The traditional model of addiction treatment is rooted in the concept of an addiction as a disease, proposed in the late XVIII century by Benjamin Rush. The theory was later strengthen by professor Elvin Jellinek, popularized by the philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous, applied to The Minnesota Model, the dominant form of addiction treatment in the USA, and finally used by the American Society of Addiction Medicine to create a formal definition of an addiction (Meyer, 1996). According to ASAM, addiction is primary, diagnosable, progressive, chronic and treatable disease that involves brain reward, motivation, memory and learning. It is important to recognize that addiction, as a brain disease, is also characterized by impairment in the ability
…show more content…
They are defined as medical conditions that persist for a long time and impact a person’s quality of life (WHO definition). Prolonged courses are often characterized by periods of remission and relapse. Similarly, the addiction is perceived as a chronic and relapsing disorder that develops over time as a results of long-term use of psychoactive substances. The studies of McLellan and colleagues (2000) confirmed that drug dependence and other chronic conditions share common characteristics, such as heritability, complex etiology (genetics, environment), and increased risks of disability and premature death. Like hypertension or asthma, the addiction can be diagnosed, is treatable but not curable, and requires long-term changes in lifestyle. (McLellan A, Lewis DC, O 'Brien CP, Kleber HD. …show more content…
Stanton Peele critizes this theory for undermining personal responsibility and for the medicalization and biologization of normal human development. He believed that the choice and personal responsibility must be recognized and acknowledged. The author argues that biologically oriented explanations of addiction are not only inadequate, but also harmful. By discounting the importance of cultural differences in rates of alcoholism, high rates of natural remission, spontaneous recovery, and the social control of body weight, this model is denying the evidence of social causes of addiction, and therefore damaging to an individual and to the culture as whole (Peele,
They are defined as medical conditions that persist for a long time and impact a person’s quality of life (WHO definition). Prolonged courses are often characterized by periods of remission and relapse. Similarly, the addiction is perceived as a chronic and relapsing disorder that develops over time as a results of long-term use of psychoactive substances. The studies of McLellan and colleagues (2000) confirmed that drug dependence and other chronic conditions share common characteristics, such as heritability, complex etiology (genetics, environment), and increased risks of disability and premature death. Like hypertension or asthma, the addiction can be diagnosed, is treatable but not curable, and requires long-term changes in lifestyle. (McLellan A, Lewis DC, O 'Brien CP, Kleber HD. …show more content…
Stanton Peele critizes this theory for undermining personal responsibility and for the medicalization and biologization of normal human development. He believed that the choice and personal responsibility must be recognized and acknowledged. The author argues that biologically oriented explanations of addiction are not only inadequate, but also harmful. By discounting the importance of cultural differences in rates of alcoholism, high rates of natural remission, spontaneous recovery, and the social control of body weight, this model is denying the evidence of social causes of addiction, and therefore damaging to an individual and to the culture as whole (Peele,