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A quote I like to fall back on is the one from Portugal, which no longer has (edited) criminalized substances. "If you realize addiction is simply a symptom of

A quote I like to fall back on is the one from Portugal, which no longer has (edited) criminalized substances. "If you realize addiction is simply a symptom of a deeper underlying mental illness. Treat the illness, you solve the addiction." But yes there will be addicts.

kcole16 12y ago
Recreational drug possession is decriminalized in Portugal, but still illegal. You will still be fined if caught, and if you possess over a certain amount, charged with a crime. That being said, addiction has declined since the decriminalization.
- jfrm 12y ago
  If caught consuming (under a certain amount), the drug will be apreend and you can be required to present yourself before a comitte formed by a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. It's possible to be fined but that it's not the primary objective.
mercer 12y ago
While I think it's a huge improvement to see addiction something other than a 'crime', I think assuming it's a symptom of a deeper underlying mental illness is still not ideal. It's too simple. Consider addiction to smoking. There are plenty of people who picked up smoking for no other reason than 'fitting in' or 'curiosity'. Which I'd hardly call a mental illness. Many of these people kept smoking, and sadly probably many of them died from smoking. Similarly, I suspect there are many alcoholics who slowly became so because they entered a culture of alcohol. Addiction is a powerful thing in itself, and while the solution to many might be uncovering the underlying mental illness, for many it might 'just' be a matter of unlearning a powerful, destructive habit. Of course in both cases professional help is necessary, but treating an 'underlying mental illness' in cases where there are none can also have bad consequences. Among the many addicts and ex-addicts I've known, there have been more than a few that were actively treating a 'deeper underlying mental illness' that I suspected didn't really exist in the first place. And while that's probably better than being an addict, it's still not good. in fact, this is one reason I have issues with the approach Alcoholics Anonymous. They seem to treat all alcoholics as sufferers of a lifelong disease, and I cannot help but wonder if being constantly reminded of a thing you don't want to do anymore is a good solution for all people. For some, sure. Some people might have the 'alcoholism gene'. But I don't think that's always the case.
- valarauca1 12y ago
  There is a difference between chemical and psychological addiction you completely overlook. I was generalizing the later, as it can be dealt with, with consoling. The former can be very nasty and serious. It didn't mean to belittle it, or people who've fallen prey to it.
  - mercer 12y ago
    There's a difference, but it's not black and white, and I find it hard to imagine that most chemical addictions we know are bad enough in themselves to cause the extreme behavior that addicts exhibit. Regardless, I was primarily thinking about the psychological side of addiction in the above post, and I think my point still stands. There are many examples of (almost) purely psychological addictions that people suffer from, and also in those cases I think it can be an interplay of habit formation, personality characteristics, and environment, that 'maintain' it, and not always 'deeper issues' (although I suppose one could consider environment a deeper issue...).

kcole16 12y ago

Recreational drug possession is decriminalized in Portugal, but still illegal. You will still be fined if caught, and if you possess over a certain amount, charged with a crime. That being said, addiction has declined since the decriminalization.

jfrm 12y ago
If caught consuming (under a certain amount), the drug will be apreend and you can be required to present yourself before a comitte formed by a lawyer, a doctor and a social worker. It's possible to be fined but that it's not the primary objective.

mercer 12y ago

While I think it's a huge improvement to see addiction something other than a 'crime', I think assuming it's a symptom of a deeper underlying mental illness is still not ideal. It's too simple. Consider addiction to smoking. There are plenty of people who picked up smoking for no other reason than 'fitting in' or 'curiosity'. Which I'd hardly call a mental illness. Many of these people kept smoking, and sadly probably many of them died from smoking. Similarly, I suspect there are many alcoholics who slowly became so because they entered a culture of alcohol. Addiction is a powerful thing in itself, and while the solution to many might be uncovering the underlying mental illness, for many it might 'just' be a matter of unlearning a powerful, destructive habit. Of course in both cases professional help is necessary, but treating an 'underlying mental illness' in cases where there are none can also have bad consequences. Among the many addicts and ex-addicts I've known, there have been more than a few that were actively treating a 'deeper underlying mental illness' that I suspected didn't really exist in the first place. And while that's probably better than being an addict, it's still not good. in fact, this is one reason I have issues with the approach Alcoholics Anonymous. They seem to treat all alcoholics as sufferers of a lifelong disease, and I cannot help but wonder if being constantly reminded of a thing you don't want to do anymore is a good solution for all people. For some, sure. Some people might have the 'alcoholism gene'. But I don't think that's always the case.

valarauca1 12y ago
There is a difference between chemical and psychological addiction you completely overlook. I was generalizing the later, as it can be dealt with, with consoling. The former can be very nasty and serious. It didn't mean to belittle it, or people who've fallen prey to it.
- mercer 12y ago
  There's a difference, but it's not black and white, and I find it hard to imagine that most chemical addictions we know are bad enough in themselves to cause the extreme behavior that addicts exhibit. Regardless, I was primarily thinking about the psychological side of addiction in the above post, and I think my point still stands. There are many examples of (almost) purely psychological addictions that people suffer from, and also in those cases I think it can be an interplay of habit formation, personality characteristics, and environment, that 'maintain' it, and not always 'deeper issues' (although I suppose one could consider environment a deeper issue...).