The Stigma Continues

Society still stigmatizes addiction as a personal choice, despite it being a disease. This stigma hinders the recovery process. It is crucial that we have open discussions about addiction and challenge these misconceptions.

In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman, and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused individual.

Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a time, each recalling the good things the person in the center of the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy, is recounted.  All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and acts of kindness are recited carefully and at length. This tribal ceremony often lasts for several days.

In the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe.[2]

As someone who still struggles with the guilt of my addict behavior, this concept brought tears to my eyes. How about you? There is something about being so unappologetically comfronted about possitive attributes after doing something wrong. Knowing that they were still loved by everyone, prevents the recurance of this behavior. For me, I know that my caregiver hated herself so she couldn't acknowledge my love or love me back. It's taken me 42 years to understand this. I know first-hand that the opposite of addiction isn't sobriety; the opposite of addiction is connection. I do like to believe that I can HEAL and no longer be an addict. 

Neglect and isolation can have lasting effects, including the propensity for addiction.[1] The concept of Rat Park proved that socially enriched environments can mitigate the development of addiction. Let’s recap Rat Park: In this famous experiment, rats were placed in isolated cages with access to drugs and also in a condition with a stimulating and social environment (Rat Park) the rats showed significantly lower drug consumption compared to the isolated rats.

Harry Harlow proved that lack of love and touch can actually prove fatal for a child.[2] My mom must have gone through some really shit things and couldn’t bond with me. And now I’m all damaged and shit. But we are breaking that cycle now! This gave me really disturbing insights into her childhood; I cried for her; I mourned our experience of my childhood and now, through understanding, I have let go of a lot of anger. And healed. 

I believe we live in a puritanical society still and as a puritanical society, punishment and pain are used to teach a lesson[3]; but for those of us who have lived in discomfort and pain our whole lives, this is simply NOT EFFECTIVE. We know how to feel rejection and pain; we don’t know how to feel acceptance and love.

Substance use disorder in DSM-5 combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder measured on a continuum from mild to severe.[4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-0KfwFCMRM (How the flawed Rat Park study fueled the war on drugs)

Harlow's research demonstrated the importance of love and affection, specifically contact comfort, for healthy childhood development. His research demonstrated that children become attached to caregivers that provide warmth and love, and that this love is not simply based on providing nourishment.

Substance use disorder in DSM-5 combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder measured on a continuum from mild to severe.

[1] Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs

[2] ANCIENT WISDOM: THE FORGIVENESS RITUAL OF THE BABEMBA TRIBE https://dsfantiquejewelry.com/blogs/interesting-facts/ancient-wisdom-the-forgiveness-ritual-of-the-babemba-tribe#:~:text=%22In%20the%20Babemba%20tribe%20of,circle%20around%20the%20accused%20individual.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNeSkyHccmo (Addiction and connection)

[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8Ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNeSkyHccmo (Addiction and connection)

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8I (Harlow’s studies on dependency)

[4] Substance use disorder in DSM-5 combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder measured on a continuum from mild to severe