The Disease Concept of Addiction BY NOEL NEU on May 28th, 2013
The general explanation of a disease is that it is chronic, progressive and fatal while being treatable. Education on how to acknowledge addiction as a disease means that it can be arrested or halted from symptom progression with treatment. So what identifies treatment and what would it include? There are a variety of modalities, such as therapeutic groups which are facilitated by a licensed professional, individual counseling with a licensed professional, developing and contacting sober supports, attending 12 step meetings, getting a sponsor and working through the 12 steps. All of these processes individually are adequate in treating the disease of addiction, however, combined together make up a very effective and ongoing process with which recovery is attained and developed. The importance of recognizing addiction as the concept of a chronic illness is that if it is left untreated, the symptoms of the disease will return with greater amplitude than before also known as the progression. This is critical in establishing a program of relapse prevention at the onset, as well as developing a long-term daily plan of healthy living for a recovering addict mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially. In doing so, a recovering addict builds a greater sense of self increasing selfesteem which creates a stronger ability to heal from the disease as it moves into remission. Once in remission, a recovering addict is able to affect true change in his/her life in truly reconnecting with self, higher power, and others in support. This philosophy is what we use to formulate the foundation of our slogan at Empathic Recovery: “We can help you heal.