It is a disease of the brain

I wish to respond to the Thursday letter, “Blaming the drug is a bad strategy”: The writer states, “The biggest hurdle people have to deal with before they change their habits is the medical s

ociety telling us it’s not our fault.” It’s obvious that the writer is not aware of the large amount of hard science that clearly shows that addiction is a disease of the brain.

One of the biggest hurdles an addict who is trying to get clean faces is the old fallacy that addiction is simply a matter of choice. This is a belief that has been thoroughly debunked by modern experimental science, yet continues to be propagated by those who either aren’t aware of the current science or who simply choose to ignore it.

A person takes their first drink of alcohol or first hit of a drug, often as the result of some type of peer pressure, without believing that it might lead to addiction. For some, whether to continue to use that drug is simply that, a decision. However, for others, brain changes occur as the result of that substance use that then impairs their decision-making ability regarding continuing to use that drug.

It’s not helpful for those who do not have this disease, and who are ignorant of the science, to try to pass off their misinformed opinion as fact. The scientifically proven facts are that addiction is a disease of the brain for which there is proven treatment.

Clay Eakin
Marysville