JUST SAY NOT NOW –
Jan. 11, 2024 – Americans may not say it aloud, but drug addiction has long been considered a moral failing. “Just say no,” as Nancy Reagan famously declared during the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 80s. That thinking has been slow to evolve.
Scientists have learned in recent years that quitting something you’re addicted to isn’t a sudden process. If we shift our mindset about what it takes to quit, they say, we’ll see there are intermediate benefits to a gradual approach. People can live healthier lives if they wean themselves off drugs, a new study shows.
The study published Wednesday in the academic journal Addiction builds on growing evidence that addiction is a chronic disease, akin to diabetes or high blood pressure. People addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine saw improved health and recovery even with reduced use of the drug, researchers found. The study contrasts hardline approaches focused on complete abstinence, moving instead toward modern ideas on risk reduction to tamp down addiction.
