Using "Zentangles" in Recovery

by Amanda Poggenburg, Program Specialist, Prevention & Recovery
The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

Zentangles. Some of you may be wondering what on earth that means. Zentangles can mean a great many things, depending on why you use them. They can be used to help relieve stress, increase hand / eye coordination, help you relax and focus, decorate your walls or desk, but they can also be used to help in your recovery. Before I get into how Zentangles can be used to assist in recovery, perhaps I should explain what they are. Zentangles are a way to increase focus, creativity, and sense of self. They are a way of making beautiful drawings by using repetitive patterns.

To draw a Zentangle, you start with a blank square of paper or cardstock. I prefer cardstock because it’s heavier and the ink from my pens and markers is less likely to bleed through. This is called a tile. It can be any size you like, but I always start with 3.5 x 3.5 inches.

Draw four dots in each corner of the tile and connect them any way you like, whether it’s with a straight line or wavy. I generally use Sharpie pens or ultra fine tip markers. The pens create a clean line, but the markers will sometimes blur, so watch out for that when choosing what to use. After creating your square, you “string” the square, meaning to draw lines throughout the square. I suggest starting with a “Z” across the tile. You can string the tile however you like, or not string the tile if that’s what you wish. After stringing the tile, you can choose a common tangle or create your own.

Then draw the tangle in one of the sections created by the string. Once you choose a tangle, use this to complete the section. After drawing Zentangles for a while, you w ill discover some favorite tangles that you might use in most of your drawings. After completing one section, you then move onto the others, using a different pattern for each section. When I first began drawing Zentangles, I used the basic “Z” string on a plain square tile and drew tangles with a basic black pen, but now I create my own tiles using colored cardstock and I use a variety of colors in my drawings, and sometimes I string my tile with loops and curves. I discovered how to express myself better the more I drew, and I can easily interpret my drawings.

The theory behind Zentangles is that anything is possible one stroke at a time. When you first see a Zentangle, you might think that it looks complicated and elaborate. You might think that you couldn’t possibly do something like this, but once you find out how it is done, through steps and simple designs, you’ll realize that what you thought was impossible is now actually quite possible. Zentangles teach ways of thinking, through drawing, that can then be applied to any life experience. When you see something that looks difficult or impossible, apply the theory of Zentangles and you’ll see that anything is possible, one stroke at a time, one step at a time.

Other things taught through drawing Zentangles are the use of deliberate strokes that contribute to the pattern, deliberate focus, not using an eraser, and not planning for how you want the picture to turn out. The purpose behind these methods is to apply them to life situations. Life does not have an eraser, so neither will Zentangles. If you make what might seem like a mistake, you can turn it into something else completely, create a new pattern and take a different direction. Focusing solely on what you are drawing and not planning an outcome lets your mind enter a meditative state, letting you draw without stress and without effort. Making deliberate strokes means that no matter how small a line you draw, it will always affect the pattern. In life, everything you do will affect your life’s pattern, and even someone else’s.

Zentangles can be used for a great many things, but for the purpose of this blog, I will focus on using Zentangles for your recovery. There are numerous techniques used in recovery, and I hope I am presenting one more that will be helpful. Meditation and journaling are two recovery techniques that are offered through Zentangles. The repetitive patterns let your mind focus and as you are drawing, you might find yourself thinking on certain issues and the more you draw, you will find yourself resolving some of these issues, or coming to see them in a different light. Looking back at your finished tiles, you might be able to see what you were thinking or what you concluded in the patterns drawn. This is the journaling aspect of Zentangles. After I finish a tile, I like to write on the back of the tile what I was thinking, what I concluded when I finished, or, if I didn’t actually conclude anything, things that I thought of that could help me resolve the issue. When I lead groups in drawing Zentangles, I also ask everyone in the group to write their thoughts and / or conclusions.

Sometimes drawing Zentangles is not even a matter of drawing to get your thoughts in order, but a matter of drawing to center yourself, to let go of stress, to increase your self-esteem. This is another way Zentangles can assist in recovery. Drawing something beautiful helps increase confidence and self-esteem. When I drew my first Zentangle, I was surprised at how beautiful it was. Of course it wasn’t beautiful in the typical sense, but as an abstract form of art, I was quite impressed. I never thought that I could draw well, and this suited my sense of order through repetitive actions and allowed me to discover something artistic in myself that I never expected. I now use Zentangles when I’m stressed, when I can’t go to sleep, when I am looking for inspiration, to help me focus and concentrate, or even just to relax and create something.

