Addiction Is NOT A Disease.
While this may come off as a direct attack on more traditional methods, it is not. We simply state that the idea of your addiction being a disease is not one we subscribe to. We do agree with MOST of the processes in which those in Alcoholics Anonymous partake, more specifically the process of the twelves-steps and its ability to be used more altruistically rather than so literally. In fact, the National Institute of Drug Abuse defines addiction as a “chronic relapsing brain disorder.” The keyword in that statement is the use of “disorder” rather than “disease”.
A disorder is a collection of signs and symptoms, but it has known associated features that are presumed to be related. A disease is an involuntary physiological or biological illness that typically has some underlying cause. When you have a disease, you typically have a specific issue that can be diagnosed. When you have a disorder, you have a disruption in the normal functions of your body, the cause of which can be unknown and subjective.
In modern medicine, addiction is more commonly associated with a mental disorder that can be treated with consistent practice and cognitive-behavioral therapies that help a person transform their thought processes.
Ultimately, we all need to find a process that works for us and there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to the complexity of the human brain as it is associated with our addictions. That is why tenants at Crow’s Nest Ranch Sober Living in Truckee, California will offer our residents the ability to attend local meetings from Alcoholics Anonymous, Refuge Recovery, and also create their own SMART recovery plan. Our goal is to assist each tenant in finding their path to long-term sobriety while offering them a place of community and support.
We do recover!
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Crow’s Nest Ranch is a project made possible by all of our combined efforts. Big victories are made through the contributions of many people. Together we can do this. Thank you for your support. This project is established with 501c3 Charity Smith Nonprofit Foundation (EIN 87-0636433) as our fiscal sponsor.