Addiction and Substance Abuse Discussion and Response

Description Substance Use is a topic that brings up varying viewpoints, even among researchers and clinicians. For this discussion, we are going to look at assorted viewpoints, as expressed in TedTalks. Select a TedTalk to watch and describe by following this link: https://www.ted.com/search?q=substance+abuse (Links to an external site.). It is fine to choose a video already selected by others, so long as the points you make are your own and in your own words. 1. What is the topic and who is the speaker? What about the speaker gives the audience a sense of their authority? For example, are they medical professionals? Researchers? People who have themselves struggled with substance use? 4+ sentences 2. What are three main takeaway points from their talk? Explain each point separately. 4+ sentences per takeaway point (12+ sentences total) 3. Reply to a peer by telling them which point(s) they describe are ones that you find interesting, and why. As usual, please avoid replying to anyone who already has multiple replies. 4+ sentences Everything That You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong (Links to an external site.)I first watched the video with Michael Botticelli, and though he was the Director of National Drug Control Policy during President Obama’s tenure, I didn’t feel that the video was very informative about addiction. The video by Johann Hari, a journalist and author, was. He came to the study of addiction as he had family members who struggled with it, and had questions about what causes addiction and why we have chosen to continue a policy of ineffective criminalization. Johann describes being a young child seeing an unconscious family member on the floor. He did not go into the field to learn about the social and political issues around addiction, but in order to help people whom he loves. He wrote a book on the subject, and interviewed countless subjects, from addicts to researchers, for Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. His talk addressed how our current understanding of addiction is wrong, and has been viewed more than 15 million times. It was fascinating and made me want to do more research on the subject. I did a little googling and unfortunately he was accused of plagiarism, but I think his points still hold merit.This Ted talk made me understand why, despite my genetic predisposition and familial influence, I never developed an addiction. He states that the opposite of addiction is connection and that social bonds which tie us together also work as a prophylactic against the development of addiction. My bond with my children and my desire to provide them a childhood different from what I experienced was that powerful. I was very moved about the addiction research he described that was done on rat subjects. It’s commonly believed that drugs have a chemical hook which creates a physical and then emotional dependency. He states that this came about in part because of an initial study on rats which were presented with a choice between pure water or water with heroin. They chose the latter, implying that they had a taste and then were hooked. Professor Alexander believed it was a flawed design. He realized that the rats who chose to drink from a bottle of heroin water rather than plain water were in a boring cage with nothing to occupy them. He created a rat wonderland filled with toys and rat companions, and sure enough, the rats who led busy lives and shared social bonds were not interested in the drugged water. Johann suggests that instead of referring to it as addiction, we should call it “bonding,” as humans who lack social bonds will find something to bond with, even if it is alcohol or drugs. He said, “What if addiction is about your cage?” I think it’s also important to acknowledge the fact that we are affected by societal forces which we cannot control, we still do have some agency when it comes to how we choose to fill our cage. This leads into his other points, about the implications for treatment and public policy. He argues that the war against drugs has been ineffective precisely because it punishes, shames, and disconnects people from the very things that could give their lives meaning. People with felony drug convictions struggle to find employment, which could otherwise give them a reason to get up each day and abstain from drugs or alcohol. He gives the example of Portugal, which decided to decriminalize all drugs after convening a panel of public policy specialists and researchers. Also key, they took all of the funds they had been spending on prosecution and incarceration and used it to fund treatment programs, job creation, microloans, and subsidization of employment for former addicts. Drug use has declined by 50%, and overdoses have declined as well. He states that the best indication of success is that the public wishes to continue the program. In contrast, the so-called war on drugs and criminalization of substance use in America is not only ineffective but has destroyed countless lives and families. He did not touch on this point, but the reality is that the war on drugs is not only ineffective, but inherently racist and classist. It disturbs me greatly that black men still sit in prison for crimes involving possession or distribution of marijuana, when many states have legalized it for recreational or medicinal use. In many cases, the individuals with the capital for a marijuana startup are white people of means. I don’t foresee the United States moving to full scale legalization anytime soon, but at the very least we should begin to address the inherent racism inherent in the justice system and how drug laws are unequally applied.Another key point he made concerned how we treat addicts in our personal lives. I am not unbiased when it comes to substance use disorder and it’s one of the rare things which I am judgmental about. I’m aware of the research regarding addiction, but I also feel that there’s an element of personal responsibility. I was raised by my mother and my alcoholic grandfather, who abused her when she was young. I have memories of being too ashamed to bring people home after school on the off chance he would be outside throwing up after his visit to the bar. I did not drink at all or use any substances from the time I was 17 to 39. I even refrained from taking medication to treat my severe ADHD and after a spinal injury and surgery, I only took a quarter of the dose that was prescribed, such was my fear of addiction. I know that I have a genetic predisposition and it was incredibly important to me that my children not receive the upbringing that I had. I realized during his TED talk that I had both the social bonds and connections which enriched my life and gave me not only a reason to get up each day, but to abstain from any substance use. My children were my why. I have been steeped in the self-help culture which more often than not suggests that you cut ties with dysfunctional people or addicts who bring chaos into your life. I have done this to protect both myself and my children. He points out however that addicts need understanding and love, and by severing the emotional connections that we have with them, we remove what brings meaning to their lives. He feels that we essentially place them into an empty rat cage. Johann discusses research on how we have led increasingly isolated lives with fewer friends and larger houses since the 1950’s. He believes that because addiction is actually a societal problem, focus should not solely be on individual recovery, but recovery of society as a whole, with greater social connections and support for people struggling with addiction. It is incredibly difficult to love an addict, and programs which help alleviate the burden on families so that they are not their loved one’s sole source of emotional or financial support would bring profound change.