I always forget how dumb I am, but, thankfully, I have a bunch of people willing to remind me: family, friends, and strangers…so, yeah, pretty much have that covered.
I know a lot about addiction. I’ve spent decades learning about addiction, working with people who have addiction, and working to prevent addiction. I am a certified Substance Abuse Counselor in the State of Wisconsin, and I have spent pretty much all of my career in the field of addictions in one way or another.
And, yet…I am oftentimes stunned to find out that all that effort was for naught, since strangers on the internet like to tell me how wrong I am, family members like to dismiss my expertise, and colleagues from other fields like to explain that they, too, know about addiction because their _________ (you fill in the relationship) was a “drunk,” “addict,” “crackhead,” “junkie.” Yeah…you know a lot about it.
Oh, and don’t forget the people who know more about addiction than I do because they have it, either in or out of recovery. “Yeah, I’ve been to treatment five times. I know all about addiction.”
I’m not sure why personal experience – knowing someone or having addiction yourself – trumps book learning in this field, but it seems to. Because people think they know better than experts like the American Medical Association who identified alcoholism as a disease in 1956 and all other addictions as diseases in 1987 (UI), we are still arguing about addiction being a choice or weakness of character vs. a disease that no one asks for.
But let’s go back to 1784 when Dr. Benjamin Rush’s Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Mind and Body argued that “chronic drunkenness” is “a disease that physicians should be treating” (HPS).
And still, just this week, an expert stranger on the internet scoffed at me, saying,
Substance use disorder…..
Addicts and what they do?
They make a choice to use drugs. Then they plot their way through life trying to stay high as much as possible.
Is this an organization that says it is not the addicts fault?
And this, after I explained that no one chooses the disease of addiction,
No one chooses? WTF?
You make the choice to do drugs. It’s a choice. Unless someone forces that person it’s a choice. You people love to take accountability out of the fact that it was a personal choice. Addiction, may not have been the target but addiction is a possibility and most think that they will get lucky and not get addicted. It’s a choice. Fucking white liberals always trying to take personal accountability away from a personal choice
The gist, I believe, is that this poster believes that addiction is a choice, moral failing, weakness of character…and nothing that I or the AMA or Dr. Rush have ever said is going to change his mind.
But why? We’d never accept the following statements in the same manner:
“Yeah, I know all about finance. I have a checkbook.”
“Yeah, I know all about nutrition. I’ve been on a diet.”
“Yeah, I know all about surgery. I’ve had an appendectomy.”
“Yeah, I know all about chemotherapy. I’ve had cancer.”
“Yeah, I know all about mechanics. I have a car.”
We hardly ever hear statements like this regarding other fields, so why do so many people believe they are experts in the field of addiction? That’s a real question…I don’t know the answer.
All the experts – the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Psychiatric Association – agree that addiction is a disease, “characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences” (NIDA).
According to the Partnership to End Addiction,
Some people think addiction cannot be a disease because it is caused by the individual’s choice to use substances. While the first use (or early use) may be by choice, once the brain has been changed by addiction, most experts believe that the person loses control of their behavior.
Choice does not determine whether something is a disease. Heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer involve personal choices like diet, exercise, sun exposure, etc. A disease is what happens in the body as a result of those choices (DrugFree).
Sure, we can find individuals in those fields who disagree, but I’m going to stick with the majority of experts. I’m not looking to strangers, family, or anyone who uses stigmatizing language to tell me I’m wrong.
References
drugfree.org
https://iuhealth.org/thrive/is-addiction-really-a-disease
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-misuse-addiction
Guided by Guida 
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