Addiction is a disease. We should treat it like one | Michael Botticelli
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- čas přidán 18. 08. 2024
- Only one in nine people in the United States gets the care and treatment they need for addiction and substance abuse. A former Director of National Drug Control Policy, Michael Botticelli is working to end this epidemic and treat people with addictions with kindness, compassion and fairness. In a personal, thoughtful talk, he encourages the millions of Americans in recovery today to make their voices heard and confront the stigma associated with substance use disorders.
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Addiction is normally untreated psychological disease. I am for example nicotine addict and despite stopping few times i still have weak moments of relapse. But what i learned is that it is primarily mental problem, psychology. One must find why he smoke or drink before u try to cure yourself.
Technically, it has biological (genetic), psychological (preexisting mental disorders), and social origins. It's never just one factor, but for those it occurs for as myself (and I'm now a therapist) it just happens to be a perfect storm.
One addiction people very rarely talk about is the most common one, addiction for sugar.
Wickedy Witch This is best comment in comment section. Having a better understanding.
Sorry, but what does that mean? I have no idea. Might you enlighten me about "addiction for sugar"??
It's one of the most addictive things you can eat and studies show that it is at least as addictive as heroin. Sugar or any kind of sweetening is in most industrial produced food/junk food in order for it to taste better and for people to crave it.
so it's literally just "sugar"?? Wow. I never knew some people are addicted to sweets. Thanks dude.
very true...agree..
The disease is not the consumption of the drug, but rather we cannot live with ourselves without drugs. The disease seems to be of a social, and mental disorder. Resources should be applied to prevention rather than after the fact when damage has already been done. However in the political climate of today, this would be a non-starter especially in North America.
Lane Romel 100% yes! As someone in recovery, thank you! This disease is a mental disease that affects the body and the mind.
what makes you think addiction is a disease? Psychologists are charlatans that can not distinguish the mind from a brain disease. The truth that saved my life and would save humanity’s life, because you are like me, is that addiction is the psychology of a liar, only liars get hooked and only honesty gets freedom. The only common denominator between all addicts of all social backgrounds and distinction is that they are notorious liars. The tragedy of addiction is children who revenge a childhood hurt or trauma against their parents learning from example becoming victims of themselves so as to conceal the hatred to hurt others, advertising themselves as victims stealing attention. An addict is what is commonly called a “bad person” and there is an addict and an honest person in all of us. I have discovered the cure to addiction many years ago that is unpublishable because parents and children who suffer addiction silence and reject the truth to evidence how much they researched the affliction to save their “loved ones”. Do you want to know more? The discovery of the cure to addiction could have been discovered before i discovered why we have to be honest and the truth destroyed or left to oblivion because parents and children who are losing their “loved ones” didn’t love.
Why is no one in the comments mentioning this; every addict ive known has had a traumatic upbringing. And addiction is their shortcut way of coping.
I see addiction as a disease, with a psychological bases. I'm no scientist but I see the brain trying to use the physiological & chemical state induced by the high to numb or soothe whatever pain/memory the body is trying to deal with.
The person becomes addicted because with more use of their choice substance, the brain becomes even more dependent and less able to produce those chemicals by itself.
Just my 2 cents.
what makes you think addiction is a disease? Psychologists are charlatans that can not distinguish the mind from a brain disease. The truth that saved my life and would save humanity’s life, because you are like me, is that addiction is the psychology of a liar, only liars get hooked and only honesty gets freedom. The only common denominator between all addicts of all social backgrounds and distinction is that they are notorious liars. The tragedy of addiction is children who revenge a childhood hurt or trauma against their parents learning from example becoming victims of themselves so as to conceal the hatred to hurt others, advertising themselves as victims stealing attention. An addict is what is commonly called a “bad person” and there is an addict and an honest person in all of us. I have discovered the cure to addiction many years ago that is unpublishable because parents and children who suffer addiction silence and reject the truth to evidence how much they researched the affliction to save their “loved ones”. Do you want to know more? The discovery of the cure to addiction could have been discovered before i discovered why we have to be honest and the truth destroyed or left to oblivion because parents and children who are losing their “loved ones” didn’t love.
VEGANIZE, LEGALIZE, TAX, AND REGULATE ALL DRUGS!!! Treat drug addictions as medical issues not criminal issues! END the war on drugs immediately!
If you seriously think legalizing heroin, crack or meth is a good idea, than you have something wrong with you. However the punishment shouldn't be jail time, but rehabilitation.
SooDoneWithYou Have you not seen the (I believe Sweden's but I may be wrong) way of dealing with heroine addicts but legalizing it and making many free local rehabilitation centres with the drug being giving out free inside those institutions? Just this one act by their local Government dropped addicts and addiction related crime tremendously according to the story I've seen.
