I'm with you, it's not a disease, and you are not the only one who's saying that. I worked in the addictions field as a counsellor in the '70s, my boss was an amazing Dutch guy who said what you did. Instead, he would say "the strategy you are using to cope with things isn't working", and made observations of what was happening. A way better than average number of his clients stayed sober or close to it. He spent his career there, I burnt out within 4 yrs but his wisdom is ever present to this day.
Unfortunately, most of us feel compelled to self-medicate in some form or another (besides caffeine), albeit it’s more or less ‘under control’. And there are various forms of self-medicating, from the relatively mild to the dangerously extreme, that include non-intoxicant-consumption addictions: e.g. chronic shopping/shoplifting, gambling, sex, internet/smartphone overuse ... food/over-eating.
If such self-medicating forms are anything like drug intoxication or substance addiction, it should follow that: the greater the induced euphoria or escape one attains from it, the more one wants to repeat the experience; and the more intolerable one finds their non-self-medicating reality, the more pleasurable that escape will likely be perceived. In other words: the greater one’s mental pain or trauma while not self-medicating, the greater the need for escape from one’s reality — all the more addictive the euphoric escape-form will likely be.
The vast majority of obese people who considerably over-eat likely do so to mask mental pain or even PTSD symptoms. I utilized that method myself during much of my pre-teen years, and even later in life after ceasing my (ab)use of cannabis or alcohol. I don’t take it lightly, but it’s possible that someday I could instead return to over-eating.
.... In the book (WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing) he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Bruce D. Perry (M.D., Ph.D.) writes in regards to self-medicating trauma, substance abuse and addiction:
“For people who are pretty well-regulated, whose basic needs have been met, who have other healthy forms of reward, taking a drug will have some impact, but the pull to come back and use again and again is not as powerful. It may be a pleasurable feeling, but you’re not necessarily going to become addicted. Addiction is complex. But I believe that many people who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse are actually trying to self-medicate due to their developmental histories of adversity and trauma.”
In fact, when it comes to high school students experimenting with drugs, “only 18 or 20 percent will end up having trouble with recurrent use.” With those who do reuse repeatedly, “very high percentages of them are the ones who have had developmental adversities. Among the children who don’t [repeatedly reuse], fewer have had developmental adversities.”
Powerful writing, as usual. Calling addiction a disease creates a passivity and belief that recovery is in some way just a random chance outcome of “treatment”. But I am sure your presence and commitment to helping has “made a difference”…perhaps not to the ultimate outcome in many cases, but in providing a human connection and hope that change is possible. The addiction may be more powerful and dark…but I don’t think that means shining a light is entirely pointless. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be though. Thank you for doing this work and for sharing your thoughts.
International and more-local illegal merchants of the opioid addiction/overdose scourge are (rightfully) targeted for long-overdue political action and criminal justice, yet Western pharmaceutical corporations have intentionally pushed their own very addictive and profitable opiate product essentially with justice-system impunity resulting in direct and indirect immense suffering and overdose death numbers for many years later and likely many more yet to come.
It indeed was a real ethical and moral crime, yet, likely due to their potent lobbyist influence on heavily-capitalistic Western governance, they got off relatively lightly and only through civil litigation. … Instead, drug addiction and addicts are misperceived by supposedly sober folk as being weak-willed and/or having committed the moral crime.
While people should not give in to their substance addiction by completely giving up on any potential for eventual sobriety or perhaps a reduction in their consumption of the health-hazardous substance, they also should not be ashamed of it.
Wow, spending some time digesting this. I recently lost an adult child to this "disease'" after having spendt years in ALANON, trying to survive it. Now, I have my doubts about what I tried to believe and the slogans and explanations a tried to hang on to all those miserable years. A little lost at this time..
I don’t understand a fucking word neural foundry wrote and I haven’t shot a speedball in over 35 years and work with a Guy who is rich and powerful and loves his Xanax and booze and becomes a blithering baby when I detox him off that shit. But boy does it make him happy when he goes back to it - and then off - and then back over and over and over for years. I just think some people dont wanna ever quit and they can be analyzed forever and go to ten rehabs and get tough love and soft love and reasoned with and threatened. They just do it until they die
The - stay sober no matter what - is just reversed
All I can do is give him unconditional love and acceptance and tell him my life is somewhat happy joyous and free as the saying goes and it is available for him any time he wants just like the God force is too. But it’s always his choice to decide which way he wants to go. I can’t do that for him
I'm with you, it's not a disease, and you are not the only one who's saying that. I worked in the addictions field as a counsellor in the '70s, my boss was an amazing Dutch guy who said what you did. Instead, he would say "the strategy you are using to cope with things isn't working", and made observations of what was happening. A way better than average number of his clients stayed sober or close to it. He spent his career there, I burnt out within 4 yrs but his wisdom is ever present to this day.