I would like to hear from anyone who has tried, whether it was before or after this blog, to draw Zentangles. Has it helped in your recovery? What do you use Zentangles for? If you would like to share, I would love to see your Zentangles.  You can email me at amanda@masscompulsivegambling.org.

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"Change Your Gambling. Change Your Life"

by Ryan Martin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University

During my time as the Thomas N. Cummings Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and Division on Addictions (Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School), I was afforded the opportunity to work with mentor and friend, Howard Shaffer, on a self-help book written to facilitate behavior change among people with gambling problems. Dr. Shaffer, associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Division on Addiction, is a pioneer in the field of disordered gambling.

My co-authors (Dr. Shaffer, John Kleschinsky, & Liz Neporent) and I are proud and excited to announce that “Change your gambling – Change your life” was published this past March. In our book, we provide accessible, clinically proven strategies for individuals who are interested in changing their gambling behavior (as well as other mental health issues) on their own. 

We wrote “Change your gambling – Change your life” using a non-confrontational approach.  In our book, we attempt to motivate individuals who are ambivalent about changing their gambling (and other mental health issues) to make changes.  We provide the reader with opportunities to set goals and consider the priorities in their life.  After articulating goals, we help the reader consider the positive and negative implications of changing or not changing their behavior.  If the reader decides that the benefits of changing outweigh the barriers, we provide them with clinically proven strategies to change their gambling.  By changing their gambling, we hope other aspects of their life will improve - including finances, relationships and health.

One tenet of “Change your gambling - Change your life” is that self-help can be successful and is often the preferred treatment option for individuals with gambling problems.  Research indicates that while some people with gambling problems change via formal treatment and/or self-help groups (e.g., Gamblers Anonymous), many others change on their own.  We wrote “Change your gambling - Change your life” with those people in mind. 

In addition to the finding that many people change without formal treatment, research also indicates that individuals with gambling problems often have co-occurring mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.  We developed “Change your gambling. Change your life” to target gambling and co-occurring problems simultaneously.  Specific chapters in the text provide self-help tools for (1) gambling and mood, (2) gambling and anxiety, (3) gambling and impulse control, and (4) gambling and substance use.

Finally, we know that relapse is common among those trying to change their behavior.  As a result, we provide strategies to avoid relapses and how to react when a “slip-up” occurs.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and they are contemplating changing their behavior, please consider reading and using the change strategies provided in “Change your Gambling – Change your Life”.

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Recovery is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

by Jim Wuelfing, Director of Prevention and Recovery, The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

On April 21, 2012, along with several members of the staff of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, I attended the International Gamblers Anonymous Spring Conference in Quincy, MA.  The theme of the conference, “Recovery is a Marathon, Not a Sprint” was both a nod to the fact that the Boston Marathon was run earlier that week and an important concept in recovery from gambling addiction.  Recovery from addiction is a process, not an event, and most people in recovery believe that it is a lifelong process that takes constant vigilance to avoid relapse.

As a person in long-term recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, I have been to numerous statewide and international AA conferences so I was looking forward to the experience and ready to learn how the GA conference would be similar and different from AA conferences.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the conference foyer was what a happy place it was.  People were warmly greeted, laughter abounded, friendships were renewed and people everywhere were celebrating each other and the joy of recovery.  I knew several GA members and everyone was happy to see me and glad that I was attending. 

I attended two of the morning sessions and both were wonderful.  The first was an overwhelming experience.  The topic was “Lost and Found” and participants spoke of what they lost through their gambling addiction and what they found in recovery. It was a standing room only crowd and the stories poignant, honest and often emotional.  Most people spoke of losing themselves and their relationships and finding a new way of life.  What truly amazed me was not one person spoke of losing money.  I have yet to meet a recovering gambler who has not lost a ton of money but this was not the loss that every speaker addressed.  It was the loss of self, one’s soul, one’s self-esteem, one’s family.  In the face of all that was lost the speakers spoke of the joy of finding a new way of life and being OK with themselves again.

It was a wonderful experience – and, to me, very similar to other fellowship’s conference.  The joy is in the journey and the joy was ever present at this conference.  I was so glad that I went and very grateful to be accepted and welcomed.

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