+SooDoneWithYou
I agree with medical rehabilitation for addicts who want help, but not as punishment to those who don't and rather destroy their own lives (criminalizing wanted addicts) which intending to mean people must be forced to be rehabilitated which is detrimental to the whole idea of freedom and personal choice to do to whatever people want to do to their body as long as they are not harming anybody else in the process as their own personal birthrights. Nobody should be forced into anything they don't want to do when they are only harming themselves. Furthermore, the whole idea of regulation within the whole Utopian idea of veganization, legalization, taxation, and regulation of all drugs like heroin, crack, or meth means that certain ingredients that are strictly meant to cause cancer and kill people (poisons/toxins) will be banned from the substances and only allowing the pleasurable mental/psychological effects that people want to experience when intoxicated to exist within all drugs.
You are waaaay wrong there bro.
Sweden do Not have legal heroin anywhere in the whole great country.
What you are thinking of, is burenorphine (subutex) which is an opioid antagonist that blocks the cravings that addiction other opiates and opioids causes.
Buprenorphine is legal in alot of US states, alot of non-2nd world countries, while heroin isnt in any country whatsoever iirc.
Sweden *did* have a trial experiment where they prescribed heroin to addicts in order to stop them from committing crime in order to be able to afford the substance that they so much physically Need, but that was around the 70-80s .
Just so you get your facts straight :)
mentaltfladdrig thank you for correcting me, I have a tough time remembering things so I wasn't sure if that was correct.
You Sir, are the exact kind of person we need 😙🖒 Yes, we are tired of burying people due to prescription drugs. Any addiction. I lost my father to alcohol. The shame must stop. Thank you for your service.
Tina Fisher I'm sorry you lost your father to slow suicide and selfishness. It's hard on a family but he wasn't lost to alcohol nor did he have a disease.
Sean Conley you are very rude
Sean Conley too right
Traçie Wasley there is a difference between being rude or honest. know the difference
If your father didn't decide to drink alcohol in the first place, it would never have made him addicted! It's time people start taking responsibility for their actions instead of labeling it a disease.
God bless this man. I lost two cousins to addiction in the 1990s: one contracted aids and eventually succumbed to a virus, and the other had an overdose shortly after his brother's passing. They were such loving, gentle, considerate kids and I wish they had survived to see how far we've come
Nice
Disease concept is not brought up until 7:00
As an ex addict addiction is very much a disease and a chronic one at that, if you are a real deal addict. It is genetic and our brains are indeed wired a different way I was an addict before I ever touched drugs and alcohol, I either did something 110% or not at all. There are reasons colleges have addiction centers: Texas techs addiction program students have the highest GPA in the school. I've met addicts with genius IQs doctors lawyers ect. It is a disease and it doesn't discriminate. I didn't want to use drugs towards the end of my addiction. I didn't like letting my loved ones down 24/7 or lying to everyone or losing my job. I was a good kid. The first time I had any drugs was my first knee surgery and then I had my second. I used my knee surgeries and knee pain as excuse to get High. When my doctor wouldn't prescribe me opiates because my age I turned to the street for oxy. My life became unmanageable and I became powerless over drugs. If you are saying you addiction is not a disease you're ignorant. Wait till you have a loved one become addicted and despite all consequences threats how much you try to wish them to stop, if they are a real addict they wil not be able too.
What you describe are behaviours, and choices. You have probably heard in your recovery meetings over and over that you have a disease. If that helped you get off it, good for you. It can be helpful used as a metaphor but it is not a fact. I am pleased to see you call yourself an ex-addict as particular recovery methods would not agree: they say once an addict, always an addict and that you will never be 'cured'. Have a happy life believing that.. I prefer to believe that once a person has given up their addiction and went through the withdrawal and a period of mental adjustment, they are not addicted any more. Drop the label and look at yourself as a non-user, non-smoker, non-drinker etc and stick with it, you have a higher chance of success than calling yourself an addict, or even ex-addict, your whole life.
Addiction is not genetic. That’s bullshit, and I heard that when I was in drug “treatment”. Every family has addicted family members, even in societies where it is forbidden to drink alcohol or get the death penalty for drug use. People learn their behaviors from their family members and friends.
So YOU chose to keep getting high where YOU then went to the streets. Again, you still made the choice.
To say it’s a disease removes any personal responsibility. Not a smart move
Addiction seems to be a complex bio-psycho-social reaction to environment that needs treatment in exactly those terms.
Defining it as a "disease" implies that something is "wrong" with the person. I think it's completely normal for people to have a deep desire to be content in who they are and to take extreme measures to fulfill that need. I suppose the alternative to addiction is insanity or death. They're not sick, they're hurt.
