The disease of addiction can be defined as a biopsychosocial and spiritual disorder characterized by loss of control and negative consequences. Let’s focus for the time being (and for the purposes of this blog) on the spiritual aspects of Recovery....
Is Addiction a Disease? Many people reject the disease model of addiction. In their view, the disease model gives addicts and alcoholics a free pass: “I can’t help it! I’ve got a disease! I don’t have to take responsibility!” This...
This blog’s comments will focus on the medical profession’s past and present attitudes towards substance dependency within its own ranks. I cannot comment (due to my lack of experience) on nurses’/hospitals’ attitudes towards addicted nurses, nor can I comment on ...
Health professionals are held to a higher standard of conduct in their everyday (non-professional) lives outside of the office, clinic or hospital. I know of many instances of nurses and doctors, psychologists, pharmacists and veterinarians being hauled up before their...
If you belong to a visible minority, it has become well established in recent years that you are at higher risk of being discriminated against by the police, the justice system, the health care system and society as a whole....
In dealing with relapse prevention, substance abuse scientists, researchers and treatment providers have observed that substance-dependent patients often relapse in an attempt to avoid, mitigate, or otherwise deal with negative feelings, unpleasant memories or toxic environments. “Avoidance of unpleasantness” is...
I see my addictionist, a medical doctor, every three months in his office. At each visit he asks me: are there any people in my life who are an impediment to my Recovery? For the last few years, I have...
With the increased availability and legitimization of marijuana, I have met people at A.A. and N.A. meetings, recovering from “hard” drugs such as opiates and cocaine, who have made the decision to continue using marijuana to “relax” or to “unwind”....
Too often one hears comments like: “oh, he/she has such an alcoholic personality” or “that’s such an alcoholic thing to say”. These statements are used to disparage people, even if they don’t suffer from the disease of alcohol dependency! The...
When a substance and/or alcohol dependent patient has achieved and maintained some Recovery time, the issue often comes up: when is it appropriate to disclose this MEDICAL condition (addiction) to others? I stress the word “medical” because disclosure of addiction...
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