The Media's Harmful and Inaccurate Portrayal of Alcohol Addiction

My latest Debunking Addiction post was published yesterday. This week’s piece was inspired by a front-page article in my local newspaper about a man who was publicly intoxicated. 

Read it here: The Media's Harmful and Inaccurate Portrayal of Alcohol Addiction

Or read it below. 

Writing has not been flowing naturally for the past several weeks. I’ve decided to slow down and only focus on the Debunking Addiction pieces for now. Pushing myself to write more doesn’t seem to work or make me feel good. Last year around this time, I went through a writing drought for a few months, so there must be something in the air. Either way, thanks for being here. 

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Last week there was an article on the front page of my local newspaper about a man who was publicly intoxicated. The paper printed his name, hometown, and mugshot for everyone to see. This story was the talk of the tiny, touristy town where I live. Everyone thought it was acceptable to mock this man who struggles with alcohol. After hearing one too many inappropriate jokes, I found myself in a triggered tailspin. 

How the Media Affected My Recovery Process

In 2015, my hometown paper also printed my name, date of arrest, and blood alcohol content (BAC) in the crime section after my second DUI. Seeing that man's mugshot on the front page triggered the public shaming and humiliation that lives in my bones. Instead of receiving compassion or trauma-informed, gender-affirming care following my arrest, the media ostracized me. I was physically dependent on alcohol and needed help, not public ridicule.

It's difficult for me to wrap my brain around society's belief in criminalization for getting addicted to a legal, addictive substance. Why do we think exploiting people's pain and trauma is front-page news? Why, in 2023, do we still believe that handcuffs and communal disgrace are the answer to addiction? Does the media truly believe that cruelty will lead to healing? 

The media feeds us a false binary. It spreads the idea that some people can drink and others cannot. The media tells us that "good" people drink wine with dinner, while "bad" people choose to get addicted. The truth is alcohol is poison. No amount is safe.¹ The media follows the lead of Big Alcohol by suggesting there is something wrong with the individual rather than the substance.²

The media dehumanizes folks like me who get in trouble with the law for becoming addicted to this legal, addictive substance. And culturally, we're programmed to believe that behavior is normal. Rather than seeing this common type of journalism as problematic, we go along with the status quo and use humor, stigma, and privilege to disassociate from the pain it causes. In my experience, the newspaper only increased shame and self-hatred, worsening my addiction. Having my name in the paper for hitting rock bottom created unnecessary trauma, wreaking havoc on my entire family. 

Addiction is Not Front-Page News

In 2023, with all of the technology and resources available, the media needs to do better. Addiction is not front-page news. The media's lazy portrayal of addiction is incredibly harmful and inaccurate. Next time you see someone's name in the paper for struggling with a legal, addictive substance, imagine that person is family. Imagine rehumanizing them and extending a compassionate hand rather than engaging in public and communal exile. 

Sources

1. Rabin, R. C. (2023, April 4). Moderate Drinking Has No Health Benefits, Analysis of Decades of Research Finds. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/health/alcohol-health-effects.html

2. Sperkova, K. (2020, April 1). “Big Alcohol” Exposed: How the Alcohol Industry Infiltrates Our Lives | The Temper. The Temper. https://www.thetemper.com/big-alcohol-is-powerful-pervasive-and-dangerous-and-infiltrates-our-lives/

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Can I Use Cannabis and Still Call Myself Sober?

My most recent Debunking Addiction piece was published yesterday.

Here is a link: Can I Use Cannabis and Still Call Myself Sober?

Or, to make things easier on my end, you can just read the whole thing below. Enjoy. :)

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A few weeks ago, I told my therapist that I would not have been able to get sober without using cannabis. She chuckled, gave me a funny look, and asked if I thought cannabis use equaled sobriety. Caught off guard, I couldn't help but wonder if she had a point. Were my years of sobriety erased? Did I need to go back to Day One? Can I use cannabis and still call myself sober?

My Cannabis Story

Marijuana was not a part of my story until my early 30s, just before it became legal in Michigan. During childhood, the government and the criminal justice system taught me that marijuana was something to be feared, a gateway drug. But now, I know that rhetoric came from a place of racism and stigma. Personal experience has proven that alcohol is, in fact, the most dangerous gateway drug.

When this stretch of my alcohol-free journey began in 2020, I didn't even try to stop using cannabis. One of my favorite recovery sayings is to "kill the shark closest to the boat" or eliminate the behavior causing the most harm. For me, that behavior was alcohol consumption. Cannabis didn't lead to blackouts, ruined relationships, pancreatitis, or three-day hangovers that left me bedridden and jobless. I could still go to therapy, pay my bills, and function in the real world while using cannabis during those early days of my alcohol-free journey. Marijuana was not the shark closest to my boat.

With time though, after about 18 months alcohol-free, my relationship with cannabis shifted. Last year on October 10th at 10:10 am (10101010 for my numerology pals), I had a tooth pulled and could not smoke for five days as a part of my follow-up care. Five days seemed impossible, but I did it, gained momentum, and ended up going two whole weeks cannabis-free. When I finally did smoke again, it was a terrible experience. Now, I don't enjoy cannabis because it leads me down a mental rabbit hole of rumination and catastrophizing. Simply put, cannabis served a purpose on my alcohol-free journey until it didn't.

Does Cannabis Help Me Build a Life Worth Living?

After contemplating my therapist's question for a few weeks, I've decided that the word sober doesn't quite fit my journey, and that's okay. In today's world, everyone uses different addictive behaviors (overspending, overworking, caffeine, nicotine, pornography, disordered eating, Netflix binges, doom scrolling, ext.) to take the edge off, making it nearly impossible to claim perfect sobriety. In my experience, harm reduction by killing the shark closest to the boat was life-saving.

Perhaps asking if I can use cannabis and still be sober is the wrong question. Instead, I can take a more nuanced, less judgmental approach by practicing compassionate curiosity. Gently asking myself if certain behaviors, like cannabis use, are helping me build a life worth living is the birthplace of healing.

Sources

1. Resing, C. (2023, February 27). Marijuana Legalization Is a Racial Justice Issue | ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/marijuana-legalization-racial-justice-issue

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Progress. 

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