There’s a great interview with Gene Heyman, the author of Addiction: A Disorder of Choice available on NPR follow this link to listen to it, and learn about Heyman’s extremely important work: http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/08/is-addiction-a-matter-of-choice Another guest on the show, Hazelden’s Marvin Seppala, went on and on about research done on rats, a practice which I found… Continue reading Addiction: A Disorder of Choice
Category: Propaganda
Critique of Drugs, Brains, and Behavior or, How The NIDA Is Wasting Our Time And Money to Spread Harmful Lies
A reader who disagrees with my views recently posted a link and told me it was “required reading”. The link goes to a page titled “Drugs and the Brain” from the NIDA pamphlet (National Institute on Drug Abuse & Addiction) titled “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior – The Science of Addiction”. What follows is my critique… Continue reading Critique of Drugs, Brains, and Behavior or, How The NIDA Is Wasting Our Time And Money to Spread Harmful Lies
Bogus Drug Scares
Gawker has a good story on the latest overblown drug scares including i-dosing, flashblooding, and Jenkem. Check it out here: How Bogus Drug Scares Get Started.
The Crack Myth Continues Via EASTENDERS
The popular british soap “Eastenders” now has a crack addiction storyline which was inspired by the real life experiences of the actor playing the addict. Obviously, crack use is dangerous, and I don’t condone it, but I also can’t stand by idly while misinformation is spread about it. The actor, Paul White, is publicly speaking… Continue reading The Crack Myth Continues Via EASTENDERS
Excruciatingly Normal News from Know-Nothing Numbskulls
If you’d like to know why people are so misinformed, you need look no further than your local news. Noah Bond of ABC4 in Salt Lake City recently reported on a new heroin epidemic: A strong batch of heroin is killing addicts in Salt Lake County. At least four people are dead and two others… Continue reading Excruciatingly Normal News from Know-Nothing Numbskulls
Addiction Experts Keep Shaming Us Into Believing The Disease Theory
A few hours after making this post about the Argument From Intimidation, I found this story, A New Treatment For Narcotic Addiction by Lloyd I. Sederer MD, which was published the same day, on the Huffington Post, and served as a near perfect example of the fallacy in action. The article was pushing for public acceptance of buprenorphine as a treatment for opioid… Continue reading Addiction Experts Keep Shaming Us Into Believing The Disease Theory
The Disease Theory Argument From Intimidation
In “The Virtue of Selfishness” Ayn Rand brilliantly identified a logical fallacy in wide use today, which she called “The Argument from Intimidation”. If you don’t wholly support and endorse the disease theory of addiction, then you will undoubtedly be countered often with the Argument from Intimidation. If you’re aware that the argument isn’t really… Continue reading The Disease Theory Argument From Intimidation
"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"
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