Preventable Treatable Brain Disease?

“Biden Challenges Public Perception of Addiction”

“Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., is introducing legislation that portrays addiction as a preventable, treatable brain disease.”

Ya’ think?

“Eliminating word abuse takes away the notion that it’s willful misconduct. It’s inappropriate to term this ‘abuse.’ Ten percent of [the] population [are] unknowingly vulnerable to alcoholism when they drink. They can’t be held to be immoral for developing that illness.”

Word Abuse?

OMG – catch this! >>> “People think of an addict as a bum or a homeless person,” said Cynthia Moreno, executive director of the Association for Addiction Professionals. “Over 70 percent of drug addicts hold down very responsible jobs, have homes, and 2.3 children. They’re your average person.

Cynthia may have been talking to too many “functional” alkies or addicts.

Aw geez – it’s still all about will power, or control. Listen to this from Sally Satel, a psychiatrist at the Oasis Clinic in Washington, D.C.;

“I feel uncomfortable with calling it a brain disease. It’s not a constructive public health message. Of course drugs affect the brain, otherwise why would people use them? I’ve never met a clinician who treats people like if they have a brain tumor. Not one treatment requires brain surgery,” Satel said. “But that language can imply to the public that it’s a hopeless situation, when, in fact, all treatments expect a person to take control of things themselves. All doctors expect people to martial their free will.”

Yeah – everyone go out and “martial your free will” into not drinking or drugging. Yeah, that’s the ticket…