Calling addiction a a disease may be politically beneficial though, so maybe we should let that slide.
What a comment. Wow.
The comments so far are heartbreaking. If you truly believe that addiction isn't a disease you haven't loved an addict.
Give people a chance, no one wants to be an addict. No one chooses this life for themselves.
I don't agree with addicts being weak, but unless someone explains to me why it's considered a disease and not a disorder than I won't label it as such.
TheMrMagnanimous his sexual preference has no place in your argument. Keep on topic
wether it is a disease or a disorder doesnt really matter, addiction should be a health sector issue and not a legal issue.
KinkiSnowman I agree that it's an important issue that needs to be discussed and that those dealing with such should be treated. But people dealing with such an issue should have a grasp on what actually is going on. Mislabeling what they're dealing with isn't going to help.
TheMrMagnanimous if you feel it necessary, I personally don't think it's relevant or helpful to the discussion at hand. You have every right to voice your opinion though.
The life of a human being is worth saving no matter what disease they do or don’t have. Thanks for sharing your story. God bless.
what makes you think addiction is a disease? Psychologists are charlatans that can not distinguish the mind from a brain disease. The truth that saved my life and would save humanity’s life, because you are like me, is that addiction is the psychology of a liar, only liars get hooked and only honesty gets freedom. The only common denominator between all addicts of all social backgrounds and distinction is that they are notorious liars. The tragedy of addiction is children who revenge a childhood hurt or trauma against their parents learning from example becoming victims of themselves so as to conceal the hatred to hurt others, advertising themselves as victims stealing attention. An addict is what is commonly called a “bad person” and there is an addict and an honest person in all of us. I have discovered the cure to addiction many years ago that is unpublishable because parents and children who suffer addiction silence and reject the truth to evidence how much they researched the affliction to save their “loved ones”. Do you want to know more? The discovery of the cure to addiction could have been discovered before i discovered why we have to be honest and the truth destroyed or left to oblivion because parents and children who are losing their “loved ones” didn’t love.
Thank you for sharing your story so we can all explore perspectives about addiction. You're so right. We need to change how we are addressing this killer of our loved ones. This is not something that will go away by continuing to ignore and criticize.
I think people are missing the point here. Both sides of this conversation have points. It is the addicts choice to have done drugs/drank alcohol in the first place, thus why they are addicted, however that doesn't mean that those who made a mistake don't deserve help. Every person (besides those who commit seriously heinous crimes like murder or rape) deserves a second chance. They shouldn't be treated like they aren't human just because they are addicted to drugs, but rather should be treated as someone who made a mistake, and needs help. Is it their fault? Yes, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve help.
Yep, it gets complicated when you have people who have been damaged in their lives (in whichever way, usually childhood trauma, abuse etc.) and then use drugs as a crutch or escape at a young age and are full blown addicts before they're even adults. It was their fault for taking drugs, but what about the people that mistreated them and warped their perceptions in the first place? It goes without saying we shouldn't say "How dare you?" to people like that.
agreed
You don't have a choice whether your brain is predispositioned to become addicted.
Also, most, if not all, addiction is a form of self medication. So it's hard to say they "made a mistake" when the course they took had good reason compounded by the lack of adequate care for the issues that drove them to addiction.
To assert that one does not choose their disposition seems reasonable. However where do we draw the line between a decision and environmental pressure? Can we function in a society where we can explain everything in terms of culture and genetics? If we are to assign responsibility to individuals where does it begin and where does it end? Essentially one asks whether we have free will or we are a deterministic organism. If we are to make sense of these mysteries then what language is required to describe it? If I choose x over y was it predisposition or preference? Are they the same thing?
SooDoneWithYou biology is not destiny. Also someone may be suffering and make a choice that seems reasonable to them given their circumstances, it may even seem reasonable to us with hindsight. They are still responsible for their choices.
I don't think addiction is a disease more than I think loneliness is a disease. It increases the death rate, and lowers the production rate. But in a society determined that free will is an existing concept, It ultimately stands on the shoulders of the carrier to solve these issues and hold the responsibility for them.
Why are we using disease, dosorder, and condition interchangeably? I mean, it may be semantics, but at the end of the day, aren't these things supposed to be distinguishable?
Start with the addicted to money and power please! They are the root of all evil.
Materialism goes first up the list
True, but it's actually the "love" of money that is the root of all evil, not money itself (1 Timothy 6:10). Having money or power is not bad; rather, it is what you choose to do with it that makes it evil :0)
Heh. He's right. I have an addiction to painkillers and they make me feel invincible and that nobody can hurt me anymore. I've been clean for about a week now. I'm only 15 and I've been addicted for 2 and a half years. I have crippling anxiety, psychopathic tendencies and I ended up hurting people physically and I'm starving and hurting my self now. Not all who are addicted want to be but have no way to cope. Sometimes addiction has less to do with illness but more to do with sanity.
