Statistics on drug addiction, or perceived addiction in this country are grim. Few seek help for this disease for a variety of reasons including, not being ready to stop using, cost or insurance barriers and social stigma-the top three. What I found most intriguing was this: The number one most abused drug is alcohol by far; yet treatment for alcoholism is the least sought after. My opinion based on these and other statistics, is that our society's viewpoint on addiction is directly related to which addictions are recognized and treated and which aren't.

What is your first gut reaction to someone addicted to cocaine? Most people feel disdain, resentment, disgust and a complete lack of empathy for any addict whose drug of choice is illegal and ill gotten. The first gut reaction to an alcoholic may be similar with one exception: We understand because alcohol is legal, available and socially acceptable. Alcohol isn't less harmless for these reasons; in fact it is abused first and foremost. But somehow alcoholism is much more palatable to our psyche than meth or heroin addiction.

Rarely called into question and much easier to hide are addictions to legal drugs prescribed by doctors. In the 'Valley of the Dolls' world, a patient who becomes dependent on Xanax or Valium may never be found out because she isn't going to be arrested for possession as long as she carries the pills in the container issued by her pharmacist. It goes without saying that even if she should cause an accident while under the influence, her accountability will be negligent. She has a condition being treated legally by her attending physician.

May 'pill poppers' have several doctors they see to re-up their meds at several different pharmacies. Some users even trade with another whose supply better fits his needs than the one they trade with. A person with a painfully chronic illness has Vicodin, which he finds inadequate, or doesn't even use but has unlimited access to. His friend has a limitless supply of Valium he no longer uses, so they trade pills-each getting what they need to feed a psychological or physical dependency. More often than not, loved ones are oblivious and the user himself doesn't even realize he has a problem. Usually he will state that he isn't addicted to the drug; he really needs it for sleep, pain, anxiety and so forth.

Whichever drug an addict needs, the disease of addiction itself is what matters; not the controversy over the substance he uses. Yet it is that very skewed point of view-the legality of the substance vs the understanding and empathy towards the user-that prevents many addicts who sincerely want help, from seeking treatment.

Psychological dependency occurs when a person feels that they need the drug to function properly or feel better. He has convinced himself that if he doesn't use his drug of choice he can't operate at his very best.
Physical dependency is far more dangerous. Once the body has become accustomed to the drug, harmful or fatal side effects called "with drawls" present when the body is deprived of the drug it now physically needs to stay alive. One can see why those in the scientific and medical communities classify addiction as a disease.
A weak minded person who becomes psychologically addicted can, because of his belief easily become physically addicted without even realizing what has happened until it's progressed to a life threatening degree. In that respect alone, psychological dependence may be more harmful because it is often directly responsible for physical addiction.

Though it may be easy to hold a distasteful opinion of those addicted to illegal drugs; it isn't wise. A high percentage of those I interviewed became addicts legally first. That is to say, they were somehow incapacitated through an accident or painful surgery requiring heavy narcotic medications. After a protracted and brutal recovery, they were physically dependent on morphine, for instance. Once at home and after the physician could no longer continue to fill prescriptions of similar pain relievers, the addict turned to the streets for help.

One tearful couple told me their story. He was mowed down at night while crossing the street. He almost died. He spent months and months at the hospital receiving IV morphine drip as he endured one painful operation after another. Finally he was able to go home with a prescription of morphine tablets and physical therapy.
When he felt good he stopped taking the pain medication. He shouldn't have needed it by then and his recovery was moving along fine. Yet once the medication left his system he found himself in excruciating pain. Not the pain from the usual places, but a different pain accompanied by other unsettling symptoms. He took his pills and the pain went away. By the time he was down to the last refill, the dawning horror of addiction was upon him. Depleted financially and without mercy from his physician, he asked his wife to find heroin for him on the dangerous streets of their city.
She was lucky. On her first attempt she found a dealer who was of good repute. They experimented per the instructions of the dealer until they found a dose that calmed his with drawls. Eventually he weaned himself from heroin but now is an alcoholic; as is his poor wife. After everything they have been through; accident, near death, financial ruin and his addiction it isn't hard to understand. But if you had known him only as a heroin junkie, without knowing the whole story, you may have written him off as asking for it.

An alcoholic can lose his career, family and fortune as a result of his disease and society will still show him pity; provided he wasn't abusive. Not so the drug addict. According to society he has only himself to blame. But does he?

Addiction is a disease. Diabetes is a disease, as we all know. We wouldn't begrudge a diabetic his insulin; he needs it to treat his disease and keep himself alive. The addicts disease also requires a similar regimen. The only difference is that the addict's drug dealer operates on a filthy street corner and the diabetic's in a sterile office of a beautiful medical building. But the addict could have avoided his disease. This is true to a point, but so could most diabetics.

In fact many diseases humans develop can be prevented, or at least minimized and avoided. Heart disease and diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, even some cancers can be avoided or controlled with proper diet, exercise and lifestyle habits. And even though we acknowledge that one who suffers from any of these diseases might have prevented it, we certainly don't scoff at his need to use insulin, chemotherapy or Lipitor. Still, had the addict not bought (illegally) and used (illegal) drugs, he wouldn't be in his situation. Maybe, maybe not.

It has been suggested that certain people have a genetic predisposition for addiction. Addicts can be born from drug using mothers and never even know it because their parents never told them. 80% of alcoholics suffer from clinical depression and don't even know this. They use alcohol to self medicate instead of the popular and expensive drugs a more enlightened person would seek from his physician. And of course, human beings are impetuous and curious by nature. One person may use cocaine a couple times a year for special celebrations with no problem. Her girlfriend, however might become psychologically and later physically dependent after the first encounter. Some smokers live to be a hundred though smoking 2 packs a day for 70 years. Another person could smoke for 10 years and die of lung cancer. When it comes to our bodies and minds, it's a crap shoot. Either way, assigning blame isn't going to help the addict treat his disease. In fact, it will hinder his attempts and may make him give up on himself altogether.

A drug user suffers from poor self esteem. Some he inflicted from his own self loathing at being caught up in something he can't control. Add to this the overall view from the rest of us that he's a scumbag, a loser with a problem he created himself and the effect is devastating. It's easy to dismiss this person with scorn when the disease they have doesn't affect you. But what if this person was your son, or mom or sister?

Our view of this disease needs to be thought out more carefully. Drug addiction affects the whole of society. How many crimes could be prevented if treatment for addiction was encouraged, nurtured and applauded? Thieves steal because they need to feed their disease more often than they need to feed their families. How many people could be kept from homelessness? How many children spared abuse and neglect?

It's time we got past the 'whys' of addiction and moved on to the 'hows.' How can we, as a society enable more people to get the treatment they can't afford? How can we provide more counseling that works? How can we treat the whole family and not just the user so that they can all heal together and stay together? These are just some of the questions we need to address. One thing is for certain: Drug addiction is a health care issue; not a legal one. And until we approach it as such, the problem will grow until it ruins the standard of living we all want to enjoy.