In my substance abuse class the professor showed a video from the 80's about the negative effects of alcoholism and cocaine. The video adopted the disease model of addiction, and painted a picture that addiction is genetic and people have little control over their booze use.

At some point, the video said that alcohol can kill brain cells; and once those cells are destroyed, they can never regenerate. The video asserted that brain damage related to drinking is permanent.

1980's Substance Abuse Video is Propaganda

I was dismayed and disgusted that we were made to watch a 1980's video on alcohol abuse, which of course could not consider modern evidence and neuroscience, but which was also clearly anti-drug and anti-drinking propaganda.

I feel that the professor showed the video in order to promote his own view that "alcohol use disorders" are diseases of the brain and body. I see this disease model of addiction as incomplete at best and misleading and fraudulent at worst.

Neurogenesis, Exercise, and Neuroplasticity

Modern evidence has already shown that neurons can grow spontaneously in certain regions of the brain, to the extent of which we do not completely know yet. This is called neurogenesis.

The implications of neurogenesis means that it is likely that people can heal their brain after drinking copious amounts of alcohol for many years. It is true that heavy drinkers have a reduced overall volume of brain tissue (relating to brain size)...but current research suggests that aerobic exercise can reverse a good amount of this "damage," which means the video we saw in class is irrelevant and misleading.

The video, of course, could not discuss neuroplasticity at all. Researchers in the 80's had not yet realized the extent that people can re-wire their brains.

Epigenetics and Conscious Alteration of the Brain

Since the brain can make new connections and heal itself to varying degrees, a person must consciously alter their behavior and surroundings in order to allow the brain to remap itself. Even if a person has a genetic predisposition for alcoholism or abuse, they can essentially "switch" these genes on and off by making choices and engaging in certain behaviors not related to alcoholism.

This is the power of mental force over biology and genetics, which is also referred to as epigenetics or behavioral epigenetics. However, there are limitations to this. Obviously, no one can think themselves into being more attractive or having Einstein's brain.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Victimization in the Disease Model

The other problem with the disease model is that it tends to make victims out of people instead of zeroing in on their ability to embrace conscious will and decision making. It also creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy where the alleged alcoholic believes himself to be so diseased that there is not escape from drinking, and thus he lives up to the expectation of his label by continuing to drown himself in booze.

But let it be known that I am not denying the difficulty in abstaining, especially if a person has developed a physical dependence. It takes effort and work if a person has habituated himself to constantly imbibing. But it is certainly not a disease, because the person can just change his mind, change his brain.

The Ever-Changing Brain

Addiction certainly changes the brain, but there is no known permanent lesion. Modern neuroscience tends to validate this perspective. The brain also changes when people learn good habits; as well as skills, but we would not refer to these alterations as diseases. The brain is a plastic, social organ, which functions like clay. It molds to the decisions, emotions, and fantasies of the individual person.

In culture we have simply learned to call these issues "diseases" or "disorders" because we do not like them, not because there is an ongoing disease process. People have to stop calling addicted people "diseased," because this thinking stigmatizes folks and makes their life even more challenging and difficult

Final Thoughts: On Responsibility

In conclusion, the video was still accurate as far as the damage alcohol can do to the liver and heart and other parts of the body (some of which truly is irreversible, like cirrhosis of the liver), and so I am by no means advocating for excessive alcohol use.

Drinking can cause severe damage and have disastrous social consequences; however, it is not fair to take away a person's perception of choice in the matter by calling their habit a disease, and assuming that alcohol abuse will utterly destroy them. People have to take responsibility for their actions, as they ultimately control the architecture of their brains, but they may need help in the process, which is why substance abuse therapists exist.

I look forward to aiding and empowering people with these types of problems, as well as empathizing with their plight to recover.

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My name is Sterlin. Follow me @ Psychologic-Anarchist. I also run the Psychologic-Anarchist Facebook page and produce many YouTube videos. My interests lie in the intersection of counseling psychology and anarchism. I write about the depredations of psychiatry, and also the new philosophy of compassionate anarchism. We have a large community devoted to discussing psychology and relational voluntaryism.