Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 7/10/2008

Question
I want to know how someone can tell just by looking at a person and say that they have an addiction,for I know someone and know they are on lortab for pain reasons and do beleieve that they are addicted,for the way the person sounds like he has been drinking and also goes home from work because he cannot stop vomitting,also when he is sitting and talking to someone he is sweating alot and cannot sit still,can you please answer this for me.thank-you

Answer
Dear Rachel,

I can assure you that there is no way of knowing just by looking at a person whether or not they are addicted to drugs.

I myself was addicted for years and very few people were aware I was.

It is up to the person to acknowledge they are addicted and wanting to do something about it. The tragedy is that most people think that addicted people have a weak character or are "mentally ill", that stigmatises the sufferer.  Addiction is no less a physical illness as having a broken leg or any other medical illness. The metabolic illness just happens to affect the mind and behaviour as symptoms and not as CAUSES. But, unfortunately, some misinformed "experts" in the mental health industry keep on misleading people it is "mental" to protect their vested interests in this industry.

Once the general public can see that addiction is a disease caused by ill-health, addicted people do not need to "hide" their illness. They need the support of proper scientific treatment.

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search
Skype: jurplesman