fulfill wisdom
alone. Thus, a humble person has
all three at the same time.
Intellect and Faith (Role in Re-
covery)
Anyone can use their brakes of faith
and intellect to stop the vehicle of
drug addiction. People who believe
in reasoning can use it as their
brake and those who believe in faith
can use faith as their brake. For
those who believe in both it is much
better and those who believe in nei-
ther, for now I can’t say anymore.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)

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Knowledge (Role in Recovery)

knowledge alone isn’t enough, act-
ing upon that knowledge is the real
thing. Knowledge that does not lead
to action is not practical.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
I believe all the problems of human
beings are rooted in undiscovered
knowledge or lack of knowledge.
Take two cups for instance; one is
golden and beautiful; however it is
filled with a deadly poison. The sec-
ond cup is made of dust or is crafted
with bad material; however, it is
filled with clean water. Unfortu-
nately, most people think with their
eyes instead of their brains! That is
why most of them will pick the
golden one! In this scenario we
need a wise person to teach them

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what matters is the liquid inside the

cup and not the cup! (Dezhakam,
Email, October 21, 2019)
Language/Words
I want to share an ancient tale with
you which carries great words of
wisdom. Several people from differ-
ent countries had become travel
mates together across the desert.
When they arrived close to a small
town, they stopped to have lunch
and since they spoke different lan-
guages, they gestured to each
other "what should we eat?" Every
one of them said in their own lan-
guage " we should eat bread and
grapes". Because they did not un-
derstand each other and their
words sounded different, they be-
gan to argue and disagree. A

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passerby who knew all the lan-

guages inquired about their argu-
ments. Each person explained in
his own language "I want to eat
grapes and bread, but others disa-
gree". The passerby smiled and
said, "Give me all your money and I
will buy lunch for all of you". He then
went and bought everyone grapes
and bread. They all beamed with
joy and said, " This is what we
wanted." My dear friend, as you
know very well, the conflict between
humans and their religions is pre-
cisely in this point (a common lan-
guage and purpose). There needs
to be a wise one to create that com-
mon language. (Dezhakam, Email
June 27, 2011)
Some words have lost their mean-
ings and we need new ones since
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humans and sciences are con-

stantly changing. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
Love
Waves of love in the universe also
attract each other, meaning hu-
mans who have these positive at-
tributes find each other and by
grouping, form a line which be-
comes longer as time goes by and
reduces the size of destructive
forces. (Dezhakam, 2011)
In truth, this word love is the foun-
dation of existence and when in
love, with all the calamities, one can
learn what he was, is and will be in
the future. Love is so vital that life
without it is stagnant and death, si-
lent. (Dezhakam, 2011)

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Love is the only thing that matters.

Not many people truly understand
the meaning of true love; people
who lack love in their lives are like
empty containers. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
How could a human being under
the crushing influence of alcoholism
and drug addiction hear the beauty
of love’s waves or even send them?
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Medications (Limitations of in
Recovery)
Most patients are being control with
psychoactive pills rather than being
treated. After a while when the pills
are cut our patient is back to step
one or even worse than before. This
is the story of failure in this

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[addiction treatment] field.

(Dezhakam, Email, November 24,
2019)
Mentors / Guides / Co-Guides
(Message from)
You did not pay attention to yourself
and your family and created a web
of darkness around yourself; that’s
why we had the mission to find you
and pass the torch on to you so that
you can come out of the darkness.
We must accompany you to the
main destination. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
…these teachings are not meant
only for you; you must write your
learning and experiences and teach
them to others. (Dezhakam, 2011)

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Motivation for Sustained Drug

Use in Addiction
Another wrong belief is that drug
users do drugs to get high! Perhaps
this belief applies to the onset stage
of addiction, but the situation
changes gradually. Those with se-
vere addictions uses narcotics to be
normal like other people!
(Dezhakam & White, 2022)
Need for Holistic Addiction
Treatment
In the U. S. and U. K. and perhaps
all over the world, addiction treat-
ment is polarized. Some believe in
medication-based treatment and
others believe in psychosocial
treatment and support. This is like
some believing that the brain is im-
portant while others claim that the
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brain is not prime and that the heart

is. I do believe addiction treat-
ment/recovery are like a human be-
ing who needs brain, heart, lungs,
blood, etc. The person will lack hu-
manity and will not be able to con-
tinue living if any of these organs
are missing. (Dezhakam, Email,
December 13, 2014)
I want to tell you a story which is an
explanatory of addiction treatment
worldwide. An individual was cross-
ing street he saw some workers are
digging the ground in order to make
a channel for gas piping but as soon
as they empty out the soil some
other workers load the soil back fill-
ing the channel instantly! He won-
dered so he asked one of the work-
ers about it. The worker said: we
are three groups and each group
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

from a different town with a different

culture and we have three agree-
ments:
First group: dig the ground making
the channel.
Second group: place the gas pipe
into the channel.
Third group: fill the channel with
soil.
It’s been a while that the second
group doesn’t come to work, and
this is not our concern, because we
do as our agreement says and we
will get paid for doing so!!! Yup, this
is the addiction treatment story, one
group is working on body, other
group on psych, and some others
believe in worldview only and they
are not working with each other. I

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am trying to make these groups

work with each other in Congress
60. (Dezhakam, Email March 25,
2013)
In order to cure addiction all three
aspects of body, psyche, and
worldview must be taken into con-
sideration. Medical treatment must
be done with recovery simultane-
ously. (Dezhakam, 2018 Blog)
I believe all addiction treatment pro-
grams are wrong if they are focus-
ing on one aspect only. If they are
focused on body only or they are
trying to change the worldview only
they will not achieve addiction treat-
ment. Perhaps they could achieve
withdraw which is miles away from
balance and what we are getting

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within Congress 60. (Dezhakam,

Email January 16, 2019)
If we can make peace between the
mind and the physical body, then
we can say that we have found the
right path. (Dezhakam, White Ea-
gle)
Opium Tincture (In the Treatment
of Addiction)
All addictive drugs, including alco-
hol or methamphetamine, exert
similar damage to the X system. OT
is unique in its reparative effects on
this system. Twenty years of scien-
tific and practical experience tells
me that no medicine is better [in the
treatment of addiction] than opium.
(Dezhakam, 2018 Blog)

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I must say not only in the U.S but all

other countries and even my coun-
try failed to see the benefits of OT.
Why? Because opium has two
faces; one face is devilish, and the
other is divine. Opium is mostly mis-
used throughout ages and there-
fore it has been seen as a monster.
That is why experts are scared of
opium. If one says that I want to uti-
lize opium to cure illnesses, they
will terrorize him. And that is how
one of the best medicines of nature
has been neglected and crossed
out. (Dezhakam, Email February 9,
2021)
I do hope that one day opium tinc-
ture will be utilized all around the
world to cure addiction and other
diseases. I strongly believe if we
use opium properly it can cure
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many incurable illnesses. Addiction

and many other diseases are
rooted in the X system. Opium used
with the DST method is the only ap-
proach to repair the X system of
body. (Dezhakam, Email December
10, 2019)
Pain (As a Teacher in Addic-
tion/Recovery)
We have to go deep into the dark-
ness so that we can truly appreciate
the greatness of light. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
A wise sage once said, ‘the mother
of all joys is suffering and every
misery contains valuable treas-
ures”. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
I’ve been in a destructive trend due
to addiction to drugs, and it has

