Most People with Addiction Simply Grow Out of It

FYI: I don't entirely agree with this article. But I posted it in part because I seriously loathe the AA "disease" model.

My dad drank heavily when he was in the army. He fought in the front lines of two wars. I think he did it at least in part so he could sleep because alcohol helps suppress dreams (and, thus, also nightmares). About four years after he left the army, he swore off alcohol and basically never touched it again.

I loathe the taste of alcohol and, for most of my life, rarely have touched the stuff. But I did have a nightcap almost every night for a year at a time when I was very ill and doctors didn't really know what to do for me. At some point in there, it was not unusual for me to have two doubles with dinner -- the equivalent to four drinks. So I imagine I could have been classified as an alcoholic at that time. But when I got some answers and started getting healthier, I was happy to stop drinking. Like my father, I never attended AA, never wrestled with trying to resist temptation or whatever, etc.

In my father's case, I think it helped with psychological trauma. In my case, it helped me survive illness at a time when I didn't have good answers and wasn't getting adequate medical treatment. I have read or heard plenty of other stories that look to me like they fit one of those categories.

So I think the article oversimplifies things in suggesting it is just a developmental disorder, but I am thrilled to see a piece talking about the reality that most folks drink less as they get older, without getting any treatment. I really, really dislike the AA model.

Thanks for the link - although I'm referring more to the (potentially false) analogy with present-day digital computers as opposed to the claim that the brain is a type of computational instrument, which is hard to find fault with. It's interesting how different eras apply their own en vogue technologies to understanding the mind. (I.e. Descartes and other late 17th and 18th c. thinkers visualized mental functions as clockwork-like mechanical interactions, the 20th century witnessed lots of "brain as factory" imagery, and now we're stuck on the brain as a network of computers).

I've seen some ministries report a 50% success rate re curing addiction for people who join. So social recovery forms of drug treatment are very successful and might include things like exorcism and whatnot as part of belonging to the flock, I suppose.

Sure, we know from science and Occam's razor that devils and gods probably don't exist, but that doesn't mean participating doesn't show proven benefits. Although the studies that show the benefits of religion tend to find attendance means more than believe, so it is more of a network and support effect than anything actually spiritual.

Yet another HN article that minimizes the perception that drugs can cause harm.

Yes it is true that most people grow out of addiction.

But many do not. In my circle I count four dead, many more damaged by drugs.

I liked the "Make us a habit" newsletter signup prompt at the bottom of a story (and website) about drugs/addition.