While I wish Kevin Junior [“Heroin Hell,” January 19] and Jamie Bolo [Letters, February 2] luck–and encourage them and any recovered/recovering addicts or those with drug/alcohol problems to do whatever works for them–Bolo’s letter does toss out some misinformation that is unfortunately disseminated unchecked throughout the mainstream media:
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(a) Although millions (and perhaps billions) of dollars are spent yearly attempting to prove alcoholism/addiction/substance abuse a “disease,” as Bolo labels it, that has not yet happened (and, I believe, never will);
While anybody with a substance abuse problem should at least try the 12 Steps, it is irresponsible to suggest they are a necessary part of recovery–or, as they do in meetings, “you’re doomed to fail without The Program!” We’d make a good deal more progress versus society’s rampant drug/alcohol problems if we’d acknowledge that the “disease concept” is but one method of recovery.
