Ben Affleck rehab: Star's relapse offers yet another important reminder about addiction
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On Wednesday, "Justice League" star Ben Affleck reportedly entered rehab for alcohol addiction. This is not Affleck's first attempt to get clean. Indeed, the 46-year-old father of three has been public about his ongoing struggle with substance abuse, previously seeking treatment in 2001 and 2017.
Affleck is at least the second high-profile celebrity relapse this summer. Earlier this spring, pop star Demi Lovato tweeted : “Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible.” In June, she released her single “Sober,” which seemed to describe a relapse ("We've been down this road before/I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore") — a few weeks later, she was hospitalized after a suspected overdose .
Lovato eventually canceled the rest of her tour performances and released a statement emphasizing the long-term nature of addiction. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time,” she told followers on Instagram. “It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”
It was a strikingly similar statement to one Affleck posted on Facebook last year : "I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront. I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step."
It’s a problem that’s all too common. Substance use disorder (more commonly known as “drug addiction”) is a never-ending battle. No matter the substance that is being abused, there is no shortcut or magic cure.
Broadly speaking, addiction has become a worldwide health epidemic. This should come as no surprise. According to the World Drug Report (2017), nearly a quarter of a billion people reported using an illicit drug in the past year, with 29.5 million people meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for substance use disorder . Although social stereotypes continue to label addiction as a “choice,” drug use disorder is medical disease that has a biological basis with influences from the environment.
While it is incredibly difficult for individuals with addiction to completely abstain from drugs, the greatest challenge for addicts is often navigating cycles of abstinence and relapse. For example, Lovato’s continual battle with substance abuse disorder dates back to at least 2010, when she was still a teenager. (The former child star, who is also bipolar, said she used to smuggle cocaine onto airplanes.)
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A different look at drug addiction, that has (DSM-5) criteria for substance use disorder number of addicted at 29.5 million. Why is it so hard to get off drugs and stay off drugs?
Affleck is a talented and wealthy man. If he can have such problems... what about the average John Doe?
The seed treats addiction (in this case to alcohol, but it's always the same problem) as a disease. That's better than treating it as a crime, but should we as a society say that anything goes as long as their is no third-party victim?
We're still groping in the dark...
Addiction affects everyone. How it is dealt with, may or may not help, depending on the individual. It is terrible to treat a disease as a crime, with the exception of drunk driving that causes injury or death.
The issue is that most people are not aware of two things:
1. In many cases, alcoholism is both genetic (bad brain chemistry) and environmental. If you have a family suffering from alcoholism, don't drink at all. This is a pretty tall order since most of us have a drink of something socially at least once a week. Unlike drugs, this is very socially accepted.
2. Once a person's brain chemistry is altered, it doesn't seem to be able to revert.
There is real science to this disease, and it's time that we start to treat it that way.