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brought me hundreds of problems

and difficulties. If I intend to leave
behind this maze of destruction and
enter a healthy and stable life, I
must endure the pain, suffering and
strong attraction of the dark forces.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Parenting
A long time ago an old man was liv-
ing with his only son. One day the
son told the old man to get into a
basket. “We are going to have fun
in nature”, he said. He took his fa-
ther to the mountain, took him out of
the basket, and said wait here for
me I have forgotten to bring food. A
few days later father starved to
death. Years passed and the son
turned into an old man. One day his
son offered him to get into the same

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basket to have fun in nature. I did

the same to my father and that is
why you are going to do the same
with me, said the old man. We must
choose a different path to avoid the
same fate. We must raise our chil-
dren well if we want to avoid the
basket!
Patience (Role in Recovery)
We must be patient if we want to get
rid of our drug addiction…time is an
essential factor in our recovery.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
If I have used drugs for many years
and have become a junkie, would I
get everything back as soon as I
quit drugs? I don’t think so. The
problem is getting back to the right
path; there are many obstacles be-
cause of ignorance and
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indifference. They must be solved

one by one before anything else.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
All in all, every problem has a solu-
tion, and every door has a key;
sometimes the issues differ with
each other and require a different
approach. It is possible to break
through the central core of every
particle, only the right path must be
chosen. It needs thought, tools, and
experiments and in this manner, the
impossible becomes possible.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
You are in a hurry to get results. We
are proposing a gradual approach
as there is a long way to go and
time is needed for your mind and
body to find their strength and

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health once again. (Dezhakam,

White Eagle)
Peer Recovery Support in Con-
gress 60
In Congress 60, we call these re-
covery support roles Guides and
Co-Guides--what in the United
States are christened recovery
coaches or recovery support spe-
cialists. We originated these roles
in Congress 60 from our very first
days in 1998. At first, our only re-
quirement for serving in these roles
was to be free of drugs. Two years
later, we required Guides and Co-
Guides to have at least one-year of
recovery and to pass an examina-
tion to test their knowledge and
skills…The role of these Guides is
like that of a compass in a vast

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troubled sea where there is no sun

or star to show the path.
(Dezhakam, 2021 Blog)
Personal Recovery
I worked in the field of industrial re-
search, 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 research and trials that
I tried on myself. By determining my
daily dosage, time of use, and ta-
pering of the drugs, I implemented
a plan and, to my own disbelief, was
successful after an eleven-month
period to break my physical

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addiction. It was through this that

the DST Method was invented.
(Dezhakam in White, 2012)
Now that I look back on my life, I
can see that I can divide it into three
parts. The first part was spent in rel-
ative comfort and peace growing
up, schooling, and work. The mid-
dle part was spent fighting the dark
world, and then learning and com-
ing into light. I’m currently in the
third part, which I’m enjoying bliss-
fully. I’m now doing my best to help
more individuals come out of the
darkness of addiction. I’m having a
good life next to my warm family
and good friends. (Dezhakam
quoted in White, 2012)

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Positive Thoughts (Role in Re-

covery)
By using positive thoughts and en-
ergy, you can achieve your goal.
Concentration on positive thoughts
and reflecting them on your efforts,
will pave the way forward.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
You can find beauty and greatness
in everything. Once upon a time a
prophet was passing through a
neighborhood with his companions;
they came across a dead dog along
way. Because the skin had rotted,
the corps looked very ugly, and it
had a very bad smell. The compan-
ions of the prophet took out their
handkerchief and held it against
their nose and said, 'How ugly is
this corps! What a terrible smell'.

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However, the prophet smiled and

said, 'Look really well; what a beau-
tiful set of teeth this animal has'.
(Dezhakam, Email September 12,
2011)
Psyche
Information about role of psyche in
addiction and recovery is lacking.
There is not a definition of psyche
which is accepted by all. I believe
psyche is the mood of people.
Some people are happy, some are
in despair, some wishful, others dis-
appointed, and some are kind while
others are angry and aggressive. I
think this situation is created based
on two components: one is neuro-
transmitters of the brain which are
rooted in genetics and our
thoughts. Psyche = brain’s

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neurotransmitters function +
thoughts. Therefore, to fix psyche
of an addicted individual, we need
to regain balance to brain and
thoughts of that individual.
(Dezhakam, Email March 23, 2016)
Purification
To abstain from vices and immoral-
ities, the individual must purify him-
self; we call this process the purifi-
cation of the ego which automati-
cally sets in as soon as the journey
towards virtue is started.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Racism
Every day when I wake up, I imag-
ine that everything is fine, everyone
is good and decent, even those who
are walking in viciousness and lies

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or are following racism because

they believe their personal interest
rests there. I feel sorry for these
people; they have created a hell for
themselves. If you look at their
faces thoroughly, you will realize
they are drowning in hatred, ten-
sion, and psychological pressure.
(Dezhakam, Email October 27,
2020)
Recovery
…curing or treating addiction is:
curing a kind of disease with re-
spect to the time period necessary
to repair, rebuilding and operating
the vital systems of the body and
mind that have exited their natural
cycle and have become dysfunc-
tional. (Dezhakam, Crossing the
Zone)

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The problem is getting back to the

right path; there are many obsta-
cles resulting from ignorance and
indifference. They must be solved
one by one before anything else.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Recovery (and Aging)
One whose heart is alive with love
shall never decay. (Dezhakam,
Email March 3, 2018)
Recovery Definition
When a drug user enters Congress
60, he sees himself in recovery right
from the start. As I have said be-
fore, maintenance, treatment and
recovery start simultaneously in
Congress 60; we can't really sepa-
rate these three parameters from
each other in Congress 60. It is as

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if they are the body, the mind and

the soul of a person. In this process,
when a traveler completes his treat-
ment which means cessation of his
medicine (opium or opium tincture
and all other types of medicine) he
remains in the same legion or group
that he was from the start alongside
newcomers. (Dezhakam, Email
June 26, 2012)
When I say certain cure [full recov-
ery] what I mean is one who has
completed treatment within Con-
gress 60 and is no longer taking any
medicine of any kind and he feels
well. He has no craving at all. If a
heroin user fulfilled treatment pe-
riod at Congress 60 (with opium
tincture and DST method), he can
stay in a warehouse full of heroin at
night and go to sleep easily.
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(Dezhakam, Email October 30,

2017)
I believe medical treatment and re-
covery are two sides of a coin which
together constitute cure. But things
happened in a way that these two
(treatment and recovery) became
separated. The key to solve this sit-
uation is to combine medical treat-
ment and recovery once more.
(Dezhakam, Email July 22, 2017)
Recovery (Three Stage Physical
and Spiritual Journey)
During the first journey, the three
processes of maintenance, treat-
ment and recovery begin at the
same time. After approximately 11
months of maintenance and treat-
ment come to an end, recovery con-
tinues. In the second journey,
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training and recovery are blended

with physical exercise and activity
such as sports competitions, and
gradually the individual becomes
familiar with his inner dormant
strengths. The third journey is a
never-ending process of under-
standing the order and mystery of
our universe. This stage involves a
spiritual journey beyond time and
place that each of us deals with
throughout our lives. Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
Recovery Celebrations
I congratulate the recovery celebra-
tion in the U.S. and hail those who
are participating and hosting these
events. Such movements steer the
positive and negative forces toward
equilibrium and make divine forces

