Addiction treatment, and our entire approach to “addiction” doesn’t help, and it doesn’t “cure addicts”, it only creates more of the symptoms of “addiction” – hopelessness and a sense of powerlessness to change and make different choices. This is what I chose to demonstrate when I got the chance to give a TEDx Talk on addiction. Here is the video of my TEDx Talk on addiction. If you like the video, please share. I do this because I think this message helps people who struggle like I did in the recovery/rehab system:
Supporting research for many claims in the TEDx Talk on addiction:
Vietnam heroin addicts results: Lee Robins 1993 also in Quitting Drugs: Quantitative and Qualitative Features
“96% of those who don’t get treatment say they don’t think they need it”- National Survey on drug use and health
Recovery rates / Probability of recovery appear in this review of epidemiological research on addiction, by Gene Heyman: Quitting Drugs: Quantitative and Qualitative Features
Why addiction isn’t a brain disease: Addiction Is Not a brain disease it is a choice by Steven Slate
Addiction isn’t a brain disease / no published papers establishing causation between neural adaptation and increased use / addiction isn’t chronic / >90% probability of recovery: Addiction and Choice – Theory and New Data by Gene Heyman
All substance use is voluntary: Do Addicts Lose Control? by Steven Slate
Withdrawal isn’t sufficient for addiction, and must involve belief in addiction: Addiction & Opiates by Alfred Lindesmith
Crack / meth users turn down another hit in favor of delayed cash: TED Talk by neuroscientist Carl Hart
Belief in disease model of addiction predicts relapse: What Predicts Relapse by William Miller
96% of heroin addicts currently in remission: NESARC Prescription Opioids and Heroin Results
More Info:
The full text of my prepared remarks for this presentation are available at Steven Slate’s TEDx Talk Tahoe City.
An explanation of my thoughts on a solution to addiction are available at: Addiction – The Problem and The Solution.
Im not sure my tweet went thru but I totally agree on the rehab thing. I’ve been to 14 rehabs my dad is big on aa. I also did 20 yrs on methadone.i finally got off 4 months ago my point being all that treatment did nothing but scoree some good connections. It’s true we do drugs cause we want to
Hi my name is Doug and I am 54 years old and was a drunk for most of my teenage and adult life, 2 years ago I went to detox to quit drinking alcohol but 3 months after detox l started back to my drinking and drunknes every day for another 3 months and decided I didn’t want to drink ever again and did some soul searching along with some hypnosis. It has been 18 months since I made that decision and haven’t felt like a drink since. I have been telling all my alcoholic mates that its not an addiction but a choice, and when they are ready to quit it comes naturally to be sober. I have also been meditating regularly and set goals eg joined the gym, set a healthy diet, spend time in nature and animals, reading self help and spiritual books, stay away from negative places and negative people. I truly believe we create our own reality through our beliefs, thoughts and emotions. Belief in oneself is crucial and that you reap what you soe. Life is one big school and I believe that we are here to learn to overcome our weaknesses, and to grow spiritually physically and mentally, life is what you make it, l am the director script writer and actor in this beautiful movie called life, and every day I’m getting better and better at creating joy, love and harmony within my reality, life is magnificent
Recovery ain’t for everyone