April 2011 - The Clean Slate Addiction Site

Some Gems

I’ve been on vacation, which is why I haven’t posted in over a week. Here are some great articles for you to check out while I work on some new stuff.

What of Needle Exchanges?

Steven joins the discussion on needle exchange programs, and shares some experience about the practical realities of being an intravenous drug user.

Addiction To Technology Similar To Drug Cravings

In the face of non-chemical addictions, drug addictions seem pretty normal.

Music, Addiction, And Imaginary Diseases

If we are to believe the argument that addiction is a disease, then we should also believe that the ability to play improvised jazz, conduct an orchestra, or freestyle rap is a disease. Indeed, if mere measurements of brain activity are sufficient proof of disease, then anything and everything we do is caused by disease – the term loses all relevance, and our society gets further and further away from real solutions to behavioral problems. Being an expert musician is not a diseased state – nor is being an expert drug user.

Review of a SMART Recovery Meeting

SMART is a great alternative to 12-step and conventional treatment programs for addiction, alcoholism, substance use, and substance abuse problems. Read my review of a recent meeting here.

FriendTheGirl Breaks It Down

A must read post at Stinkin-Thinkin about moderation, and the intolerance of the recovery culture.

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Addiction Is Not A Brain Disease. Logic, neuroscience, epidemiology, and social psychology all demonstrate this.

This site is dedicated to presenting a different view of addiction: That it is all about choice, and that you can permanently change your substance use habits without fear of relapse or a lifetime spent in meetings and treatment.

Some of you might be wondering whether I know about all the scientific proof that addiction is a brain disease. I'm well aware of the scientific facts and their misinterpretation. Here's my critical analysis of the brain disease model of addiction.

This site is not presenting a model of "recovery" because addiction is not a disease from which one can recover. It is freely chosen behavior, which anyone can freely choose to abandon at any point. This is not recovery from a disease, it is a change like any other change in day to day living that people make in their lives.

I am dedicated to presenting information about addiction from a non-disease perspective, so that people can learn how to feel free and in control of their substance use, and be empowered to change it to whatever degree will make them happiest in their lives. "Addiction is a choice" - that is, you can choose whether to hold or dismiss every thought and belief that motivates you to use substances heavily - and thus you can choose whether to continue any pattern of substance use or not - at will.

Reading any particular article on this website will not force you to change. Hopefully though, you will find some information that helps you to believe that change is possible for you - that it is within reach. This is one key ingredient in changing the mindset that fuels "addiction."