Introduction
This Nature of Things documentary follows Mike Pond, a therapist managing his alcohol addiction. He was only ever offered one treatment after losing his practice, his house, his family, and becoming homeless: Alcoholics Anonymous. This abstinence-based treatment approach did not work for him, so he started looking for other ways to heal himself and others. Mike is an advocate for “compassionate, evidence-based treatments” and feels that “harm reduction, or any positive change, offers clients the best chance of beating addictions.”
Quotes from Beating Alcohol Addiction Through Evidence-Based Treatment
“Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) quickly became the go-to and for the longest time, only treatment for alcoholism. Millions credit the program for their sobriety. You can find a meeting pretty well anywhere, anytime. In a field where treatment can cost tens of thousands, it’s free.”
“If you have a drinking problem someone is going to suggest Alcoholics Anonymous and may badger you if you didn’t go to AA or if AA didn’t work for you. So this piles on an experience in addition to having the problem. Now you have to deal with a lot of pressure and a lot of shaming. Making people feel bad about their drinking was never what the founders of AA intended, nor is it great therapy.”
“There isn’t any other diagnosis where it would be okay to get in people’s face and scream at them and shame them and make them feel terrible about themselves. We reserve that one for substance use disorders.”
“Mike discovered an estimated 40% of addicts also suffer from a mental disorder and then shaming can become lethal … alcoholism is a key predictor of suicide.”
“A major American report suggests the lack of care given addicted patients might even be medical malpractice. Basically, they describe most physicians as being unqualified to diagnose or treat addiction.”
“Evidence-based treatment, meaning there’s science behind it, is largely absent in addiction treatment. I would estimate that in Canada of those struggling with severe alcohol addiction about 1% are actually being prescribed evidence-based treatments.”
“Scientists now believe [that] addiction is about 60% inherited, 40% environmental. There’s likely no one gene, but more likely, genes that create character traits that increase risk.”
“When we experience something pleasant, our brains are flooded with the neurotransmitter dopamine. This happens in the reward circuitry and extends to the prefrontal cortex, that part of our brain responsible for decision-making.”
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