What is a heavy drinker to do during the COVID-19 lockdown? Most people would say, “Well, so what, just don’t drink!”.
We have all seen the pictures of massive lineups outside liquor stores as they were about to close due to COVID-19. Why risk exposure to a virus with no cure that can kill your loved ones just for some alcohol? Most of us fall into the trap of looking at a substance use disorder through the lens of it being a question of personal control; if they have the willpower, they could stop drinking. Even those who suffer from alcohol addiction fall into this very same trap.
Couples come to my marriage retreats devastated and full of blame and shame because they see one of the spouses drinking as a moral and personal failure; “if you loved your family, you would stop drinking.” It is heartbreaking to see married couples on the verge of divorce due to a treatable condition if only we could get past the stigma and encourage proper addiction treatment.
Nora Volkow states in the May 11th Scientific American Blog that little progress has been made in removing the stigma around substance use disorders. People with alcohol addiction continue to be blamed for their disease. Even though medicine long ago reached a consensus that addiction is a complex brain disorder with behavioural components, the public and even many in healthcare and the justice system continue to view it as a result of moral weakness and flawed character.
Couples come to my marriage retreats devastated and full of blame and shame because they see one of the spouses drinking as a moral and personal failure; “if you loved your family, you would stop drinking.” It is heartbreaking to see married couples on the verge of divorce due to a treatable condition if only we could get past the stigma and encourage proper addiction treatment.
Nora Volkow states in the May 11th Scientific American Blog that little progress has been made in removing the stigma around substance use disorders. People with alcohol addiction continue to be blamed for their disease. Even though medicine long ago reached a consensus that addiction is a complex brain disorder with behavioural components, the public and even many in healthcare and the justice system continue to view it as a result of moral weakness and flawed character.
