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Tom:
Look, my only experience with addiction largely stems from first year psychology and I'm just going off of the DSM-IV/APA so I'm inclined to disagree with Thomas Szasz's (?) model. He's absolutist in his assertation that addiction is just ultimately choice/free will instead of drugs having pathogenetic outcome that results in a substance abuse disorder. Sure, there are social factors that increase a persons likelihood of taking drugs and developing dependency but this is a disease with clear clinical manifestations and not a result psychatric tyranny to manitain a status quo.
pwhodges:
(I hope I'm not misunderstanding your assertions.) The fact that addiction once established is a clinical disease does not mean that awareness is not possible in many or even most cases. What are you suggesting is the way addicts should be helped?
Jimor:
The problem is that even though there are very real physiological effects of addiction that make the day-to-day use not much of a choice, and that there are very good treatment programs that can deal with that physical part of it, they aren't effective until a person makes that ultimate decision to get clean and stay that way. This usually doesn't happen until the consequences of an addiction become so obvious and painful that there really isn't another option.
This is why enabling behavior from people around an addict is such a large factor in continued use, it masks those needed consequences, sometimes until it's too late. It's not even a matter of caring or not caring, a lot of our natural instincts to help a friend or family member can be exactly the opposite of what they really need. It's such a topsy-turvy world that exists around an addict that often the very best thing you can do for them is kick them to the curb.
Tom:
--- Quote from: pwhodges on 01 Aug 2011, 15:29 ---(I hope I'm not misunderstanding your assertions.) The fact that addiction once established is a clinical disease does not mean that awareness is not possible in many or even most cases. What are you suggesting is the way addicts should be helped?
--- End quote ---
No, I agree that selfawareness is possible but I it's also possible to not be self-aware it seems myopic to be absolute about either. As to how to help, I don't have an adequate answer ._.
jwhouk:
The issue with the late Ms. Winehouse might not be as much about substance addiction but more about self-destructive behavior (or "behaviour" for Mr. Hodges & company).
In that scenario, substance abuse is only a means to an end.
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