As others have already said, alcoholism and other substance misuse problems are not diseases. They are maladaptive and/or self-harming patterns of behaviour.
The whole idea of a pattern of behaviour being a disease is insidious nonsense.
Insidious because: It is profoundly disempowering. If addiction is a disease, then it is outside of the individual's control, and is not their responsibility. Whereas in reality, what the addict needs to do is to recognize that it is their behaviour that is the problem, accept responsibility for their actions, and take concrete steps to change their life. In other words, they need to own their addiction.
Nonsense because: Diseases aren't the result of choices. No one chooses to become a schizophrenic, or to get malaria. Substance misuse is entirely the result of freely chosen actions. Its a pattern of behaviour created by the addict, and not by anyone or anything else. Getting out of the pattern often requires support, but its still the case that only the desire and will to change can lead to change.
For the record, I've never been an alcoholic, although I am no stranger to addiction. I smoke. I used to smoke an awful lot of dope- giving that up wasn't too hard. I also had a period of 8 or 9 months when I had a serious coke habit- that was very bad indeed. I've also worked with people with addiction issues, using the harm minimization model.
And yes, AA and the 12-step model suck.
The whole idea of a pattern of behaviour being a disease is insidious nonsense.
Insidious because: It is profoundly disempowering. If addiction is a disease, then it is outside of the individual's control, and is not their responsibility. Whereas in reality, what the addict needs to do is to recognize that it is their behaviour that is the problem, accept responsibility for their actions, and take concrete steps to change their life. In other words, they need to own their addiction.
Nonsense because: Diseases aren't the result of choices. No one chooses to become a schizophrenic, or to get malaria. Substance misuse is entirely the result of freely chosen actions. Its a pattern of behaviour created by the addict, and not by anyone or anything else. Getting out of the pattern often requires support, but its still the case that only the desire and will to change can lead to change.
For the record, I've never been an alcoholic, although I am no stranger to addiction. I smoke. I used to smoke an awful lot of dope- giving that up wasn't too hard. I also had a period of 8 or 9 months when I had a serious coke habit- that was very bad indeed. I've also worked with people with addiction issues, using the harm minimization model.
And yes, AA and the 12-step model suck.
He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity.
Mikhail Bakunin
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
Friedrich Nietzsche
Mikhail Bakunin
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
Friedrich Nietzsche
