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ABSTRACT
This article outlines a liberation-focused model of addiction treatment. Drawing on the Latin root word "addictus", addiction is seen as slavery and freedom, rather than the cessation of drug and alcohol use, is proposed as a viable, alternative treatment goal. Freedom is defined as: (1) the capacity to create a life of social and internal complexity and multiplicity; (2) the ability to make choices from an array of options; and (3) the possibility of engaging in long-term, goal-directed behavior. This vision of personal liberation is then embedded within a biopsychosocial model of care and treatment. Examples of how biomedical, psychological, and social interventions can each serve to promote the goal and experience of freedom and liberation are provided. Engaging in identity projects and using harm reduction interventions and philosophies are also seen as key to this transformative journey.
Acknowledgments
This article is adapted from S. Kellogg (August 24, 2016), “Addiction Treatment Should Be the Work of Liberation—But What Does Such a Model Look Like?” published in The Influence. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the New York State Psychological Association Division on Addictions Conference, The New School, New York, NY, on March 31, 2017, and at the American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, DC, on August 5, 2017.