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stronger than the vices that, in the

case of narcotics addiction and al-
coholism, destroy people and their
respective families. It cheers me up
when I hear about these events or
picture their images in my mind. My
heart soars and then I feel and un-
derstand that living a joyous life
without alcohol and narcotics in
long-term recovery is possible.
(Dezhakam, Email September 14,
2015)
You are familiar with our Wednes-
days within Congress 60. Travelers
from all over the country attend
Academy branch with their re-
spected guides in order to receive a
token of addiction revivification in a
special ceremony. Last Wednesday
(23rd of August) we had 101 indi-
viduals who completed their first
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travel. We had 23 members of Wil-

liam White legions who achieved
smoking cessation as well. This
ceremony usually takes 3 to 4
hours. (Dezhakam, Email August
28, 2017)
These people [those attending re-
covery celebrations in Congress
60] do not come to see me! They
have come to see an impossible
change turn into the possible; they
and their family’s disbelief has
turned to absolute belief. They have
closed and dismissed their addic-
tion case forever with this scientific
treatment. They have come to see
that they are out of addiction dark-
ness, and I am only the mirror which
reflects their revival. They stand as
the living proof of addiction cure.
(Dezhakam, Email April 7, 2014)
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Recovery (Challenges within)

The wrong road is the apparently
easy road which will eventually lead
one into flames of destruction. The
right road, however, appears diffi-
cult but will lead the person into a
green oasis. Thus, with every hard-
ship comes joy and comfort.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Every human being confronts prob-
lems and difficulties during his life
span. It is only we who can alter our
point of view to accept these diffi-
culties as a curse or a bliss! My
master told me once: “A great sor-
row can push a person to the high-
est point of humanity or to the low-
est.” (Dezhakam, Email June 15,
2021)

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Recovery (Financial)
You must become financially strong
on earth; not to show off or for lei-
surely spending, but to finance your
aims and pave the way for future
goals. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Recovery Journalism
We are those who will write to the
very end and when our time is up
we will leave this world while we are
holding a pen in our hand and im-
mediately continue what we are do-
ing in another world. (Dezhakam,
Email December 14, 2021)
Recovery (Karma within)
Life is a bittersweet game; a very
calculated game where the scale of
justice is trying to adjust fairly at all

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times; karma is a justice dispensing

machine. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Recovery Leadership
A leader in other organizations
leads through thoughts; however, a
recovery leader must rule the
hearts. In other words, manage-
ment of other organizations can
make changes by issuing edicts,
raising salaries, or through disci-
pline, but a recovery leader must
communicate with affection within
and without. (Dezhakam, 2019
Blog)
…a leader must have proper capa-
bilities and capacity. Every poor
person who receives a huge
amount of money in an instant may
lack the capacity to adapt to that
money or fame and can be easily
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destroyed. This is exactly why early

AA and NA recovery leaders
warned the next generations that
they must avoid some issues to be
safe. I have known recovery lead-
ers who were so kind, humble, and
spiritual. They were always with
their people, but once they became
famous, they changed! People
couldn't meet them easily anymore.
They hired secretaries and it wasn't
easy to have meetings with them.
They asked a lot of money for their
time, and, at last, they hurt their
group. They steered their group to
darkness. (Dezhakam, 2019 Blog)
A leader must have a long-term vi-
sion. A wise man once said: if you
are looking to get results within
three months, then plant greens, to-
mato, or watermelon. If you are
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looking for results in one year, then

grow sheep. If you are looking to
get results within 10 years, then
plant a tree. However, if you are
planning to educate a human, then
plan for 100 years. Therefore, our
job requires a long time and is con-
tinuous. We will hit challenges and
obstacles along the way for sure.
But success will embrace us in the
end. (Dezhakam, 2019 Blog)
Recovery leaders must be spiritual
leaders as well. Thus, ethics play a
unique role in a recovery leader. In
my opinion, a recovery leader must
not hunger! A hungry ego is incorri-
gible. A person could be poor but
not hunger (desiring more and
more) at the same time. Beware of
those with hungry eyes! They will
never get satisfied! They have
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eaten all the foods and they are dy-

ing of fullness! Still, they are looking
for more to eat! They are like some-
one who has stopped smoking her-
oin 20 years ago, but for the past 20
years their thoughts and eyes have
been fixed on heroin. After 20 years
of sobriety, they still dream about
Heroin! They suffer from a hungry
ego. (2019 Blog)
Supporting other political or reli-
gious groups is a devastating mis-
take which is like an earthquake for
a recovery organization. For in-
stance: if the leader of recovery or-
ganization is in favor of blue color,
then the fans of red color will be
against him and vice versa. We
need to be friends with blue and red
or in other words with all regardless
of political or religious views or
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other ways humans divide them-

selves. The obligation of a non-gov-
ernmental organization (NGO) is to
help people without taking sides.
(2019 Blog)
Recovery Leadership Succes-
sion
What if one day I am not here?
What happens? Will my absence
weaken Congress 60? Thus, I have
planned Congress 60 in a way that
it can continue its living even with-
out me. This burden rests on the
Dideban’s [governing council]
shoulders. They will announce the
next guardian. And even now my
successor is chosen. If for any rea-
son I am not here, my successor
takes over. (Dezhakam, Email Au-
gust 31, 2016)

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I was thinking about this issue [nur-

turing future leaders] from the day I
established Congress 60. Fourteen
Watchmen of Congress 60 who are
board directors of Congress 60 are
the leaders who have been educat-
ing and learning for the past 15
years. Also, the Guides and Co-
guides are middle rank leaders
whom I have educated--thousands
of them. Congress 60 is always oc-
cupied with nurturing teachers,
mentors, middle rank leaders, and
high-ranking leaders. (Dezhakam,
Email October 18, 2014)
Recovery Movement
This movement is like a small circle
which spirals. It will reach the
proper point and bring emphasis on
tolerance, respect, compassion, lis-
tening without judging, humility,
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honesty, forgiveness, gratitude,

and service. (Dezhakam, Email No-
vember 7, 2018)

Recovery Research (Promise of)

We have great scholars (in the

fields of engineering, recovery, so-
ciology, medical, psychology, ge-
netics, etc.) in Iran and they are will-
ing to cooperate in our research
studies on addiction treatment and
recovery. We can transfer the
knowledge on DST method and OT
with their help and support to oth-
ers. (Dezhakam, Emial June 9,
2018)

Recovery Pessimism
A false belief is prevailing among
addicts that addiction is incurable,
addicts are born addicts and they

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will die as addicts, or that addiction

is a mysterious, progressive, and
incurable illness. We must break
this belief. (Dezhakam, Email,
March 20, 2019)
Recovery (Second Chances
within)

If the individual stops their immoral

actions and moves towards virtues,
God gives the person a second
chance to make up for the all the
wrongdoings. Maybe even the
death of the individual is delayed
giving him more time. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)

Recovery (Self-disclosure in)

Sometimes if you reveal something

you’re not supposed to, you can
cause damage and make the
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situation worse than it already is.