Maybe for Americans this is news but in alot of European countries this is already the norm
VforRevenge ah I know don't rub it in! The problem is that the prison-industrial complex generates WAY too much money in our country. It's no coincidence that the U.S has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prisoner population. It's an absolute shame and complete atrocity.
homosexuallity occurs in the animal kingdom, you ignorant
bloody scandinavians and their successful drug policies.
Bob Mule hold up can you explain to me why homosexuality is a disease it doesn’t make the people who have it ill nor does it make them any sadder than they would be pretending to be straight when they aren’t
Bob Mule choosing not to have kids = disease
Makes sense
Finally! More people with talks like this please Ted! He is brave, but hopefully one day we will not be calling him 'brave' and he will simply be talking about an injury as easy as someone talks about a how they healed a broken bone. And I hope help will be given to those with mental health injuries as fast as those with physical ones.
Addiction is not a disease, it's a symptom. If you don't treat the core reason why addiction appeared, it's gonna come back.
Agreed. All forms of addiction must be addressed (alcohol, drugs, tech, etc).
Alcohol is a drug. For the one millionth time, stop trying to mix them apart. Alcohol is like a benzo, cocaine and heroin all rolled into one (gaba agonism, adenosine action and opioid receptor activity on top of mild NMDA antagonism) it's a VERY powerful drug right up there with meth and heroin
It's because of the stigma surrounding addiction that many do not get help and thus we lose many love one's because they are too ashamed to ask for help due to this stigma.
Thank you for sharing the truth about the disease of addiction and alcoholism!
Mind altering substances all the same !
My father is a life long alcoholic. It is NOT a disease. My grandfather died of cancer. My grandfather couldn't decide to stop having cancer. My dad could decide to not shove booze in his face. It's a crime to call something a disease that is a CHOICE.
Um last I knew you can't choose a disease.
ForkInTheRoad you choose to do it at first but it no longer becomes a choice once addicted trust me ik....
Really? Pretty well known smoking causes cancer.
Addiction is not a disease. Addiction is a choice. You can choose to keep clean or stay dirty. There is no cure for an addict
It is not a choice. There are changes that occur in your neurotransmitters. And your comment is so devoid of empathy and I sincerely hope you are a troll. There are biological, psychological, and social factors that go into addiction. But it is never a choice. No one wakes up and says, "I think I'll develop a debilitating addiction, today!"
Check whatever biases you have and sincerely ask yourself why you felt the need to make that hateful comment.
This guys fought against weed legalization and wouldnt admit heroin was more harmful than marijuana.
Its a real complicated issue and stongly believe their isnt one main teason . Childhood trauma, disease, choice , environmemtal factors, self-esteem. Its individual basis and whatever you believe thats fine , people can n do change . RECOVERY rocks and is possible if willing to put the graft in ❤
Yes!! I have my own business as a certified recovery coach. I have struggled with alcohol myself and so have most of my close family members. I truly believe with the right tools, information, the why's, and purpose, you can be transformed. This is how I coach my clients and one of the main common denominators with my clients besides trauma is they all struggle with confidence, self-worth and self-esteem.
My sister came to my door yesterday. Tweaking on Meth.
I gave her a ride home. She keeps arguing with me. Won't be quiet while i am driving. Won't sit in the back seat.
She attacks me, claws me, punches my face while I'm driving.
Where is the Ted Talk teaching me how to deal with that?
I'm not homosexual, but this was very inspirational. Thank you, Sir.
A disease is a condition that one does not have a choice over like cancer. Choice is just that - one has a CHOICE - like should I take that drink or inject myself with that drug. And that is the difference between the two. Taking that drug is a choice because one has to CHOOSE to take that drug or gamble. I know of no one that had to self inject while someone held a loaded gun to their head.
Thank you sir for this much needed eye opening talk. If only we could ALL listen and look at addiction for the disease it TRULY is.
addiction is a diease and I support changing public policy on this issue it will help to eliminate stigmas and stereotypes.
Your a disease
addiction is not a disease if addiction is a disease what are the main causes how is it diagnosed is it contegious can it be prevented people can get addicted to studying if addiction is a disease then studying is a disease so it's best to never study if someone was offered a drug they have 2 choices they can try it or not try it if they chose to use it and they got addicted to the drug then that was through choice and by the way u spelt disease wrong
As somebody who suffers from many addictions, I still feel like labeling it as a disease takes power away from the people like myself with a problem. I know its a matter of willpower and at the end of the day, I am not afflicted with a disease that I have no control over, I just don't have the inner strength to better myself.
