Carrying the Message of Recovery to the Nursing Community

Our society still sees addiction as a self induced disease characterized by a lack of willpower and a desire to keep using. Nothing is further from the truth. Research has shed a great deal of light on the biology of this disease, including the mapping of the areas of the brain affected by substance misuse.

I can understand how a non-health care professional would continue to believe the stereotypical view of addiction and the addict. I find it baffling that a trained health care provider would continue to believe it. Professionals are supposed to keep up with current research and published literature in order to maintain their level of expertise. With substance abuse and chemical dependence the number one public health issue, not staying current is unprofessional and unethical. Fortunately, more professional journals are beginning to publish articles dealing with this disease.

RN Magazine has published an article in the April issue. They interviewed me and Patricia Holloran (author of Impaired: A nurses story of addiction and recovery. This is a good start. Those of us in recovery must speak out if we are ever going to change the way this disease is treated.

If nurses don't accept addiction as a disease, how can we ever expect society to accept it?

Treating Addiction as a Chronic Disease

"Treatment doesn't work!" "The addict has to hit bottom for treatment to work."

Two of the most common myths held as "gospel" by a majority of the population. While it would seem to be true, nothing could be further from the truth. Imagine any other chronic disease...diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease. Now imagine the response if we said the same things about the disease of your choice.

"The diabetic has to hit bottom before they will seek treatment. Besides, treatment doesn't work."

Well, if we waited until the diabetic was in a coma with a leg infected and gangrenous, we would definitely think treatment doesn't work.

"The person with coronary artery disease has to hit bottom before they seek treatment. Besides, treatment doesn't really work."

If we wait until the person has a massive heart attack or stroke, we would think treatment was a joke.

This is exactly what most folks do when it comes to addiction. They wait until they can't ignore the "problem" anymore and then wonder why treatment "doesn't work". If there is to be any significant success in treating the disease of addiction, then we need to approach it in the same way we approach other chronic, progressive, potentially fatal diseases...increased education about the disease, early recognition, intervention, treatment, and long term follow up.

In other words...treat it scientifically, not emotionally.

Common Genes Tied To Alcohol, Nicotine, Cocaine Addictions

Treatment professionals have know this for at least the 19 years I've been dealing with addiction. We have more and more science to prove this is a disease and yet no one seems to want to accept it. Is hating addicts preferable to treating a deadly disease that destroys the addict and everyone around them before it finally kills the addict and others around them? It makes no sense to me.

"ScienceDaily (2009-03-16) -- For decades, finding clues to substance addiction has been much like searching for a needle in a haystack. But researchers may finally be honing in on specific genes tied to all types of addictions - and finding that some of the same genes associated with alcohol dependence are also closely linked with addictions to nicotine, cocaine, opoids, heroin and other substances."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090310142912.htm#