In an attempt to understand alcohol use disorder (AUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) some people want easy answers to explain these diseases. Unfortunately, numerous myths about addiction make it more difficult for other people not dealing with it to empathize with its challenges. There are myths about inpatient treatment, too. So to shed some light on the truth, we outline some of the top misconceptions about AUD and SUD.
Why Do Myths About Addiction Continue?
Multiple health organizations classify addiction as a chronic disease—including the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the World Health Organization, the American Psychiatric Association, and more. Yet for all the scientific advances, myths and stigmas abound. Let’s take a closer look at the top 5 myths.
Myth 1: Addiction Indicates a Lack of Morals
If someone has diabetes or heart disease, it’s rarely associated with faulty morality. However, although SUD and AUD are also considered chronic but treatable conditions, decades of judgment affect people’s perspectives. While there’s truth to the statement that someone has to choose to use drugs or alcohol—and they don’t choose the other diseases—they don’t have a conscious intent to become the proverbial addict or alcoholic. In some states, choosing to use a drug such as marijuana or alcohol doesn’t even violate a morality code of lawlessness.
Some people can frequently use a substance without developing compulsive dependency. But for others, research indicates their brains experience predictable changes with each use, which only creates a stronger reliance on the drug. Other risk factors such as trauma and PTSD, family behavior, environmental triggers, a dual diagnosis of a mental health disorder, and psychological characteristics such as impulsivity can also contribute to dependency.
Myth 2: Addicts Don’t Have Enough Willpower, Otherwise They Would Stop
According to the American Psychological Association, willpower is “the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.” It’s also a limited resource that can easily be depleted by any number of factors.
When someone is addicted to a powerful chemical substance, they become reliant on it, which compromises their decision-making ability, behaviors, and impulse control. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicates that SUD and AUD are “characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences. It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.”
These physiological changes only get worse during the period of addiction and, consequently, impact the ability to exercise conscious choice or willpower.
Myth 3: I Know an Addict When I See One
Unfortunately, addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of age, culture, or socio-economic status. So the stereotypes associated with the disease extend damaging misinformation on several levels:
- “Well, he’s poor, a minority, and a criminal:” There are many data points to be examined in any type of statistics. However, according to a 2024 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “American Indian or Alaska Native and Multiracial people were more likely than most other racial or ethnic groups to have used substances or to have had an SUD in the past year.” But, as the tragic story of actor Matthew Perry displays, even a white male multi-millionaire can struggle with addiction.
- “She can still go to work, so she’s not addicted:” Denial is common among individuals plagued by addiction and the people who love them. Someone with substance abuse issues can still be high-functioning. The stereotype here is simply that if someone’s day-to-day experiences haven’t drastically changed to cause unemployment and loss of home, there’s not a substance problem and no need for treatment.
- “His mother was an alcoholic, so he is, too:” The NIDA reports that only 40-to-60 percent of a person’s genetics may contribute to addiction vulnerability, often when combined with other risk factors such as environment, medical condition, and mental health. But just as many protective factors can prevent it.
- “Anyone who uses drugs is an addict:” As mentioned previously, there are numerous factors that contribute to addiction, not just the use of drugs or alcohol.
- “Anyone who uses prescription drugs isn’t an addict:” Many prescription medications such as ADHD treatments, opioids for pain, and sleep aids are notoriously addictive, and harmful when not taken as directed. Just because a healthcare provider called in a script and authorized use doesn’t make a substance any less potent.
Myth 4: Once Addicted, Always Addicted
The complexity of addiction means the journey of recovery has many stops and starts. A relapse doesn’t indicate someone is a failure. Emotions such as apathy, hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, and shame must be dealt with constructively.
Once someone recognizes the problem, specialized treatment plans that cater to their individual needs help create a path to a healthy, productive life.
Myth 5: Rehab Doesn’t Work
While these plans may be altered many times during the process to ensure the best results, this doesn’t mean rehabilitation isn’t worth the time or expense.
- As a first step, physical, mental, and emotional challenges are lessened in a safe environment.
- The second step is to develop a form of treatment that focuses on the individual, not simply the addiction. In this way, they regain control, embrace new techniques for wellness, and design a life of value.
Conversely, does this process “cure addiction”? There’s no definitive answer, but with a whole-person treatment approach and diligence in maintaining health, addiction specialists agree that AUD and SUD can be successfully managed for life.
The Great Oaks Philosophy of Care
The board-certified professionals at Great Oaks Recovery Center outside of Houston, Texas offer a full spectrum of evidence-based addiction treatment methods, from detoxification to continuing care and a family program. We’re committed to helping you or your loved one build a future free from the burden of addiction. Call our admissions team to find out how this approach will work for you.