Every word has its own place and
right timing makes a huge differ-
ence. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)

Recovery Space

Psyche and worldview require

space to grow. This space really
matters. This space could be de-
structive or positive. This space can
grow addiction, or it can nurture re-
covery. I have called this area or
space the setting of addiction. It
seems to me that recovery space is
a much better name for it. Setting
has two dimensions which is length
and width, but space is a better
name since it includes height too.
Now let’s call it recovery space--still
we require a setting or road to move
in this space. As Jesus said: A gar-
dener sowed on stones and nothing
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happened, he sowed on grass and

birds ate the seeds. He sowed on
shallow water and some seeds
grew a bit but it wasn’t enough. In
the end, he sowed on a proper land,
and he received a great bounty.
(Dezhakam, Email March 16, 2020)

Recovery (Stages/Spheres of)

It will take about 11 months to re-
cover along with a complete over-
haul of thinking and looking at the
world with a change of perception.
Each person must try to achieve
mental and physical balance simul-
taneously so that opioid production
system within the body returns to
normal function together with a
healthy, normal lifestyle.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)

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We are still evolving and every

realm [stage or recovery] has its
own agendas. (Dezhakam, White
Eagle)

The combination of different meth-

ods without prejudice [in achieving
recovery] can yield effective results.
Since Congress 60 is utilizing NA
structure for initial group therapy
combined with other philosophical,
psychological, and physiological
materials, sports, etc., it can be
vivid evidence of this. If we could
utilize different combinations our
successes will escalate. In some
countries, the D.S.T method could
be used to initiate recovery and
when the recovery process is stabi-
lized, then NA (or any other
method) could be used as another
resource to support long-term

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recovery. (Dezhakam, Email Febru-

ary 27, 2017)

Recovery (Turbulence Within)

Life is a mixture of good and bad,

beauty and ugliness, health and ill-
ness. We must learn how to surf
these waves of life. Sometimes we
feel rage and the heavy waves drag
us under, and other times we are
surfing the waves like light straw.
This is happening so that we will
learn how to surf the waves of life.
(Dezhakam, Email March 14, 2022)

Recovery University
About the international university
[being developed by Congress 60],
I must say that my main focus is on
long term recovery. To succeed, we
must have education in medicine,
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psychiatry, philosophy, and spiritu-

ality. I mean all the liberal arts must
be included in long term recovery.
Dezhakam, Email May 19, 2020)
Relapse
Why did they relapse? Why did they
go back to addiction after suffering
immensely? Does anyone know the
reason? Everyone says that they
had psychological issues or that
they were selfish or lacked will
power. These answers are not true
at all. I say: physical imbalance or
bodily dysfunctions. (Dezhakam,
Crossing the Zone)

Take a toy from a baby and he

cries. Give it back and the crying
stops! The crying will stop if we give
him a better toy! This law applies to
adults but is slightly different. If we
take away drugs and offer nothing
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or something worse in return, re-

lapse will occur since the toy is
missing. But what if we offer some-
thing better? I believe nothing in this
world can replace drugs for a drug
user– money, job, fun, god, religion,
or love. None of them can serve as
a substitute for drugs. The only sub-
stitution is the natural opioids of the
body, which are a hundred times
stronger than the outside narcotics!
This is not a joke! It is a fact re-
vealed only to those addicts who
have repaired their X system with
the DST method and OT. What ad-
diction treatment experts are nam-
ing “relapse because of craving or
temptation” is simply a need and
one can’t neglect a need for long.
There is a huge difference between
craving and need.

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Relationships in Recovery

Relationships fall into three differ-

ent categories: 1) the quality of re-
lationship with self, 2) the quality of
relationship with people around the
individual, and 3) the quality of rela-
tionship with community, society,
and one's whole existence. We
must first teach the individual how
to forgive and love oneself. Each
must learn how to accept the con-
sequences of his previous actions
and to realize that past attributes
and actions do not have to dictate
the future of one's life in recovery.
We then teach our members to stop
blaming family members or friends
for their failures. We must learn how
to keep everything in balance. Even
loving and caring for others must be
balanced. Loving is like raining. If it
rains too much then we will have
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flooding and destruction, and if it

does not rain then we will face
drought. We must learn to keep the
balance in our relationships with
those around us to be happy. That
requires learning to count on our-
selves. And we each must ask what
we have done for the community
and the society that we are living in.
(Dezhakam, 2021 Blog)

Religion and Spirituality Distinc-

tion

If instead of biopsychosocial, they

[addiction professionals] would use
“biopsychospiritual,” then it would
become more comprehensible. But
integrating the word spirituality has
a problem, and that is that many
people do not believe in God so
bring a bias against spirituality in
treatment. That is why there is not a
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firm place for words like spirituality,

God, and love in today’s psychol-
ogy. The situation is better at the
U.S., but in Europe the bias against
these words is firm. We need to
speak to the addict and find out his
thoughts about himself, his family,
and the universe and how his neg-
ative and how their thinking and
pessimism are steering them to-
wards destruction. This third com-
ponent which is affected by addic-
tion is thoughts and I call it the
worldview [rather than spirituality].
This worldview is what has been
tagged spirituality in AA and NA.
(Dezhakam, Email March 19, 2016)

People with different religions,

races, and ethnicities are coming to
Congress 60, and we never ask
them about their religion and be-
liefs. I wrote the 14 Valleys in a way
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that it makes no difference whether

the newcomer is religious or impi-
ous. In Congress 60 everyone is
free to believe in something or not;
with one condition which is never to
insult or mock others. In our coun-
try, most people are Muslims thus
the Ramadan is being held at Con-
gress 60 and fasting is educative
and it brings many benefits to our
members. If I would claim Congress
60 is only for Muslims it would be
like saying that the microbe discov-
ery was meant for Christians only! If
I had established Congress 60 for
Muslims only then it would never
spread throughout the world.
(Dezhakam, Email August 31,
2016)
Religion means rules and precepts,
and spirituality means the path to
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the truth and rightness; it means

knowledge of oneself, creation and
the universe and its creator and
eventually intellect’s command.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Religions are not the actual objec-
tive or goal; they are a set of pre-
cepts for humanity. When humans
received all the rules and regula-
tions, they must implement them in
their daily lives. This means moving
from mere words to action, which is
what we call spirituality.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Wherever there is precious jewelry
and diamonds, there are bandits
and thieves determined to steal
them. The diamond of religion has
been stolen by ignorant, greedy op-
portunists who from centuries of

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deviation from the path of truth have

buried the true meaning of religion
and its source. Their superstitions
and narrow mindedness have put a
dark layer around the light of reli-
gion and made the light very dim.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
At Ramadan everyone is active in
Congress 60, some are cooking,
some are distributing the cooked
food, some are washing the dishes,
some are helping financially, and
everyone at a specified hour starts
eating together. Thus, in my opinion
Ramadan in Congress 60 is not
only a religious matter but a social
cooperation, we have no religious
or political tendency. We have peo-
ple of different religions here in
Congress 60 and also we have peo-
ple who have no belief, but in
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Ramadan they cooperate together

and they help each other and they
eat with each other, for they know
Ramadan in Congress 60 is a
month of doing self-analysis and
learning. (Dezhakam, Email July
30, 2014)
A wise man once said: “Anyone
who comes through this door (a
sanctuary) shall be fed, so don't ask
about his faith”. We believe that an-
yone who seeks help from Con-
gress60 must be given assistance
regardless of religion, ethnicity,
race, language, or nationality. We
even do not require his surname
and address. Furthermore, there is
no compliance to any one religion
or ideology in Congress 60; the Su-
preme Power is the higher authority
here; everyone is free to interpret
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this power for himself or herself. If

one is not interested or does not be-
lieve, they are welcome as well. We
also do not follow any political view
and all members from various reli-
gions, beliefs, and political parties
co-exist in harmony in Congress 60
and respect one another. Religious
and political discussions are prohib-
ited in our meetings. (Dezhakam,
Email June 25, 2011)
Resisting Forces of Destruction
Do you think the army of ignorance,
hatred, vengeance, deception, ar-
rogance, selfishness, material ob-
session, and fear will tolerate love’s
triangle and permit it to send and re-
ceive its messages? Do you think
they will allow love’s forces, includ-
ing compassion, forgiveness,

