Letters to the Editor
-
Nicely and compassionately put
by Ms. Traister.
BTW the disease model, as applied to substance use disorders and other mental health disorders, is neither a scientific model nor an explanatory framework, but is, in fact, a form of criminal, or antisocial, thinking error – it pathologizes individuals in order to attempt to distract attention from and avoid culpability for the environmental forces driving addictive behaviors. Those forces include toxic, coercive parenting, social systems which perpetuate poverty and differentials in power and opportunity, economic systems which entail scarcity, insecurity and fear, and all the other alienating and spirit-crushing forces we celebrate as Western civilization. One of the primary barriers to effectively addressing addiction is that treatment and policy are driven by individuals with medical training and invested in the disease model. Addiction is symptomatic of our sick culture, not sick individuals.