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Misconceptions of Addicts and Addictions:
Below is a short list of generalized misconceptions, lies, myths, propaganda, and other maliciousness about addicts produced, spread, and perpetuated by the P/R paradigm causing, in the minds of the general public (including other addicts), irrational fear, hate, stigma, ostracism, and need for punishment of addicts (in and out of recovery) as well as limiting recovery of and assuring destruction to addicts. When I use the word addict, I am referring to any addict; drugs, alcohol, beliefs, and behaviors alike. All generalizations are dispelled, debunked, and removed by the Hypoism Paradigm. (Let me know if I left out any misconceptions.)
Most critically is that there is not a single valid study that demonstrates the actual veracity of any of these pejorative, damning, and stigmatizing generalizations, yet most people believe they are true. Why hasn't anyone ever cleared this up before? Because it is to the benefit of all addiction, political, and administrative authorities to make sure they survive. Stigma maintains maximal denial and minimal recovery. Under the auspices of the P/R paradigm, maximal damage by addictors on addicts is assured, and under these specific circumstances of maximal addiction severity, qualitatively and quantitatively, addicts may resort to some of the behaviors below dictated by their addictions, not their character. I asterix (*) them. It must be emphasized, they are the result of addicts living within the P/R paradigm, not particular traits of the hypoic people themselves. Although the studies haven't been done, it is probable that the same percentage of addicts have these particular characteristics as the general population. The simple reason for this is that the causes for any person to have these qualities are completely unrelated to the etiologic neurophysiology that causes addictions.
- Role played by choice in addictions:
- Anyone can be an addict.
- Addiction is a choice and a decision.
- Addicts choose their addictions and life style.
- Addicts choose to remain addicted.
- Relapse is a choice.
- Addiction is willful misbehavior.
- Role played by addictors (drugs and behaviors) in addictions:
- Excessive use of the addictors (drugs or certain behaviors such as sex, gambling, etc.) causes the addictions.
- Some addictions are worse than others. Pedophilia is the worst. Crack and heroin are next. The rest are bad but not as bad.
- Drugs turn people into *criminals, rapists, *muggers, and *thieves.
- Drugs make people psychotic.
- Causes of addictions:
- Anyone can be an addict.
- There is no underlying disease causing addictions.
- Addictors cause addictions.
- Addictions are learned.
- Dysfunctional families cause addictions.
- Lack of family values and religion causes addictions.
- Peer pressure and bad friends causes addictions.
- Lack of good role models causes addictions.
- Emotional stress causes addictions.
- Economic stress causes addictions.
- Bad neighborhoods cause addictions.
- Emotional and physical abuse cause addictions.
- Bad upbringing causes addictions.
- Psychology and personality of addicts:
- Addicts are psychopaths, sociopaths, and antisocial self-destructive people.
- Addicts have underlying mental illness.
- There is an addictive personality.
- Addicts are immature.
- Addictions are caused by emotional developmental trauma that must be identified and overcome.
- Morality and character of addicts:
- Addicts are immoral.
- Addicts are bad people.
- Addicts have bad character and character defects.
- *You can't trust an addict.
- *Once an addict, always a scumbag.
- *Addicts are irresponsible.
- *Addicts are lazy.
- *Addicts lack discipline.
- *Addicts break the law because they are bad. Addiction is no excuse for illegal behavior associated with obtaining drugs.
- *Addicts don't care about their families, their jobs or anything else but getting off.
- Therapy and control for addictions:
- Addictions are treatable.
- There are hidden emotional reasons behind addict's behavior that are accessible and treatable.
- Psychotherapy can treat addictions.
- Uncovering repressed fantasies, desires, hatreds, and dreams removes addictions.
- Psychoactive medications can treat addictions.
- Aversive behaviors and medications successfully treat addictions.
- Religion and "spirituality" are treatments of addictions.
- Acupuncture, aromatherapy, incarceration, boot camp, etc. are good treatments for addictions.
- Get rid of the addiction and the patient is successfully treated.
- Job impairment of addicts:
- *Addicts are unreliable, irresponsible, thieves, liars, lazy, incompetent, reckless, ignorant, untrustworthy, undisciplined, and negligent.
- Dangerous behaviors among addicts:
- *Addicts are dangerous, violent, reckless, thieves, and murderers.
- Prevention of addictions:
- Addictions are preventable through scare tactics, education, therapy, talking to parents, sobriety of parents, laws, punishment, tough love, spiritualism, and religion.
- Role of education in addictions:
- Proper education about drugs and addictions prevents addictions.
- You can teach someone not to become an addict.
- Role of accessibility of addictors in addictions:
- Outlawing and irradicating addictors prevent addictions and the harm they do.
- Prognostications:
- *The worse the addiction, the worse the prognosis.
- Heroin addiction is the hardest to overcome and has the worse prognosis. Some addictions are harder than others to overcome.
- *The longer one is addicted, the worse the prognosis.
- In order to get over an addiction, an addict must want to, need to, wish to, have to, have a good reason to, try to, will to, be forced to, hit bottom, believe in god, believe in a therapist.
- Remorse is an essential ingredient to a good prognosis.
- Serenity is an essential ingredient.
- Religion and spiritualism are essential ingredients.
- *Some people can not recover.
- Certain feelings preclude and prevent long term recovery: Anger, self-pity, fear, depression, lack of remorse, lack of gratitude.
- Role of tough love:
- Tough love is a necessary, effective, and practical way to get people into recovery.
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