U.S. - Addiction Doesn't Always Last a Lifetime

[S.J.B.]

Addiction Doesn't Always Last a Lifetime
Maia Szalavitz
The New York Times
August 31st, 2018

Filthy hands gripping bloody needles, pregnant women shooting up, angelic toddlers in car seats with their parents slumped upfront, overdosed -- media images of the opioid crisis are relentlessly dire.

Fortunately, this is not the whole story. Around two million Americans are addicted to opioids. Yet many more have overcome their opioid problems. A large national population study found that almost all of those who once met criteria for prescription opioid-use disorder achieved remission during their lifetimes -- and half of those recovered within five years. Although heroin and street fentanyl are more dangerous, most of those who avoid fatal overdoses recover from addiction.

To improve the odds, we need to recognize and champion recovery -- and the wide variety of forms it can take. In media and pop culture, when recovering people are seen at all, one type usually appears: someone who goes to rehab and then abstains from all drugs by relying on 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous.

In fact, other recovery journeys are more common. For example, nearly half of those with prescription opioid addiction are able to recover without formal treatment or self-help participation.

Moreover, many of those who recover do it through professional treatment with medications like methadone or buprenorphine, not through abstinence. Studies, including one of all patients in Britain treated for opioid addiction between 2005 and 2009, show that these two medications are the only treatments that reduce mortality by half or more when used long-term -- and they cut relapse rates more than an abstinence approach.

Read the full story here.

 

[imma bee]

It is indeed true that addiction doesn't last a lifetime. There are so many factors that contribute to one's drug usage. It can be classified as "disease", self-medication, or choice. It comes down to the individual and how they perceive themselves within the world and their environment. Addiction is most likely a disorder - and one which can be overcome with the right approach, life choices, and support mechanisms in place.

 

[Legerity]

I think it is important to have views that differ from the typical 'addiction is a lifelong disease' perspective. Some people might just stop from one day to the next or maybe gradually over a period of time. Our experiences change us and that can change our drug use behaviour.