JUDGMENT CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO SOMEONE ELSE’S HEALTH
By Jamie Becker
D
id you know the average
may try and fail a number of times before
American Society of Addiction Medicine.
dieter tries between 55 and
they achieve long-term sobriety. There
Like diabetes, cancer and heart disease,
130 diets in their lifetime?
is no magic number or formula for how
addiction is influenced by behavioral,
Or that smokers average
many recovery attempts a person must
environmental and biological factors.
make before they get it “right.”
Genetic risk factors account for about half
30 attempts before they successfully quit smoking? Or that most New Year’s resolutions are kept for 10 days? These numbers confirm what we already know – behavior change is hard. As a society, we don’t expect people to make lasting behavior changes on the first try. In fact, it would be a surprise if someone succeeded in quitting smoking, losing tons of weight or sticking to an exercise plan on their first attempt. Yet,
ADDICTION IS A DISEASE Despite many advances over the last 60 to 80 years in treating addiction, little has changed in the way society views people who have a SUD. Many people refuse to see addiction as a disease and instead view every person with a substance use disorder as irresponsible, worthless and
of the likelihood that an individual will develop an addiction. This is the reality of addiction and the reason that people with substance use disorders need to be treated with kindness and compassion rather than judgment, especially by the people closest to them. People struggling with addiction are
a drain on society. This view comes from
suffering from a disease. Addiction is not a
the belief that behavior driven by a SUD is
choice or a moral failing. It’s not a lack of
when people try to achieve sobriety for a
a decision, when nothing could be further
willpower. These beliefs cause addiction
drug or alcohol use disorder, our society
from the truth. As someone in recovery
to continue, and so we have to change the
doesn’t show the same level of tolerance,
once said, “We no more choose to be an
way we think about addiction. We have to
compassion or understanding.
addict or an alcoholic than we would
draw on compassion instead of contempt.
choose to have cancer.”
When we are compassionate, we promote
Like other behaviors that people try to quit, statistics show that most people
Addiction is defined as a disease by
don’t manage to quit their substance use
most medical associations, including the
essential for successful recovery. Judgment
disorder (SUD) on the first attempt. They
American Medical Association and the
or moralizing to people with a SUD is
22 Construction Connections
inclusiveness and safety, which are
