Why Addiction is Not a Disease: Into the Debate
Lecture 4
Why Addiction is Not a
Disease!
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One of the main proponents
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Stanton Peele
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http://www.peele.net/
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
5BLCVTU6J4A&feature=related
When Behavior is a Disease: Around the Water Cooler
1.
The disease is marked by loss of control of an involvement or behavior
2.
The sufferer cannot recognize the disease in the absence of education by disease sufferers,
especially other sufferers
3.
Disease exists in of itself and cannot be traced back to childhood rearing practices or other
environmental causes
4.
Disease progresses inexorably no matter what effort or life choice is made unless they receive
treatment aimed at containing or eliminating the behavior that defines the disease
5.
Disease is a permanent trait must accommodate it the rest of their lives
6.
Because of the inherent tendency for the sufferers and society to deny presence of disease, it is
remarkably prevalent, yet frequently undetected, calling for more aggressive identification and
treatment of sufferers
Main Messages
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A host of addictions may be understood as disease, but they are not
diseases
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“Addiction is an experience people can get caught up in but that
still expresses their values, skills at living, and personal resolve –
or lack of it”.
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Upon stopping use – peoples’ problems don’t disappear
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Addiction has become a marketplace
Sit with this…
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We will never, ever treat away drug abuse,
alcoholism, and the host of other behaviors
that are now called addictive behaviors…
Main Messages (cont.)
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No biological urge to form addictions that will one day be found
under the microscope
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We are creating more addictions ever year / generation (who we
often tell will never get better)
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CHILD OF A PERSON WITH A DISEASE OF ALCOHOLISM
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Mix up moral responsibility with disease diagnosis
Peele’s idea of treatment / helping
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Nurturing communities can protect and support the individual and
family reduce an entire range of illness
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Here people learn that can control their destinies = Self Efficacy
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But we have not capitalized on self-efficacy, connection, support,
and education instead we find it easier to…
The Disease Timeline
First Generation Diseases: AIDS
Measureable
Physical
effects
Preventative
Inoculations
Specific
Microbes
Clearly connected with the functioning of the body
Second Generation Diseases:
Mental Disorders
Disordered
thinking /
feeling
Derived from
what we are
told
No Brain
Scan / No
Microbe
Third Generation: Addictions
If I stop behaviors(s)
no disease
Known by
behaviors they
describe
Disease =
compulsively seek
DOC
Convincing Ourselves the Impossible
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Mental problems as “diseases”
broadly accepted by 1950’s
•
Mentally people are sick like those
suffering from sore throats…Medical
science knows neither specific
causes…nor specific ways of
preventing them (World Book Encyclopedia,
1961)
• Are we closer today?
Szasz, Foucault, Bateson, Laing
Presumed
disease
because
declared so
A problem does
exist – but it's
misunderstood
Medical Garb
Middle
Class
Morality
Control
behavior we
don’t like
Demand
conformity
Szasz, Foucault, Bateson, Laing: Explanations / Answers
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•
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Family and the double bind
Community
Deep Understanding / Safety and Support
Spiritual Journey
Accountability
Taking responsibility
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Today for good and bad, greater public seduced by enthusiasm in
neurosciences.
No doubt great increased understanding of brain, which has
helped reduce suffering from 1st generation diseases…
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But why then have 1st and 2nd generation disease rates climbed?
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Why so many pills?
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Why are a great deal of “so called” addicts now dually diagnosed?
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It is obvious that medical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs for firstgeneration diseases have not been forthcoming in dealing with our
second and more noticeably 3rd generation diseases.
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Medical community has itself contributed to increase in
addiction?
AA Becomes Institutionalized
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Private fellowship now co-opted into mainstream medicine and
psychotherapy (1970s)
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Linchpin for services (widespread in U.S. and Canada)
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We become convinced (lay public) millions of people are in need of
services (just not acknowledging)
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Thus AA moved away from an anonymous program; one where law,
medicine and the like now coerce people into a one size fits all
approach.
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An approach that suggests once and alcoholic always an alcoholic
Diseasing of America
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AA/Medical view is popular and is being applied to every-kind of
behavioral problem
o
Gambling
o
Overeaters
o
Compulsive shoppers
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Relationships addicts, love addicts, and sex addicts
o
Suffers from agoraphobia to severe anxiety to eating paint chips
o
ADCOA
o
Depression
o
PMS
o
Video Game Addicts
Can We Escape Being Diseased?
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Worse yet, disease according to its own
tenets - is biological in nature, and yet
sufferer(s) are told they are incurable!
Conclusions: Peele’s Final Stand
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Disease conceptions are bad science
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Biology is not behavior
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People’s belief that they have a disease makes it less likely that they will outgrow
the problem
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We also most guaranteeing relapse
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Lastly, the pseudo-medical and treatments of new diseases increasingly
determine our feelings, our self-concepts, and our world views – defining our
culture and who we are.
Draw Backs: Unpeeling Peele
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Let’s Chat!