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friendship, sacrifice, honesty, brav-

ery, and integrity, to operate freely?
How could a human being under
the crushing influence of alcoholism
and drug addiction hear the beauty
of love’s waves or even send them?
Residents: how could anyone stop
these destructive waves so they
can hear the sound of love? With
knowledge, awareness, and wis-
dom. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Responsibility in Recovery
We have to understand that having
free will means we take responsibil-
ity for our actions and not leave
them to god. If we want to come out
of darkness, we must work hard
and move towards that direction
ourselves. (Dezhakam, 2011)

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Lots of people think of heaven as

the wonderful garden and do a
transaction with God so that they
can go to that heaven and never
have to work for anything.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
The process of life contains
change, transformation, and eman-
cipation. Transforming from one
form, shape, and phase into an-
other and emancipation from one
stage of creation to another stage
entitle the human being to achieve-
ments and accomplishments that
are attained through training, edu-
cation, knowledge, and experience.
Ultimately, we’re nothing but our
own efforts. (Dezhakam, White Ea-
gle)

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You must try very hard to fulfill your

duty in this world, which is like an
examination. If you pass with good
grades, you are very happy.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Whatever befalls a human is the re-
sult of his own actions and inten-
tions. Every human being must find
his rightful place through
knowledge; if he is not happy with
that standing, then he should start a
journey of positive transformation
which is both easy and difficult. This
is justice. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
For redemption, we must rely on
ourselves and utilize our inner
strengths, a powerful giant that is
not yet awake. On our journey, we
awaken this sleeping giant gradu-
ally and once fully awake, it means

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the resurrection of the individual.

We must fully accept the responsi-
bility of our addiction and realize
that we have done all these dam-
ages to ourselves and make no one
else responsible for our actions.
(Dezhakam, Crossing the Zone)
Humanity must know that there is a
price to pay for achieving peace,
comfort, happiness, and love. And
finally, we must know that to gain all
those beautiful things, we must only
rely on ourselves and no one else.
If we do not tend to this purification
ourselves, there is not a single
method or remedy that will guaran-
tee the end results. No one can ar-
rive at virtues through vices.
(Dezhakam, 2011)

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If we always attend to our affairs

and responsibilities, we can
achieve internal bliss. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)
You shall find the key yourself. If the
person doesn’t do the seeking him-
self, all the expert researchers can’t
help him find it. (Dezhakam, White
Eagle)
Romantic/Sexual Relations (in
Addiction and Recovery)
In the early days of Congress 60
men and women were participating
the same meetings. Unfortunately,
we faced many problems. A poem
comes to mind: I am drunk and you
are mad! Who is gonna take us
home now? A stronger recovery
was achieved when we separated
men and women. And they were
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allowed to bring their families with

them only.
Nowadays men travelers don’t
even know female travelers as they
are using different buildings. We
have seven centers for women, and
we are increasing them.
Recoverees must be focused on re-
covery. Especially during the first
year, the recoveree must avoid
nourishing too much attention to
other aspects like finances, politics,
finding the love of their life, sexual
relationships, etc.
Rules of Life/Recovery
This life and the process of living
consist of certain laws. Ignoring
these laws or disobeying them can
lead to misfortunes, sickness,

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poverty, madness, and destruction.

(Dezhakam, The Blissful State)
There are certain rules which I try to
mention in order of importance:
1. The individual must settle his or
her debts, whether financial or spir-
itual.
2. He or she must refrain from in-
dulging in vices and move gradually
towards virtues.
3. We must serve humanity and
creation as much as we can and
love everything and everyone.
4. Gradually, we must leave the
dark world of ignorance and move
closer to knowledge and light.

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5. We must live in the moment, ap-

preciating the present. (Dezhakam,
The Blissful State)
An important point here is that
these laws [of life] are misused by
dark or satanic forces for their self-
ish gains. You could say they are
misrepresented and that a role re-
versal has taken place. Although
these laws are meant for better-
ment of humanity, they are being
used to abuse, oppress, and con-
fine people by monopolization of re-
ligion and exclusiveness of God or
spirituality by deceptive opportun-
ists. (Dezhakam, The Blissful State)
Self-knowledge (Role in Recov-
ery)
We know very well that if a person
himself doesn’t search for the real
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subject, all the experts in the world

can’t help him. (Dezhakam, 2011)
Serenity (in Recovery)
We are constantly experiencing hell
and heaven at every breath; when
we are at peace with ourselves, we
are in paradise, and you can guess
the opposite. The interesting point
here is that all of us must pass
through hell in order to arrive at
heaven. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)
Service to Others / Volunteerism
(Role in Recovery)
You must regain your previous re-
spect and status for your own sake
and not for others. You must have
to give; generosity will bear its fruit.
(Dezhakam, White Eagle)

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Maybe this is a bit surprising, but

we [Congress 60] have no paid
staff. All the positions are filled by
part-time volunteers who include
Didehban, Marzban, Guides, and
Assistant Guides, their numbers
are more than 300 hundred.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
Those who are constantly giving to
charities or at least pay their alms
from what they gain materially or
spiritually, are like a clean, fresh
spring full of energy and joy. Those
who pay nothing from their income
to charities and want everything for
themselves or their families are like
a sand desert that has no plant in it.
They always fear the desert storm
because they have not planted an-
ything to protect them from the
storm. (Dezhakam, 2011)
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

A great sage once said: hands that

offer assistance are more sacred
than lips which say prayers. Wor-
ship lies only in serving others, not
in prayers, customs, and religious
ceremonies. (Dezhakam, White Ea-
gle)
If addiction treatment advocates
around the world could achieve or
come up with a true treatment
method capable of curing addicts,
then these truly treated and recov-
ered people will return the favor in a
way that no other governmental or
non-governmental parties would or
could! (Dezhakam, Email June 9,
2020)
When we decide to start a new
building for Congress 60, since we
have all sorts of people with

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different occupations, this is what

happens: One person donates
bricks, another donates plaster, or
girder. One takes care of electricity,
another handles the paperwork or
the administrative process. The
sum of these things declares the
sociality of a NGO. (Dezhakam,
Email September 16, 2019)
Helping others within Congress 60
is an ethical core. There is a prevail-
ing belief within Congress 60 that:
Others planted and we ate. We
must now plant so others can be
fed. This is our way of saying that
others helped us to gain our health
and we must now serve others on a
voluntary basis. (Dezhakam, 2018
Blog)

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Smoking Cessation (in Recov-

ery)
On Early Attitudes toward smok-
ing in Congress 60: 95% of Con-
gress60 members (travelers) are
smokers with the average of 20 cigs
per day. The brand that almost eve-
ryone smokes in Congress60 is
light, slims cigarette with very low
amount of tar and nicotine. Interest-
ingly, this is the same brand that I
smoke! So far, the only attempt
done to reduce harmful effects of
smoking in Congress60 is harm re-
duction which is changing the ciga-
rette brand into a less dangerous
brand and also tapering the number
of cigarettes smoked per day. How-
ever, we have yet to implement a
program for those who wish to quit

