We would be disingenuous to say addiction is not a problem in every community in the United States. What disturbs me is we haven’t changed the way addicts are treated in our communities and our homes. We still advocate the unscientific 12 step programs and feel it is okay to practice tough love. Yes, tough love, tough love it to say the least, “tough”. But it isn’t the first option, often it is the last and without any other options something a parent or loved one doesn’t want to do but the topic needs to be discussed. You may find this TED talk about addiction informative: Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong.

Most of us know someone young or old who have dealt with this tragic disease but is it really a disease or a result of the lack of caring and kindness in our society. Some argue it is a disease and in some cases, it is a disease, but in other cases, it is a choice the person is making to avoid other issues in their lives they may need to deal with, I think each situation is unique.

However, the stigma for addicts has not changed, even though you may know someone who has dealt with it, most families don’t talk about it in public because most parents/families wonder what they did wrong. Did I not discipline them enough? Did I not spend enough time with him/her? Should I have kept them involved in more sports? Did they hang around with the wrong crowd? Did the accident cause depression? Are you different because the drugs were prescribed by a doctor?

The first step in recovery is admitting you are an addict, so it is appropriate to admit as a culture and society we have an addiction problem. So let’s start talking about the elephant in the room — start looking at ways we can move from the unscientific ways of dealing with addiction and help our fellow citizens without judging them.