My doctor today told me that “Addiction is not a disease, it’s your choice” I’m losing my mind, I’m beyond confused, if anyone can set me straight with the scientific’s that would be great, I don’t understand why she would say that
She told you that because it's the truth. Addiction is not a disease.
I view addiction as mental issue, not a disease. It develops in your head through you actions. If you are strong, addiction is ez.
You are an idiot. Quite commenting on addiction as you know nothing. Thank you.
addiction for self harm is such a struggle
I could be wrong and someone please tell me if I am but by saying it's a habit is just about the same as calling it an addiction... You most likely have a habit/addiction of looking at your phone, computer, etc. tens, even hundreds, of times per day. Seems like it could be an addiction, but many don't see this as a negative problem in society. Therefore, it's not an addiction to a plethora of people, and many people would simply say "I have a habit of using my cellphone, and I'm not addicted I could go (insert amount of time) without my phone." We all know there is no truth in that, and that person would be dying for some form of technological interaction to replace the phone. In comparison to drugs/alcohol, if you take away illegal substances from what someone described as a "drug dependent addict" depends on, they could go through withdrawals or look for another way to get their "fix."
addiction results as a lack of CONNECTION.
Addiction is a disease the same way anger or depression is a disease. There is a spectrum of intensity for each of these impulses in each of us.
In a normal "non-diseased" person, the level of intensity of these impulses is manageable and does not affect our will and judgement too negatively if at all. Addiction, like any impulse, becomes a disease when the intensity of the impulse becomes too great for the will of the person to overcome. Those are the cases that this video is addressing. He is not addressing normal people with normal levels of impulse intensities.
The DSM V still lists substance abuse/dependency issues as disorders, not diseases. How can you possibly compare addiction, which begins with a choice to use, with something like ALS or Alzheimers? Even though both may have a genetic predisposition, one is activated by a choice and is completely recoverable through abstinence, and the others are not. Therefore, I would classify addiction as a disorder, because there is a behavioral component, not a disease. If you look at the differences in treatments among other diseases (i.e., Antabuse for alcoholism), it takes a behavioral approach in that it creates undesirable affects in the addict, compelling them to stop drinking. I think we do a huge disservice to those suffering from addiction because we take away accountability through labels. Physiologically speaking, addiction becomes a disorder because it high jacks our brain and changes its chemistry through repeated usage; however, it begins with several bad choices. This doesn't mean we ADD to the stigma of getting help, but we need to look at the facts. Labeling addiction a disease is still highly controversial among medical professionals.
How can addiction be a disease if EVERYONE is addicted to something?
Except you don't try cancer like you try drugs.
That’s bull. Only addicts see addiction as a disease because it removes your responsibility from your actions. I’m not handling anyone with kid gloves no different than I do myself. We don’t lock people up for diseases.
Which is why we should be locked up so you realize how much jail sucks. We’re literally the victims here
We’re not criminals
@@Ronniemc1999 I don't understand. Are you advocating locking up addicts? Because that's what I agree with. I'd rather they lock up the addicts for whatever crime they commit, including possession with intent to use, possession of paraphernalia, and the like instead of punishing my elderly patients with even more restriction in their pain management.
Thank you for this insightful and brave presentation. No doubt the ignorant haters will have a knee jerk spasm of caveman attitudes. But I see society slowly starting to come around toward a more enlightened, empathetic and compassionate response. In part this is due to better understanding of addiction. In part it is a result of addiction suddenly appearing in their own neighborhoods and families. When it happens to people you know and care for it becomes very real. And addicts become people.
Many people with addictions don't want help. You can't give help to people who don't want to get better. However this totally opened my eyes with the parallels between LGBT stigma historically and addiction stigma. Hopefully I can be more helpful and less judging in the future.
If they don’t want help, ask why they don’t want help, or ask yourself that question. Encourage them to want to get help by showing them love, support and understanding.
You can’t help someone unless they want to be helped, but their family and friends can all play a part in trying to help them get help
So if people have stopped using drugs obviously there is a cure. On Saturdays I like to go to children's hospitals and ask 10 year olds why don't they just quit cancer? addiction is not a disease
So long as modern psychology continues to believe the brain and mind are the same thing we will never uncover the whole truth about addiction, because we're not acknowledging the total environmental factors influencing man. Not every thought you have is your own.
Yes, every thought is your own. Produced by your own brain.
He put my entire morals to words, I currently am studying to become a personal caretaker (english isn't my first language I apologize) so I deal with people who are typically, different than me a lot. My co-workers and classmates don't treat them like that though. The people with addictions get treated like pigs and swines who can't take care of themselves but
"People are more than their diseases"
“No it’s not disease!”, Mate Gabor, Marc Lewis etc.
