Yesterday was Overdose Awareness Day, and today, September 1, is the first day of National Recovery Month. To be honest I have been struggling for a while now to find words that truly encompass my holistic view on what addiction is and what needs to shift in order to stop this epidemic from causing any further damage to individuals, families, or society at large. Maybe along the way I can break a few of the stigmas about “addicts” and help simplify and clarify a few things. Let’s get right to it then: here’s why I use “Addiction” as opposed to “Substance Abuse Disorder or Substance Use Disorder”.
I feel that language is important especially when discussing a topic that affects so many of us on a deep and personal level. I feel the new trend of calling addiction “substance use disorder/abuse” does more harm than good because it places the emphasis on the substance when the problem exists in the brain. People are addicted to all kinds of things that are not “substances” and these addictions can be just as deadly and are equally worth being represented.
The disease concept in medicine is quite simple: Organ>Defect>Symptoms. This could be applied to treat anything anything from a broken femur bone (organ:bone> defect:break> symptom: pain, swelling, bruising) to Addiction.
Addiction is the deregulation of the midbrain dopamine (pleasure) system due to unmanaged stress, resulting in decreased functioning, specifically—loss of control, craving, and persistence of the addictive behavior despite harsh, negative consequences. People have addictions ranging from heroine and prescription drugs to food, sex, codependency, gambling, shopping and that is not even the tip of the iceberg. I’ve been through enough rehabs with a mix of all of the above to know that each of us struggled in our own private Hell.
I have found strength and healing through connection. Connection through nature, my yoga practice, my dogs, gardens and community. Through looking at the similarities rather than the differences in certain "dis-eases" and "dis-orders". Through connecting what works across the board and through healing modalities across the World and dissolving the separateness that silently influences us all. By overcoming the shame I once associated with the word addict, I have learned to embrace the condition for allowing me to step onto this path of healing and evolution.
