The message emblazoned on a walkway window at the airport in Burlington, Vt., is a startling departure from the usual tourism posters and welcome banners: “Addiction is not a choice.
It’s a disease that can happen to anyone.” The statement is part of a public service campaign in yet another community assailed by drug use, intended to reduce stigma and encourage treatment.
For decades, medical science has classified addiction as a chronic brain disease, but the concept has always been something of a hard sell to a skeptical public.
That is because, unlike diseases such as Alzheimer’s or bone cancer or Covid, personal choice does play a role, both in starting and ending drug use.
But now, even some in the treatment and scientific communities have been rethinking the label of chronic brain disease.
In July, behavior researchers published a critique of the classification, which they said could be counterproductive for patients and families.
“I don’t think it helps to tell people they are chronically diseased and therefore incapable of change.
“The brain is highly dynamic, as is our environment.” The recent scientific criticisms are driven by an ominous urgency: Despite addiction’s longstanding classification as a disease, the deadly public health disaster has only worsened.
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The caption displayed on a window of the airport walkway in Burlington, Vermont. , stands in stark contrast to the typical travel posters and welcome banners:.
An addiction cannot be chosen. Anyone can contract this disease. “.
The statement is a component of a public awareness campaign aimed at lowering stigma and promoting treatment in yet another community plagued by drug use.
Medical science has been classifying addiction as a chronic brain disease for decades, but the idea has never been widely accepted by the general public due to its skepticism. This is so because, in contrast to illnesses like Alzheimer’s, bone cancer, or Covid, drug use is both initiated and terminated by the user’s own free will. The notion that drug users bear some of the blame for their actions has gained momentum recently, spearheading initiatives to increase the severity of drug possession penalties and reduce financing for syringe exchange programs.
However, some people in the scientific and therapeutic communities are now questioning the designation of chronic brain disease.
Researchers studying behavior released a critique of the classification in July, arguing that it might not be beneficial for patients and their families.
Telling people they have a chronic illness and are therefore powerless to change doesn’t seem to be helpful in my opinion. Then, what chance do we have?” Kirsten E. asked. co-author Smith, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences and psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, co-wrote the paper that was printed in the journal Psychopharmacology. Both our surroundings and the brain are extremely dynamic. “.
The frightening urgency behind the recent scientific criticisms is that, although addiction has long been recognized as a disease, the catastrophic public health crisis has only gotten worse.
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