What is the disease of addiction?
Disease:
a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
So yea get has a point....
Addiction:
a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.
www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction
"disease" thank you
Addiction: a flaw in one's character that prevents them from self regulating personal behaviour.
Synonym: weakness (see desire) Antonym: disease (see ALS)
Addiction physically changes the brain, rewiring the reward pathways. It becomes a brain disorder.
I have had problems with polysubstance abuse for years. I am not addicted to any drug. I am addicted to doing drugs, any drug, and I feel like I've ruined myself by rewiring myself to have this compulsion even though I know how much it hurts me. There is something wrong with my head; I've given myself a mental disorder. I gave it to myself through terrible choices, but that does not change the fact that it is a mental disorder for which I need help.
Diversity: A large wooden ship
Synonym: Mayflower (see Pilgrims) Antonym: A small rubber duck (see my notebook)
I can make up definitions too! This is fun!
It’s a social construct... it definitely has biological associations but no real proof of a biological aetiology.
It can be viewed as a disease and this seems fitting because it does cause symptoms (dis-ease) but I’m not sure this approach is working, we don’t seem to be improving outcomes despite lots of research. Just my thoughts
A disease is not something you can choose to have or not have. Addiction starts because you choose to allow it to. Addiction is not a disease.
I have never seen a disease someone enjoys having lol
He called addiction a disorder... Addiction isn't a disorder. Every human being has the potential and capacity to become addicted to something. If anyone consumes enough of an addictive substance (as an example), they will become addicted to it. That's not what a disorder is. A disorder is something physically 'out of order' in a persons brain that makes their behaviour / experience of life different from a 'normal' person's (a neurotypical person who doesn't have a disorder). I'm not saying all this to try and disvalue the struggle of people who suffer from addiction - but I'm saying that I think he has his techincal facts wrong. If anyone disagrees, feel free to correct me / make a counter point, but I think that there is a difference between disorder and addiction. Not everyone can have disorders, but everyone has the cognitive potential to suffer from addiction.
bunny actually everyone can have disorders and there are those who are genetically predisposed to it but many come about by circumstance for example sky Williams(CZcamsr) was diagnosed with psychopathy after a traumatic event while most do develop while you are growing up it is possible to get them later in life although to be fair in his case he was 14 the same thing can happen with addiction therefore addiction is a disorder
This TED talk is taking a darker, disturbing path in addiction and labeling it a disease. Its more often than not, a symptom of more problematic issues. Even this speaker himself addresses that very fact. Labeling addiction as a disease absolves the addict of their own wilful misconduct. I have an alcoholic parent who finally got help he needed nearly 35 years later. Alcohol and addiction wasnt the source; he's a schizophrenic with bipolar and tendencies and suicidal thoughts ( i still have a tape recording of his last will and testament during one of his episodes from years ago.). Each person who drinks, do so for different reasons; self-medication, not dealing with issues, to downright just enjoying it. If we as a society are going to move forward with proper understanding and treatment, we need to start with how we label it. I sincerely believe the terminology is misapplied here.
I really despise this "addiction is a disease" rhetoric. That's what people who aren't addicted or who stopped being addicted due to the negative experiences they encountered as an addict.
I am an addict and have been for 2 and a bit decades now - 3 if you count nicotine but that's not really what I'd call addiction. I find my opiate addiction is a solution to my problems. It enables me to live a normal functional life free of most pain and fre from crushing depression. I commit no crime and I support no dealer. I am a state sponsored addict (methadone) and plan to be one for the rest of my days.
My performance at work is exemplary, so my managers tell me. I'm never moody, I'm always punctual, my standards are high and my expectations of others - who don't have opiates to assist them andnwho are susceptible to bouts of low emotion and lethargy, are low.
addiction is not a disease if addiction is a disease how is it diagnosed is it contegious can it be prevented people can get addicted to studying if addiction is a disease then studying is bad for you so it's best to never study
Not a disease, but an ability. If there were a way to focus an addictive personality toward a beneficial enterprise, it would become immediately obvious that the intellect being suppressed by medicine is much greater than that in those for whom addiction is absent.
Addiction is a choice, Disease is not. Stop comparing yourselves to children with cancer and aids.
The current War on Drugs is not conservative. It emphasizes a big, intrusive government and costs way more than a treatment based policy. It also unnecessarily asserts federal authority over state's rights.
I hate myself. I have put myself in a horrifying situation. I hate myself.
Audrey Ann there is help..
I can't help but see addiction more as a consequence of a deeper problem. I've heard so many people go into treatment with an addiction problem and come out with a psych diagnosis. Is it accurate to call it a disease? We certainly don't treat it as we do things like cancer or diabetes.
