What is Addiction?

THE SPEECH was taped by a friend. He was only able to post the first 10 minutes of what became a 30 minute presentation.

For those of you frustrated by the video being cut off early, I can tell you that we will tape and play the next time I make that speech in its entirety.

In the meantime, I cannot possibly write everything I said, but I can tell you what came next:

What is addiction really about?

It is not about the drug. It is not about heroin or crack or meth or Johnny Walker or Stella Artois or sex or gambling or work or books or any of the other thousands of specifics on which we choose to obsess.

Addiction is all about the oldest and most common of all human ailments - LONELINESS.

We come into the world alone and we leave the world alone. We are trapped within this skin and frame. We live in splendid or horrid isolation, depending on our wealth.

But...between birth and death, most of us make at least some minimal effort to communicate with Others. We find friends and lovers and sweethearts and parents and children and colleagues and bowling teams and camera clubs and bridge partners. And to one degree or another, we make some small or large success of combating loneliness.

Addicts do not.

Addicts simplify all their problems into a single misfortune with a recognizable label - drug addict, alcoholic, gambler, child abuser, over eater.

Yes, these are diseases. But they are diseases of the soul, of the spirit.

And trying to cure them by answering only the most obvious physical symptom is hopelessly doomed.

Addicts need the Ultimate Make-Over. Physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, social, occupational, interactional, literary, athletic, name a phase of life.

Every one is looking for a Silver Bullet. The Mayor, the doctors, the social workers, the armchair therapists, the Would-be saviours.

Doesn't exist.

The treatment lies in steady, consistent, knowing hard work.

And there are many people already doing this work and many more who can do much more for so many other addicted people, if we as a body politic would stop fooling around with destructive harm reduction nonsense and fund real treatment.

And real treatment is cheap. Real treatment does not need doctors and nurses, except on call as occasional volunteers. Real treatment is peer group work, addicts helping addicts.