ADDICTION IS A DISEASE

This week is National Drug Awareness.

Elliot Lake and local First Nations are participating in getting the
word out.

Since the 1800s, an increasing number, believe addiction is a disease.
On the other side of the coin, many people believe those addicted to
drug, alcohol and tobacco suffer from self-inflicted problems. They
have the attitude of 'You got yourself into this mess, you can get
yourself out of it.'

Any smoker who kicked the habit, and anyone who tried unsuccessfully
to quit can attest to its difficulty. Nicotine is said to highly
addictive and is sometimes compared to heroin for its addictive tug.
However, that is to its addictiveness, but by no means its potency.

Just speak to someone who is struggling to break the addiction, or an
alcoholic who is striving to stay sober. They can attest to their
hourly, daily and weekly struggles, hardships and battles with
personal demons as they try to return to be the person they were
before being taken hostage.

They need the public's support, at the very least, the agencies that
provide the support they need and the recovery homes.

I almost certain that everyone knows at least one person who is hooked
on something, be it drugs or alcohol. One might not even know that a
friend has a drug or alcohol problem. Some even make excuses to deny
to themselves that a friend has such a problem.

As Debi Milne, manager of the Camillus Centre says, "we wouldn't treat
cancer patients the way we treat addicts."

We don't treat drivers involved in traffic accidents like society
treat addicts either. And virtually all traffic accidents are the
result of driver error, or self-inflicted, one might say.