Rethinking the Science of Addiction
Joe Strange / Nov 17 / Drugs & Addiction
It’s time to reflect on our understanding of drug use.
“Addiction Science” currently dominates discussion surrounding drug use. When most picture a drug user, they imagine someone out of control; someone with little regard for anything else other than hunting the next high. A burden on society incapable of balancing their habit with the responsibilities of everyday life. This is a misleading generalisation and has been responsible for creating an inaccurate understanding of drug patterns.
The dangers of Addiction Science
It is perhaps important here to reassure that my aim is not to encourage a widespread celebration of drug use, nor is it to belittle the trauma of addiction. Addiction is no doubt a major issue and one that needs to be addressed, but the current discourse which lumps recreational drug use and drug dependency together is naïve and unhelpful. Consequently, this article aims to scale down the perceived influence of addiction in the drug-taking decision.
Drug discussion’s current residence in the realm of Addiction Science is fundamentally problematic. It champions the idea that the main reason for drug consumption is due to a pathological addiction on the part of the user. This is untrue. Compulsive users never make up more than the minority of users. As such, framing drug narratives through addiction science creates an unrealistic image surrounding drug users which only applies to a small cohort of the drug-using community. The vocabulary associated with drug users perpetuates and dramatizes the problem, with terms such as ‘abuse’ and ‘offence’ levelled at even the most sparing users. Ultimately, this facilitates the misconception that even the most sporadic user is driven by addiction and compulsion, a narrative that is unfounded and harmful.
This misconception can be proven through statistics. According to NHS statistics, between 1993-2000 there was an increase in the proportion of adults (those aged between 16-59) who were reporting signs of drug dependency. However, between 2000 – 2014 these numbers plateaued and sit at just under 4% of the population, a figure that takes a further dive if cannabis is taken out of the picture. This figure becomes more profound when compared to rough numbers for those who admit to taking drugs. In 2018, 10% of people in the same age demographic admitted to taking drugs in the last year. The figures highlight a drug dependency level which is less than half of those who admitted using, illustrating that addicted compulsive users are very much in the minority.
What these statistics speak to is the inappropriate use of addiction science in framing drug discussion. The fact that extenuating circumstances such as financial stress and unemployment are seen to increase dependency levels suggests that addiction and dependency is something that originates from wider society as opposed to a pathological problem of the user. Here lies the problem with the current drug discussion, as it perpetuates a misleading and harmful generalisation of drug users.
What about pleasure?
As previously mentioned, this article aims to redirect the perception of drug use towards a more realistic endpoint. To achieve an effective response to drug problems, an understanding of the subjective motivations for drug use is essential. Addiction Science robs the drug taker of any sort of agency or decision making in their drug taking decision. With this, we see the role of pleasure diminish, and any sense of realism fade.
I would argue that drug use is voluntary behaviour driven by pleasure. A recent report on drug use by the NHS revealed that 85% of users consume drugs to ‘experience a high’. Here we see pleasure as a motivating factor that guides a choice. Identifying a choice here is important. By assessing drug patterns through pleasure, the agency of the drug user is restored. They are no longer driven by compulsion or addiction but are seeking pleasure in spite of the law. This is a narrative that is much more in touch with reality. It accurately presents the idea that drug use and control are not always mutually exclusive, and that controlled drug use can co-exist with a healthy lifestyle. Acknowledging the importance of pleasure as a motivation for use rehumanises the image of the drug user and starts to disintegrate the harmful image created by the addiction science framework
There is no doubt that an intimate, yet very toxic relationship exists between drug use, pleasure, and addiction. This article’s aim was not to scrutinise the existence of this relationship, but rather to construct a changed attitude towards this relationship. Our current perception remains distorted by pessimism. It is guided by a worst-case scenario mentality which is at best defeatist and at worst harmful. Issues of drug use require an approach guided by realism and reason, an approach that seeks to understand the different motivations for use, as opposed to only focusing on one overstated factor.
Progression comes with understanding and understanding can only be achieved when a healthy conversation about drug use begins. In this sense then, pleasure can no longer be silenced as a motivation for use and drug conversations need to be realigned around the narrative of pleasure. If this is done, the imperative that drug users must remain underground and silent will fade, and with that understanding and progress will come.