A Primer on Addiction and Related Constructs

Abstract

Why are they still using the word addiction? Th is is the 21 st century. Isn't the word addiction outdated and stigmatizing?We fully recognize that as therapists committed to the treatment of trauma, you may approach this opening chapter with such a critique of the term addiction. Th ere is a great deal of debate in both the mental health community and the addiction treatment community about whether or not the construct is still valid. Addiction comes from the Latin root addicere , meaning to be assigned to, favoring, or surrendering to something. Addiction is certainly not just a modern-day phenomenon. Th ere are references to the issue of drink madness dating back to ancient Greece and Egypt (Crothers, 1893), and global references to the problem that we refer to as addiction are extensive and intricate. Although descriptions of problems with alcohol being a body and soul sickness originated with the writings of Herodotus in the 5th century BC, the fi rst reference to the word addiction (as it relates to opium) dates back to 1563. Th e Portuguese explorer Garcia da Orta described the traits of craving and compulsion in what he called opium addiction during his travels in India ( Sonnedecker, 1963 ).Tracing the history of the terminology and the methods used to treat the various manifestations of addiction can be overwhelming. Diff erent and confl icting perspectives emerge from various eras and cultures, with some adamantly arguing that addiction is a disease or illness and others contending that this viewpoint is harmful to both society and the individual aff ected. Despite popular belief, the idea of alcoholism or addiction as being the result of disease actually predates