Hyannis, Mass: 2

As we tucked into our ‘lobster bake’ supper ($65/person) that marked our last evening together as delegates, a dapper gent called Dr Donald Kurth rose to his feet to speak. He is a noted orthopaedic physician but has recently turned politician and was elected Mayor of Rancho Cucamonga in southern California. From this base he has been part of a legislative movement that has successfully lobbied, and seen pass into law, that from next July, it will be an offence NOT to treat addiction with ‘parity’. Meaning that, as a disease, addiction must be treated with the same seriousness and same professionalism as any other recognised  disease; like diabetes, cancer etc.

That fact is only noteworthy to me in that it reflects the conflict here in the USA, and elsewhere, between those that hold addiction to be an illness and those who hold it to be something closer to a ‘lack of moral fibre’. There are those too who hold that addiction doesn’t exist and that it is just a case of poor judgment and ill informed choices.

The American Medical Association define dependency as a medical condition. They would, wouldn’t they? say the cynics. The psychiatric bible, DSM IV, holds addiction to be a psychiatric illness. Well, what do you expect? More work for the shrinks grumble those same nay sayers.

I am going to stay out of the debate and see how the differing perceptions are reflected in the care offered to sufferers of either an addiction, or a nasty case of poor judgment.