That's some Bernie Sanders level compassion, sir!
Nope
Oh boy, this guy spent 10 minutes asserting that addiction is a disease and centered his entire speech around the need to change how people see addiction, yet he offered 0 substantive evidence for his position. It makes sense that someone so good at moving their mouth and managing to say nothing occupied a high level position in government.
Addiction is not a disease. Most people don't need treatment to overcome their addiction and the brain has a great capacity to change and improve through changes in values and behaviors. That doesn't mean the addict is to blame though. Insisting that addiction is a disease to protect the image of addicts only hampers progress. If you want to fight addiction, start by calling it what it is, a habit that reinforces itself in a feedback loop accelerated by dopamine activity.
grog3514 addiction is a disease sure it can be overcome with out any help but so can others just because willpower can be a factor doesn't mean it's not some mental illness can be essentially overcome without help just by trying that doesn't mean it's easy or not a disease it still needs to be treated so why does it hurt to call addiction a disease why are you attempting to stop something that could help addicts with little to no downside other then a small realization of terminology that you will probably never have to use in your life
Calling it a disease removes the responsibility from the addict and onto a treatment program. It also puts a label on them that they begin to define themselves by. The disease model of addiction was adapted by decree, not science. It is a purely political maneuver designed to bring more insurance money into failing hospitals. Traditional treatment centers have an abysmally low (1/10 or less) success rate treating addiction as a disease. The reason for that is they aren't addressing the problem correctly because of their incorrect conception of what it actually is. Approaching the problem with the Freedom model, addicts have a 6/10 success rate. Keeping an addict from getting 'treatment' would greatly improve their chances at sobriety. If you want to convince anyone of the validity of the disease model of addiction, you are going to need to produce scientific evidence.
grog3514 sorry I'm not an expert on the politics but I want to know what the freedom models are and what hospitals are treating addiction how also when defining disease I was including mental Illness which is not treated by drugs alone and certainly not in a hospital (at least not a conventional one)
Im really not sure what you are saying here. If you want to understand the freedom model better, watch the TED talk by Steven Slate or read about it online.
that simply isn't true, diabetes and hypertension are both diseases that take zero responsibility away from the person, actually the opposite is true, a person eating unhealthy foods, avoiding exercise, and smoking has little incentive to change if he/she is just told to "get it together", however when diagnosed with a disease and told they will die if they do not treat this they will absolutely make changes. Diagnosing addiction as a disease changes how we treat people with addiction, and it takes no responsibility away from addicts, instead it pushes them to seek help and take it seriously because telling them to "just say no" has never worked.
He did not mention anti-addictive properties of psychedelic substances.
What about those who do not want treatment? Often treatment for addiction is something that must be forced on a person in order to save their lives. But with cancer and the like treatment services are chosen by the person who is sick.
This is supposed to be about addiction but the entire thing is just about AIDS...
Addiction is not a disease.
Uh no, a disease can effect anyone, a disorder is much closer to what addiction is.
NO....addiction is a symptom of a deeper problem and is not the problem itself.
The rats with good lives didn’t like the drugged water. They mostly shunned it, consuming less than a quarter of the drugs the isolated rats used. None of them died. While all the rats who were alone and unhappy became heavy users, none of the rats who had a happy environment did.
www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html
MGTOW Psyche that's a terrible example. you can apply the same circumstance with another "normal" kid and not have any addiction issues.
addiction is totally a symptom of something deeper, typically emotional. especially when those emotional needs aren't met.
Many people have tried to replicate the results of the rat study you are speaking of. So far no one has been able to so its not considered a great source of evidence. With that being said I still think the environment you live in plays a major role in susceptibility to addiction. The Vietnam war and Portugal are good human examples of this
+rebecca z hahaha....Trust me, I can be stupid when I want! Sadly stupid people cant choose....
Addiction isn't a disease and I don't care how they twist it. A disease is something with no choice and people with addictive personality have a choice. Yes they may need help but the addiction starts with personal responsibility and calling it a disease deflects from that personal responsibility.
mkennedy150 STD's are a disease caused by a choice most of the time, so there goes your argument.
A lot of diseases are caused by poor life choices. CHOICES.
My addiction started by having childhood bone cancer and associated health problems throughout my teens and twenties. Was given loads of pain meds, anti-anxiety drugs, Adderall, testosterone therapy, etc. I have chronic pain and other issues I still deal with, but have been working hard at becoming sober the last couple years. I work and have held good jobs in banking, insurance, and now studying to become a computer programmer, but I still struggle with addiction on and off. Not looking for sympathy, but where would someone draw the line between my personal responsibility and my lot in life. I want nothing more than to live a productive life, but I have no doubt my brain was re-wired from all the substances I was given from an early age.
yup... whenever i get sick, i go to the doctor, i suffer or i am impaired. I have never seen a disease people enjoy having...
