Addiction vs Diabetes

…what’s the difference?

…as it turns out, not much. Diabetes is a disease (or acquired condition, if you like) that is most commonly caused by overindulgence in sugar over many years. The body becomes desensitized to sugar, and the pancreas no longer produces enough insulin to regulate blood sugar effectively. People with diabetes will die from their disease if they don’t treat it. 

The similarities between diabetes and addiction are staggering. Like diabetes, addiction is most commonly caused by overindulgence in a pleasure-inducing substance. Addicts’ brains no longer produce enough dopamine to regulate their emotions effectively. People with addiction will likely die from their disease if they don’t treat it.

Unfortunately for those who suffer from addiction, the similarities between these two conditions end there. Society looks at diabetics very differently than it looks at addicts. While diabetics are given numerous options to treat their condition (up to and including the option to completely replace their natural supply of insulin), addicts are given one option: STOP.  That’s it. If society does decide to have mercy on the worst cases and allow them to supplement their dopamine levels with outside sources, it almost always comes with strings attached, such as humiliating urinalyses, mandatory group therapy sessions, or outside physicians’ signatures. The medications prescribed to treat addiction never feel as good as the drugs they’re intended to replace.

What’s the solution? As crazy as it sounds, people should be provided with a safe supply of drugs to use. These should be taxed and legal for adult consumption, like alcohol is. 

When the cure becomes worse than the disease, it’s time to let the sick simply live out their lives.  The government has been trying to “cure” (or at least curtail) addiction for centuries. They have failed. Dramatically.

It’s high time for change.