https://substack.com/@andrewdevine/note/c-205718237?r=5tb7si&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Unfortunately, most of us feel compelled to self-medicate in some form or another (besides caffeine), albeit it’s more or less ‘under control’. And there are various forms of self-medicating, from the relatively mild to the dangerously extreme, that include non-intoxicant-consumption addictions: e.g. chronic shopping/shoplifting, gambling, sex, internet/smartphone overuse ... food/over-eating.
If such self-medicating forms are anything like drug intoxication or substance addiction, it should follow that: the greater the induced euphoria or escape one attains from it, the more one wants to repeat the experience; and the more intolerable one finds their non-self-medicating reality, the more pleasurable that escape will likely be perceived. In other words: the greater one’s mental pain or trauma while not self-medicating, the greater the need for escape from one’s reality — all the more addictive the euphoric escape-form will likely be.
The vast majority of obese people who considerably over-eat likely do so to mask mental pain or even PTSD symptoms. I utilized that method myself during much of my pre-teen years, and even later in life after ceasing my (ab)use of cannabis or alcohol. I don’t take it lightly, but it’s possible that someday I could instead return to over-eating.
.... In the book (WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing) he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Bruce D. Perry (M.D., Ph.D.) writes in regards to self-medicating trauma, substance abuse and addiction:
“For people who are pretty well-regulated, whose basic needs have been met, who have other healthy forms of reward, taking a drug will have some impact, but the pull to come back and use again and again is not as powerful. It may be a pleasurable feeling, but you’re not necessarily going to become addicted. Addiction is complex. But I believe that many people who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse are actually trying to self-medicate due to their developmental histories of adversity and trauma.”
In fact, when it comes to high school students experimenting with drugs, “only 18 or 20 percent will end up having trouble with recurrent use.” With those who do reuse repeatedly, “very high percentages of them are the ones who have had developmental adversities. Among the children who don’t [repeatedly reuse], fewer have had developmental adversities.”
Powerful writing, as usual. Calling addiction a disease creates a passivity and belief that recovery is in some way just a random chance outcome of “treatment”. But I am sure your presence and commitment to helping has “made a difference”…perhaps not to the ultimate outcome in many cases, but in providing a human connection and hope that change is possible. The addiction may be more powerful and dark…but I don’t think that means shining a light is entirely pointless. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be though. Thank you for doing this work and for sharing your thoughts.
International and more-local illegal merchants of the opioid addiction/overdose scourge are (rightfully) targeted for long-overdue political action and criminal justice, yet Western pharmaceutical corporations have intentionally pushed their own very addictive and profitable opiate product essentially with justice-system impunity resulting in direct and indirect immense suffering and overdose death numbers for many years later and likely many more yet to come.
It indeed was a real ethical and moral crime, yet, likely due to their potent lobbyist influence on heavily-capitalistic Western governance, they got off relatively lightly and only through civil litigation. … Instead, drug addiction and addicts are misperceived by supposedly sober folk as being weak-willed and/or having committed the moral crime.
While people should not give in to their substance addiction by completely giving up on any potential for eventual sobriety or perhaps a reduction in their consumption of the health-hazardous substance, they also should not be ashamed of it.
Wow, spending some time digesting this. I recently lost an adult child to this "disease'" after having spendt years in ALANON, trying to survive it. Now, I have my doubts about what I tried to believe and the slogans and explanations a tried to hang on to all those miserable years. A little lost at this time..
I don’t understand a fucking word neural foundry wrote and I haven’t shot a speedball in over 35 years and work with a Guy who is rich and powerful and loves his Xanax and booze and becomes a blithering baby when I detox him off that shit. But boy does it make him happy when he goes back to it - and then off - and then back over and over and over for years. I just think some people dont wanna ever quit and they can be analyzed forever and go to ten rehabs and get tough love and soft love and reasoned with and threatened. They just do it until they die
The - stay sober no matter what - is just reversed
All I can do is give him unconditional love and acceptance and tell him my life is somewhat happy joyous and free as the saying goes and it is available for him any time he wants just like the God force is too. But it’s always his choice to decide which way he wants to go. I can’t do that for him
Anyway sick of my own words
Great writing as usual dude. You are a love force
Great writing as usual dude