Busting Addiction and Its Myths
The purpose of our podcast is to help families learn the truth about addiction and alcoholism so that they can take the right action to help the addict they love and to help themselves at this critical time in their lives.
Exposing the truth about addiction and alcoholism also requires that we bust the myths surrounding both addiction/alcoholism and the recovery process.
Season 1 – Episode 4
It’s a disease, stupid!
Paraphrasing a famous political slogan from the US, this episode offers slam-dunk proof that addiction and alcoholism are disease states, and that the addict has lost his power of choice when the disease compels him to inflict harm on himself and others.
We cover these topics:
- Addiction and alcoholism are recognised by the leading scientists in the US as chronic, relapsing diseases of the brain, causing compulsive using behaviour and loss of control over intake, despite harmful long-term consequences.
- The main take-away is that addiction is compulsive so that when addiction is activated, addicts lose the power of choice, that he will perform a harmful act over and over.
- There go all the theories of it being a moral failing or the power of will. Just say no is a false promise.
- Saying that treatment or 12 –step programs don’t work is like blaming the gym if you’re out of shape. “You have to make the commitment and do the work for you to have any chance of long-term success.”
- Long term success in recovery is more about what the addict does AFTER he leaves treatment than the fact that he went into treatment. Recovery is a lifetime commitment.
