“There’s evidence that people who become addicted, once they begin using, have a type of compulsion that cannot be easily stopped or controlled,” she says. “It’s almost like breathing. It’s not a matter of willpower. They cannot just stop on their own or they would. No one wants to be an addict. The drug takes a person over. The drug, not a person’s rational mind, is in control. We teach addicts how to deal with their illness through ongoing recovery work. It’s the only way. People who say they can control it don’t understand the nature of the disease, because the disease is in control.”
