Use and abuse of the notion of addiction in the treatment system, in daily life and in politics – Different ideas on and definitions of „addiction“ are regularly being used in all societal groups

Abstract

Even if there were consensus within the treatment system on the definition of addiction, differing ideas will continue to exist in society about when drug use should be seen as „problematic“. Certain forms of drug use are generally considered to be problematic, and some are even seen as a disease by many people, among whom specialists from many fields. This paper is not about the question whether addiction „exists“ and is a disease. It departs from the widely held belief that (a loosely defined notion of) addiction is a serious problem and should be adressed by governments at many levels. Two (of many) examples: in commercial advertisements addiction is sometimes used to enhance the attractiveness of certain products. Politicians often react to questions about problems connected to drug use in general, and even to questions on specific issues such as recreative drug use, by saying something about the threat of addiction, thus switching to an area where at least some widely accepted ideas exist about the needed approach, and avoiding areas of contention.