Drug addiction is one of the oldest problems in the world that has yet to be resolved. Since the development of drugs, dating back thousands of years, there has been addiction to those drugs. Still today, there are an alarming amount of deaths of all ages related to drug dependency. If drug addiction has been around for so long, why has there not been a solution presented to end the drug overdoses and deaths? Unfortunately, it seems as this significant problem has been overlooked and ignored for many years.
On the bright side, recent studies and articles have come forward to address this problem at its core. One article in particular, “Can You Get Over an Addiction”, by Maia Szalavitz, published in The New York Times on June 25, 2016, not …show more content…
The first is that the addict has no power over the drug, and the second is that the addict is a selfish criminal (Szalavitz). She believes neither are true, therefore current treatment or punishment for addiction is ineffective (Szalavitz passim). Richard Wilson, a professor in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisille, and Cheryl Kolander, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development, wrote Drug Abuse Prevention and has some insightful information on Szalavitz’s claims. Wilson and Kolander believe that the public and even experts are wrong in thinking that addiction is a disease by stating, “the so-called ‘disease concept’ or ‘medical model’ maintains that addiction is a biological trait, probably inherited, that gets progressively worse” (271). This “disease concept” implies that the user has no control over the addition and possibly even inherited the addiction (Wilson and Kolander 271). This correlates directly with Szalavitz’s claim that the majority has a wrong view of how addiction works. However, in “Can You Get Over Addiction”, multiple times Szalavitz states that “addiction is a disease.” Even though Szalavitz states that addiction is a disease, she claims it is different because it does not affect overall intelligence or control over the drug. With this in mind, addiction might affect the brain …show more content…
Szalavitz claims, “most treatment available in rehab facilities involves instruction in the prayer, surrender to a higher power, confession and restitution.” In turn, she thinks this restricts the addict’s ability to empower themselves. Wilson and Kolander confirm the presence of religion in rehabilitation facilities by providing the second step in the 12 steps to recovery used in rehabilitation centers, which reads: “2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity” (275). This does if fact give some of the responsibility or power to a greater power, but this might not be as bad as Szalavitz claims. Previously in her article, Szalavitz actually claimed that she tried drugs because she felt “alienated and unlovable.” Arguably, by giving the addict a reason to live or make them feel loved by God might in fact help the addict recover from their addiction. Perhaps it is not the best idea to completely give God all the responsibility of the addiction, because this would give the addict no power of the drug. To reiterate, this would only give God power over the drug and leave the addict powerless. However, allowing a higher power to be present in the life of an addict could make the addict feel as though they are loved and not alone. Potentially, this
On the bright side, recent studies and articles have come forward to address this problem at its core. One article in particular, “Can You Get Over an Addiction”, by Maia Szalavitz, published in The New York Times on June 25, 2016, not …show more content…
The first is that the addict has no power over the drug, and the second is that the addict is a selfish criminal (Szalavitz). She believes neither are true, therefore current treatment or punishment for addiction is ineffective (Szalavitz passim). Richard Wilson, a professor in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisille, and Cheryl Kolander, a professor in the College of Education and Human Development, wrote Drug Abuse Prevention and has some insightful information on Szalavitz’s claims. Wilson and Kolander believe that the public and even experts are wrong in thinking that addiction is a disease by stating, “the so-called ‘disease concept’ or ‘medical model’ maintains that addiction is a biological trait, probably inherited, that gets progressively worse” (271). This “disease concept” implies that the user has no control over the addition and possibly even inherited the addiction (Wilson and Kolander 271). This correlates directly with Szalavitz’s claim that the majority has a wrong view of how addiction works. However, in “Can You Get Over Addiction”, multiple times Szalavitz states that “addiction is a disease.” Even though Szalavitz states that addiction is a disease, she claims it is different because it does not affect overall intelligence or control over the drug. With this in mind, addiction might affect the brain …show more content…
Szalavitz claims, “most treatment available in rehab facilities involves instruction in the prayer, surrender to a higher power, confession and restitution.” In turn, she thinks this restricts the addict’s ability to empower themselves. Wilson and Kolander confirm the presence of religion in rehabilitation facilities by providing the second step in the 12 steps to recovery used in rehabilitation centers, which reads: “2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity” (275). This does if fact give some of the responsibility or power to a greater power, but this might not be as bad as Szalavitz claims. Previously in her article, Szalavitz actually claimed that she tried drugs because she felt “alienated and unlovable.” Arguably, by giving the addict a reason to live or make them feel loved by God might in fact help the addict recover from their addiction. Perhaps it is not the best idea to completely give God all the responsibility of the addiction, because this would give the addict no power of the drug. To reiterate, this would only give God power over the drug and leave the addict powerless. However, allowing a higher power to be present in the life of an addict could make the addict feel as though they are loved and not alone. Potentially, this