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smoking for good. Dezhakam,

Email October 5, 2011)
You will recall that before my heart
stroke you spoke about smoking.
You even mentioned that you
couldn't watch your friends die be-
cause of smoking anymore. I didn't
take it seriously then. I even men-
tioned that smoking had some ben-
efits! All the experts researched on
the disadvantages of smoking, I ig-
nored. Then my heart attack hap-
pened. When I was at CCU (cardiac
care unit) your words flitted through
my mind and I used the DST
method for smoking. I used nicotine
gum for this cause just like for nar-
cotics. Tremendous results were
achieved. I named smoking cessa-
tion legions [support meetings] after
William White because of our
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debates on smoking cessation. I did

it to value our friendship and your
awareness about this issue. I am
certain that the DST method and
nicotine gum shall remain the best
method regarding smoking cessa-
tion perpetually. Today everyone
believes within Congress 60 that
smoking cessation fulfills the addic-
tion treatment. (Dezhakam, Email
October 16, 2017)
My experiences on alcohol, narcot-
ics, drugs, and nicotine addiction
shows that the professionals have
missed an important fundamental
and scientific point on this matter. I
believe we won’t reach the certain
addiction cure unless we pay atten-
tion to this important matter [nico-
tine addiction and the import of

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smoking cessation]. (Dezhakam,

2012)
Hopefully with your diligence,
smoking cessation will be merged
into addiction treatment advocates.
Along this road I am staying by your
side and am ready to do any neces-
sary actions or research. Smoking
cessation turned into a serious mat-
ter within Congress 60. Members
look down on those second travel-
ers who are still smoking cigarettes.
(Dezhakam, Email, April 22, 2017)
Those who smoke within Congress
60 are not granted any responsibil-
ities and, from the Congress 60’s
viewpoint, the smoker is still an ad-
dict. (Dezhakam, Email June 6,
2016)

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Social Relations in Recovery

When you associate with a nega-
tive, immoral individual, they will in-
spire the negative attributes within
you. If you associate with a virtuous
person, they will inspire and teach
you virtues. That is the reason why
we are advised not to approach the
wicked tree, meaning to not get
close to wicked creatures. If we do,
we will be guided to the depths of
misfortune and suffering.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
Human beings who are after de-
struction and vices even though
they have received the optimum
trainings are strangers to love and
kindness. These individuals should
be given plenty of opportunities to
make amends, If they still insist on

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their ways, they must be left alone

till a point when their mentalities
change for the better. (Dezhakam,
2011)
Sports (Role in Recovery)
The Congress 60 sports complex
has more than 14 fields of sports
and was selected as the best sport
complex among 7500 sport com-
plexes of Iran. We received an
award for it. (Dezhakam, October
30, 2017)
The sport association of Congress
60 conducts annual sports Olym-
pics for the revived drug users who
are now competing athletes. There
are different sports competitions in-
cluding soccer, volleyball, rugby,
archery, badminton, table tennis
and traditional body building. It
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should be mentioned that Congress

60’s archery, rugby, dart, and tradi-
tional body building teams have
made it up to the National Levels.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
A healthy body is the main benefit
of sports. Sufficient movement re-
duces illness. Sports fill the free
time properly.
Sports can bring people closer.
Sports provide a joint goal (compe-
tition). Don’t forget the great feel-
ings caused by sports. Sports are
mandatory within Congress 60 for
members and their families. Con-
gress 60’s participation in competi-
tive sports is the main means of
conveying the power of the DST
method to the world. Seeing people
who were once addicted perform as
world-class athletes stuns the
world! (Dezhakam, 2018 Blog)
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Sports activities are vital in gaining

a healthy physical and mental bal-
ance and in achieving a cheerful
personality alongside restoring the
production of the body’s natural opi-
oid substances. (Dezhakam, 2011)

My philosophy regarding the role of

sports in curing drug addiction is
that it is best achieved as a gradual
approach, with light activity in the
beginning and full force after suc-
cessful treatment and in recovery.
A wise one once said “if you can,
teach others how to love and serve;
if not, give them hope. If there is
nothing else you can do for them, at
least make them busy; because do-
ing nothing is the source of all cor-
ruptions.” In Congress 60, I have
made two concepts clear to my stu-
dents for them to always remember
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in life. First is continuing their edu-

cation, and the other is involvement
in physical exercise or a field in
sports. (Dezhakam in White, 2012)

In Congress 60, sports are usually

taken up seriously after the treat-
ment process and in recovery. I be-
lieve that every human being must
take up some sort of a physical ex-
ercise to maintain good health and
avoid the regular trips to the doctor.
It is the most valuable, healthy, and
yet cheapest form of entertainment
available for humanity and a key
factor in preventing revived addicts
from going back into addiction.
(Dezhakam in White, 2012)

Dear friend, perhaps it is still unbe-

lievable for most people that former
drug abusers after treatment com-
pletion can play a tough game like
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rugby. These triumphs are a strong

testimony to the power of X theory,
the DST method and a true pro-
longed recovery. In compound ar-
chery (50 meters) our archers (lady
co-travelers) gained first and third
place in competition within the Teh-
ran province. (Dezhakam, Email
May 12, 2018)

Stigma (of Addiction/Recovery)

The addiction problem gets atten-

tion through dramatized images,
but the recovery story is missing.
That is why the world is drowning in
the addiction swamp. Thinking
about illness will bring illness, one
who thinks about misery will find
misery and someone who is think-
ing about despair will gain despair.
All together I believe thinking nega-
tively or negativism will get us
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closer to the downfall and thinking

positively or hope will steer our lives
toward peace and a prosperous life.
Therefore, recovery means hope,
peace, positivism, and eventually
exiting darkness toward light and
living at peace. (Dezhakam, Email
September 23, 2015)

The prevailing idea is that an ad-

dicted person is a dirty and pathetic
thief who is filled with vices! Accord-
ing to this belief, one must avoid
those who are addicted. We must
abandon or exile them or even de-
stroy (kill) them all. Society treats
them like criminals. Although the
consequences of addiction may
force those who are not financially
gifted into criminal activities or ne-
glecting health status, this is not
common among all people who are
addicted. An addicted person is not
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a criminal. Wrong reactions of soci-

ety are transforming them into crim-
inals. (Dezhakam & White, 2022)

I believe the root of addiction tree

rests in brain neurons and if we
pass this stage (understanding this
fully and trying to cure addiction
with restoring neurons) then all the
recovery advocates will experience
a giant leap. Then and only then will
we be able to clear the addiction
stigma [that addiction is a question
of morality or a mysterious dis-
ease]. It gets even harder when so-
ber addicts after years of sobriety
consider themselves as less than
normal. (Dezhakam, Email Febru-
ary 18, 2020)

I was a guest to a TV program in

which I started defending drug us-
ers and challenging the current
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methods of treating them. The host

asked me now that you have intro-
duced yourself as a former addict,
does it bother you that people are
going to humiliate you? I looked at
him and then I turned to the lens of
camera and said: “I don’t want peo-
ple to respect me! I will make them
respect me by my acts and man-
ners. I remember the day that a
simple soldier arrested me with hu-
miliation for being an addict, how-
ever, today the chief of police or
even the minister of Iran respects
and praises me.” All the people in
recovery must act in a way that the
societal attitude changes toward
them. We must be able to show the
Dr. Jekyll to them. (Dezhakam,
Email February 18, 2020)

What can break these stigmas?

