Why the Difference in Treatments?

Question by caddywoompus: Why the difference in treatments?
Why the big difference in the way people, the media, doctors and even insurance companies treat alcohol and drug addiction in comparison to an addiction to cigarettes?
If I were addicted to alcohol or drugs, my insurance would pay for treatment. Even rehab if needed. But, am I mistaken, aren’t cigarettes the leading “preventable” cause of death in the US? I’m almost 100% certain they are. Haven’t doctors said that cigarettes are just as if not more addictive then even heroin?
If that’s the case, why not make it possible for people addicted to cigarettes able to enter a rehab program?
Yes, if you’re wondering I am a former smoker. It’s been over 8 weeks since I’ve had a cigarette. But this is just something that has crossed my mind many times. Even years before I quit smoking, I wondered this very question. I’m not bitter about it by any means. I know that an addict is an addict. Just would like other opinions.
I know that some will say that a drug or alcohol addiction ruins the lives of loved ones and that’s the difference. But that’s not always the case. We’ve all heard of, let’s say, a husband who had no idea his wife was an alcoholic. Or a wife saying she had no clue her husband was addicted to pain killers. I’m willing to bet that a smoker who has contracted cancer, emphysema, or COPD (to name a few) has ruined the lives of the people around them. Correct?
I’m just looking for opinions. Yours is appreciated.

Best answer:

Answer by canada_winnipeg_man
Alcoholism is a disease. People who have the disease have lost control over their drinking and are not able to stop without help. They also lose control over how they act when they are drunk.Doctors don’t know all the reasons why people become alcoholics. Some start out drinking a little bit and end up hooked on alcohol. A person might drink to forget problems or to calm nerves, but then they end up needing alcohol to feel normal. Once a person loses control over drinking, he or she needs help to stop drinking. Alcoholics can be young, old, rich, poor, male, or female.

More and more people quit addictions than maintain them, and they do so on their own. That’s not to say it happens overnight. People succeed when they recognize that the addiction interferes with something they value and when they develop the confidence that they can change. Most of us who struggle with addiction ultimately die of our disease. So few of us get well. People think that depression is a sign of personal weakness and would not employ someone with depression.The study of the effects of stigma on substance use disorders is still a fairly undeveloped area, but research is revealing that social stigma and attitudes towards addiction are preventing people from seeking help.
Take care as always!!

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