My take on the article isnt that its saying love cures addiction. To me it says positive reinforcements, and positive support help people make positive changes in their life.
Yes she makes a comment about wanting to hug her boyfriend, but Im not taking it as her thinking love will cure him. More that she now has a better understanding love and family support can be valuable asset, and maybe she has empathy for his inner pain.
I dont find the article disturbing because I think it has more truth in it than not. I dont know enough about certain things she mentions like drug wars and policies in other countries to know if it supports her claims.
The studies in animals I think are true. Ive looked at many and they have been used to help figure out how the brain works given various stimuli. Addiction happens in the brain. But research doesnt stop with the animal studies, there is a lot more on top of it using real people, real life studies. All of this has helped create specific treatment recommendations for addiction based on whats proven to be most successful. I know for my husbands treatment all I care about is what gives him the best chance of lasting recovery from addiction.. So I wholeheartedly support research.
I know there are a lot of studies about how trauma encourages addiction. I think these are true. My husband had an early trauma, and because of it he suffered emotional hurts which made him vulnerable to using drugs. Obviously not all people who have trauma become addicted. Some have no scars, but some also end up with emotional damage expressed other ways in their lives. Each case of addiction needs to be looked at from a unique perspective because of this I think. I cant discredit the fact lots of people who have become addicted suffered trauma just because some dont.
I also think the article provides a service. Sometimes family is mislead by society into thinking its best if they remove themselves from the life of their loved one because its required to HELP their loved one get better. There is nothing to support this. Evidence actually shows family support can be very positIve and can help in the recovery process.
I would never want facts hidden from me because someone thinks I cant process the information and make my own educated choices regarding whats in my own best interest. Having evidence like this should only be one factor when a family member considers their choices. If a person is in an unhappy or abusive relationship then its their own responsibility to remove themselves from the situation.
When my husband was in rehab, his doctors told us we were a team in his recovery. This approach has been working really well for us. On top of the advice given by his addiction doctors, our family counselors who also specialize in addiction medicine, I started using Community Reinforcment approach for families. Its based on a lot of concepts loosely shared in the article. The main point being staying engaged with our loved ones is good when it can be done. Allowing a mix of positive reinforcements and natural consequences to occur (not enabling) creates the best atmosphere for positive change and helps keep relationships intact.
The article is a little cumbersome but mostly I think it relates to how positive reinforcement, positive opportunities helps people want to change, and I agree this is true.