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1. We shouldn’t separate ourselves

from normal people and we shall
never assume that we differ from
them.
2. We should never curse in our
speaking.
3. We must dress nicely and
cleanly.
4. We should show gratitude to
those who are helping us.
5. We must never blame friends,
families and professionals for our
problems.
6. We must accept that we are re-
sponsible for our troubles in life.
(Dezhakam, Email May 19, 2018)

It is because of recovery that we

were able to transfer this message
that addicts can return to society
and even be the best in their tasks.
(Dezhakam, April 22, 2017)

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Suffering

There is a reason and a purpose

behind every event; calamities and
great sufferings are not always the
source of misfortunes or misery.
Sufferings and misfortunes can
lead human beings to highest or
lowest of human and divine
achievements. (Dezhakam, Email
May 14, 2011)

Supreme Force (Role in Recov-

ery)

Maybe some of us don’t have faith

in this force, but if we look deep
within our hearts, we can feel its
presence; seek and we shall find.
This can play an important role in
our redemption and good health.
(Dezhakam, 2011)

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While traversing the different

stages of our life journey, we must
do the best we can, but ultimately
rely on god’s grace for assistance.
We must constantly remember that
the supreme force is the manifesta-
tion of everything and seek his guid-
ance and compassion in all cala-
mites. (Dezhakam, 2011)

Thinking/Thoughts (Role in Re-

covery)

The first step in creation is a

thought or an idea. (Dezhakam,
2011)

Maybe thinking seems like an easy

or difficult thing to do but it is avail-
able to all without cost, and it is the
key factor in the start of the journey
from darkness towards light.
(Dezhakam, 2011)
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We must devise a careful plan to

defeat addiction—a precise, calcu-
lated plan, with no turning back.
(Dezhakam, 2011)

Real ideas turn into action; other-

wise, they are just fantasies.
(Dezhakam, 2011)

We shouldn’t underestimate the at-

traction of drugs and dark forces;
they will be disguised in the most
beautiful forms to enter our
thoughts and once again enslave
our wisdom. (Dezhakam, 2011)

Time (Required for Recovery)

We forget the factor of time. Take

recovering from drug addiction as
an example. Someone has used
drugs for 20 years but thinks he can
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quit it overnight and others expect

him to do so as well. Changes and
transformations in the physical
realm can only take place gradually
and need time. (Dezhakam, White
Eagle)

Now if someone says that they can

help an addict who has used drugs
for 5 years quit in 20 days and be in
perfect conditions; it is like saying
that they can bring a human fetus
into life within 20 days. (Dezhakam,
Crossing the Zone)

Just as dirty and polluted water is

turned into clean and pure water by
purification, to transform a de-
pressed, disturbed person into a
calm, cheerful individual, there’s
only one way and that is through
cleansing and purification. This is
not done instantaneously; it cannot
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be done in one day or through a

magical chant or potion or through
a miracle. It takes time and is grad-
ual. It can only be accomplished
through the proper training and ed-
ucation and by gaining the neces-
sary experience, awareness, and
deep reflection. (Dezhakam, 2011)

The seeds of vices which we

planted in the past will inevitably
grow in our farm and we must be
patient and weed them out gradu-
ally. (Dezhakam, The Blissful State)

We don’t have the power to keep

time still; conditions always change.
We are like a flowing river; if we
stop, we will turn into a swamp.
(Dezhakam, The Blissful State)
Be patient and give this enough
time. We are proposing a gradual
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approach as there is a long way to

go. Time is needed for your mind
and body to find their strength and
health once again. (Dezhakam,
White Eagle)

Begin your task from one point and

it shall lead you to the next stage
and eventually you can achieve
goals that are beyond your concep-
tion. (Dezhakam, White Eagle)

Tolerance

Imagine that we cannot run for a

hundred meters now! Our hearts
and lungs lack the capacity or toler-
ance. However, if we practice daily,
gradually after six months or a year
our hearts and lungs will get to a
point where we can even run long
distances. “Tolerance point” has a
pivotal role in all aspects of our
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lives. It plays a key role when we

want to achieve successful addic-
tion treatment!
As an effect of prolonged drug use,
the tolerance for drugs increases,
and that is why the need to use
more is created! This process is re-
versible. We just need time and a
proper method! Changing doses
must take place every 21 days. If a
drug user knows his tolerance for
drugs– meaning how much his
body requires to perform on a daily
basis – then he has started treat-
ment without even knowing it! Now
this individual can start tapering
and lower his tolerance point for
drugs in time, maybe even he
reaches complete cessation! Simi-
larly, we can also increase our

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tolerance for troubles and unpleas-

ant events in life.
Tree Planting Ritual within Con-
gress 60

In the twelfth valley, each revived

addict must plant a tree annually
and after planting they must take
care of it. This move (tree planta-
tion) could be imagined as an act of
making amends for the addiction
period and a way of thanksgiving for
addiction revivification. (Dezhakam,
Email March 15, 2017)

The tree planting ceremony has be-

come very strong within Congress
60 and, this year we averaged 300
individuals in each branch partici-
pated in this ceremony. In Tehran,
4,500 saplings where planted. This
is an obligation that I have designed

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for all second travelers of Congress

60. They must plant at least one
tree each year and keep it safe. I
believe this is an obligation for all
the residents of planet earth to plant
a tree each year. This movement
can prevent further global warming.
(Dezhakam, March 20, 2019)

Trust (Rebuilding in Recovery)

We have to move in a positive di-

rection and carry out certain plans
so that others gradually trust us
again and change their views about
us. This can be done by doing de-
cent acts. When we believe in our-
selves, others will also believe in
us. (Dezhakam, 2011)

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Unity

Growth takes place in unity. If we

are connected, then our bonding
gets stronger and firm. We will flour-
ish by loving each other.
(Dezhakam, Email May 3, 2021)
Values in Recovery

Everyone admires values like hon-

esty, righteousness, helping others,
and so forth, and most people dis-
like lying, fraud, hurting others and
so forth. It is interesting that even
thieves tend to share the stolen
things based on justice or fairness!
They avoid lying and betraying
each other! Therefore, all human
beings are fond of good, and they
dislike evil. They are very aware
that good is good and evil is bad.
That is why I believe the work of
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Congress 60 is effective at every

culture with a small adjustment. Re-
covery values work across diverse
cultures. (Dezhakam, 2021 Blog)

Volunteerism

There are many non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) worldwide
that must maintain a paid staff to
operate, and I totally agree and un-
derstand this issue. People must
have an income to live comfortably.
However, I believe that it is better
for Congress 60 to operate on a vol-
unteer basis so that those who do
not need money enjoy the oppor-
tunity to serve with love and com-
passion. It is better that Congress
60 continues as it is so that it can
provide humanity the knowledge
that its members have gained
through suffering and pain. This
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

knowledge, which is available for all

people, NGOs, universities, and ac-
ademic centers, is gained by peo-
ple who have gone to hell and re-
turned. Everyone is welcome to use
any part of it that they think is ben-
eficial. I believe that if I pay salaries
to our staff, it will bring more harm
than good. (Dezhakam quoted in
White, 2012)

Willpower in Addiction/Recovery

A mistaken social stereotype is that

drug users lack will power and de-
termination and that’s why they re-
main addicted! This immoral think-
ing is based on ignorance. Drug us-
ers have will power and honor just
like other people. Although, addic-
tion weakens some human attrib-
utes, this doesn’t mean honesty
and integrity are completely
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

vanished in drug users. Quitting ad-

diction is not about will power, the
symptoms that a wrong method
forces on the body are so severe
that even a healthy human being is
incapable of tolerating them!
(Dezhakam & White, 2022)

Worldview (Role in Recovery)

During my treatment I realized that

to successfully treat drug addiction,
besides the physical body and psy-
che; we must pay attention to a third
component called worldview which
comprises our perceptions, outlook,
and view towards life in general.
(Dezhakam, 2011)