We should allow adults the choice to do what they want with their own lives as long as they are not hurting anyone else. If they cannot admit they are an addict or dont want help then let them destroy their own lives.
addiction, what a luxury.
Crazy this video preceded the fentanyl epidemic.
As an alcoholic with Multiple Sclerosis i have to disagree with him. Alcoholism is not inherited, nor is it something you can't get rid off without medical treatment. MS you can't control, you can treat it, but not heal it so far. But you can control how much you drink. Even as an alcoholic you can 'dose' the drinks, so you can live a pretty normal and good life, sure not healthy though. Nevertheless, of course it is very important that there are treatment options for people with drug issues. I just don't think that addiction is a desease... that would throw the responability of anyone out of the window.
Some people don't want the help, they like it and that's the pitfall.
Religion is also an addiction and needs to be treated like one and people infected with this addiction needs treatment!
Addiction is not really a disease.
7:22
time mark for my watching^^
Many Genes Influence Addiction. ... Like most other diseases, addiction vulnerability is a very complex trait. Many factors determine the likelihood that someone will become an addict, including both "inherited" and environmental factors. inherited is not a choice
We all agree that addictive drugs are a serious problem, but to label it as a disease, suggests that the individual is in no way responsible for a biological organism that is attacking the person. My question is, does relabiling a chemical affliction/dependency, somehow benefit the suffering of those involved? Or does it rather deflect from the individuals responsibility to take charge of there own willpower and make the decision to be in control of their own destiny. This is one of the base problems with our society today. There is a tremendous lack of personal accountability for our actions. This goes to liberal doctrine. So surrender your liberty because the government will take care of you.
a self inflected disease
addiction is a disease we should sell drugs on that
addiction is not a disease if addiction is a disease what are the main causes how is it diagnosed is it contegious can it be prevented people can get addicted to studying if addiction is a disease then studying is a disease so it's best to never study if someone was offered a drug they have 2 choices they can try it or not try it if they chose to use it and they got addicted to the drug then that was through choice
Wait wasn't there a video on how to get rid of addiction just before this?
What does aids have to do with alcoholism?
came here to listen about addiction, not aids...
i feel addiction is a disorder, the brain gets altered and should be rewired to a better you with better decision making, new coping skills, understanding oneself in their better them after overcoming addiction. I learned a lot from Marc Lewis and my vison of addicts. I dont belive addiction is a disease and was only names a disease for business purposes like insurance coverage for rehab programs. etc. i think it should be considered a mental disorder that can be treated with CB therapy
Addiction is a problem, problems dont get locked away they have to be solved.
I think that topics of sexuality and alcoholism shouldn't be mingled.
I wish I knew how to do official things, because I have an idea for a rehab + re-entry program place, but just because I have a well-structured plan doesn't mean I know how to actually make it happen. I don't even know what to call my idea... rehab commune? I dunno.
We can do as we wish, but we can never pick what we wish. For an unlucky fraction of us, the hard consequences that come from slavish pursuit of a substance are the only things that will make us wish enough to pry loose the monkeys on our backs. And, like any organic process, the progress will be, more often than not, sawtoothed, with many relapses.
(A book worth reading on the subject is Mate's In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, wherein he makes the persuasive case that stress on the mother and child around infancy sets a person up for derangement of the ability to self-regulate pleasurable pursuits.)
You may rage at the addict, with justification, if the addict did you harm (most likely the addict has raged at himself with at least as much venom). But what's the point of rage? If the goal is to render an addict productive (which it should be), and the most straightforward way of straightening the addict out is a treatment bed, offered as many times as needed (which statistics show is the right way to go--Nixon, of all people, got that policy right) then pay for the beds. Build one less B2 bomber. Tax Exxon some more. Think of it as making the choice to get clean easier.
The world must be treated from addiction to the countries like USA. Then most or all of the addictions will go themselves away.
Seems to go way off the title subject tbh to me.
Ever since reading about the modern re-doing of addiction experiments with rats & heroin I can't see addiction as something removed from environment & that seems born out by my speaking to ex-addicts.
Respect to this thoughtfull man
Thank you
are you not able to think for yourself? are you not able to no the consequence of drugs? its called being a responsible human being... if you were unaware of the consequences... then YES you need help.. however.. most people are aware.. so let them die
addiction is not a disease if addiction is a disease what are the main causes how is it diagnosed is it contegious can it be prevented people can get addicted to studying if addiction is a disease then studying is a disease so it's best to never study if someone was offered a drug they have 2 choices they can try it or not try it if they chose to use it and they got addicted to the drug then that was through choice
thanks sir