Steven Slate, Author at The Clean Slate Addiction Site

"By changing the way we talk about addiction, we change the way people think about addiction"

The above quote reflects a view I believe whole-heartedly. If we were to talk about addiction as a choice, then people would think of it as a choice, and furthermore, they would behave as if it were a choice. Unfortunately, the person who spoke this quote, Joe Biden, said it while introducing the Recognizing Addiction… Continue reading "By changing the way we talk about addiction, we change the way people think about addiction"

The False Dichotomy of "Treat em or Jail em"

Stanton Peele wrote about the treatment or jail dichotomy almost 10 years ago, and what he had to say was brilliant (click the heading of this post to link to it). Almost a decade later, the same argument is presented again and again. The argument goes like this: Drug addicts are breaking the law by… Continue reading The False Dichotomy of "Treat em or Jail em"

Satel Reviews – ADDICTION: A DISORDER OF CHOICE

Sally Satel reviews Addiction: A Disorder of Choice by Gene M. Heyman I’ll be reading this and offering up my own review soon, but for now, here’s a few snippets of Sally’s review: In so-called contingency management experiments, subjects addicted to cocaine or heroin are rewarded with vouchers redeemable for cash, household goods, or clothes. Those… Continue reading Satel Reviews – ADDICTION: A DISORDER OF CHOICE

Opium Addiction Fuels Afghan Chaos (or is it the other way around?)

The title of this post links to a BBC article about opium use in Afghanistan. I think the article has a very telling and honest tone which I hear constantly when people talk about addiction. When people talk about addiction and why substance abuse happens they often list the dismal life circumstances of the abuser, the… Continue reading Opium Addiction Fuels Afghan Chaos (or is it the other way around?)

Natural Recovery From Heroin Addiction

If you haven’t heard of Natural Recovery, it is the “phenomenon” where substance abusers stop abusing substances without having received any sort of treatment or 12 step group attendance. Natural Recovery is also known as Self Change, Self Recovery, Spontaneous Remission, Auto-Remission, and other names. There is a lot of peer reviewed research on natural… Continue reading Natural Recovery From Heroin Addiction

Is Hoarding a Disease? Parallels With Addiction

I love watching the show Hoarders as much as I love watching Intervention. But both are based on the idea that these types of behavior are the result of diseases – and by disseminating this view they may be causing more harm than good. Unfortunately, substance abusers are already doomed – the idea that their… Continue reading Is Hoarding a Disease? Parallels With Addiction

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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."