Worldview is the true perception of

life and living and how to use the
blessings of life. It means the tran-
sition from fear to courage, from
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humility to gratification, from igno-

rance to wisdom, and at last from
hatred to love. Worldview is the
transition of an unbalanced human
being into a balanced and respon-
sible one. The education of
worldview must be alongside with
recovery. The DST method frees
the body while worldview frees the
soul; both are nested in a fellowship
of shared experience and hope
(Dezhakam, Email, November 11,
2019)

Worldview is the proper teachings

to achieve a better living that we call
long term recovery. (Dezhakam,
Email March 2, 2020)

Worldview is a lost ring in addiction

treatment and recovery. Without it,
a true treatment and a stable recov-
ery is almost impossible.
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

(Dezhakam, Email November 11,

2019)

Worldview and its effects are com-

pletely different than psychological
interventions. Sadly, most experts
believe worldview is the same as
what they are doing under the title
of psychological interventions.
(Dezhakam, Email November 4,
2019)

When we are talking about

worldview, we must include the six
elements noted by Dr. Kurtz (Re-
lease, gratitude, humility, tolerance,
forgiveness, and being-at-home.)
(Dezhakam, Email January 9,
2020)

An individual must learn the

worldview teaching to learn how to
communicate with himself, family,
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

and the community. (Dezhakam,

Email December 14, 2021)

If our thoughts or worldview are like

a flower, we will be in a garden. If
our thoughts are like a thorn, then
we will be in a desert. (Dezhakam,
Email November 14, 2021)

A person addicted to drugs has lost

himself based on a wrong attitude
and way of thinking. They must
change their way of thinking. And
they can’t do that without proper ed-
ucation of worldview. (Dezhakam &
White, 2022)

Without actual changes in percep-

tion to achieve a healthy worldview,
one can’t cure addiction. That is
why we are saying to cure addiction
we must take care of body, psyche,

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

and worldview. (Dezhakam, Email

November 7, 2021)

Our physical and psychological

problems will be solved within a
reasonable time period, but our uni-
versal perception must change to-
wards ourselves, the people around
us, and our surrounding environ-
ment. This means that our view-
point, awareness, and knowledge
must be changed. (Dezhakam,
2011)

If addiction was only a physical or

psychological disease, then treat-
ment would be needed only in these
areas. However, there is extensive
damage done in another area,
which I have named worldview.
Worldview is the manner in which
the individual looks and perceives
himself, his family and friends, his
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

social circles and interactions, and

society. I believe the crisis faced by
an addict has three aspects to it;
this triangle has three sides, and all
three have been damaged and
must be repaired: the physical
body, the psyche, and worldview.
(Dezhakam in White, 2012)

An addict’s world is like a dark

prison; one feels trapped inside the
experiences of fear, anxiety, rage,
humiliation, and lack of identity. In
order to march towards light,
health, and freedom, the individual
must make a move. We call l it a
journey from fear to courage, from
anxiety to bliss, from rage to com-
passion, from humiliation to honor,
from sickness to health. (Dezhakim
in White, 2012)

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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

According to me, psyche is mood,

in other words, the combination of
behavior and thoughts. The key
point is that these elements are not
in balance in the addicted person.
To cure addiction, this balance
must be restored. To achieve that
we must address the psyche's two
pillars. The first is the body. In Con-
gress 60, we understand that the X
system [one's neurobiology] is out
of balance due to prolonged drug
use and is restored through our
DST method (the use of opium tinc-
ture titrated over 11 months). The
second pillar is what we refer to in
Congress 60 as one's worldview--
our thoughts, attitudes, and percep-
tions. Worldview plays a unique
role in addiction treatment and re-
covery. Without body repair and a
change in worldview, the cure of ad-
diction is not possible. To cure
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

addiction, we must take care of the

body, psyche, and worldview.
(Dezhakam, 2021 Blog)

The worldview has a profound ef-

fect on recovery from addiction. Re-
covery without worldview is like a
religion without a holy book or a
country without laws. I believe
worldview must help an individual
to get out of the darkness and pro-
vide one with self-confidence. It
provides the courage to do the im-
possible. It strengthens the bonds
between the person and the family.
It turns the weakest of us into the
strongest by teaching us how to be
human and how to speak with each
other. It is the key to regaining bal-
ance. (Dezhakam, 2021 Blog)

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Work

Working during the recovery pro-

cess depends on the treatment
method. In sudden withdrawal, one
might not even work for a few
months! It can be even more haz-
ardous in sensitive jobs—need fo-
cus and attention more—like driv-
ing. In medicine-based treatment, it
depends on the type of medicine,
and whether they affect awareness
or not. In the DST method with OT,
one can work even on the first day
of treatment initiation. Our travelers
can work but they must attend the
meetings (3 days a week, starting at
5 pm) during treatment.
When an individual reaches one
year after the treatment completion
milestone, he is told that if he has to
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 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

choose between his job and Con-

gress 60, he must choose to work.
If he must choose between his fam-
ily and Congress 60, he must
choose his family. Congress 60 val-
ues working and education above
all.

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References

Dezhakam, H. (1996) Crossing the

Zone 60 Degrees Below Zero.
Teran, Congress 60.

Dezhakam, H. (2013) The Blissful

State. Tehran, Congress 60.

Dezhakam, H. (2010) White Eagle.

Tehran, Congress 60.

Dezhakam, H. (2011). Love: Four-

teen Valleys for Recovery. Tehran,
Congress 60.

Dezhakam, H. (2018). Addiction as

a brain disease: Perspectives from
the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Blog)
Posted March 8, 2018, at

183
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

https://www.chest-
nut.org/Blog/Posts/252/William-
White/2018/3/Addiction-as-a-Brain-
Disease-Perspectives-from-the-Is-
lamic-Republic-of-Iran/blog-post/.

Dezhakam, H. (2019). Recovery

community organization leadership.
(Blog) posted September 3, 2019,
at https://www.chest-
nut.org/Blog/Posts/335/William-
White/2019/10/Recovery-Commu-
nity-Organization-Leadership/blog-
post/.

Dezhakam, H. (2021). Peer support

within an Iranian recovery commu-
nity. (Blog) Posted November 4,
2021, at https://www.chest-
nut.org/Blog/Posts/416/William-
White/2021/11/Peer-Support-
within-an-Iranian-Recovery-Com-
munity/blog-post/
184
 Little Book of Addiction Recovery

Dezhakam, H. (2021). The role of

worldview in addiction recovery:
Perspectives from Mr. Hossein

Dezhakam, Iran. (Blog) Posted De-

cember 30, 2021, at
https://www.chest-
nut.org/Blog/Posts/420/William-
White/2021/12/The-Role-of-
Worldview-in-Addiction-Recovery-
Perspectives-from-Mr-Hossein-
Dezhakam-Iran/blog-post/

Dezhakam, H. (2022). Innovations

in Addiction Treatment and Recov-
ery: The Story of Congress 60. Teh-
ran, Congress 60.

White, W. (2012). An addiction re-

covery community in the Islamic
Republic of Iran: An interview with
Mr. Hossein Dezhakam, Founder,
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Congress 60. Poasted at

https://www.chestnut.org/re-
sources/2329a25f-6865-4722-
8314-5f9d7e9d5859/2011-percent-
20Iran-percent-20Mr-percent-
20Hossein-percent-
20Dezhakam.pdf

186