95% of the article explains how addiction isn't just a disease of the brain. The conclusion is a non-sequitur claiming that people only have compassion for addicts because they view addiction as a "brain disease". Am I misunderstanding this?
For reference, he's the NPR article on the SG's report on addiction[0]. All the Surgeon General is trying to do it to shift addiction from an issue of personal blame that's widespread in the culture ("he's just an alcoholic!") and make people view it as a complex pathology that we need to address. The SG also proposes school programs to teach about substance misuse, and stress-management, as stress obviously contributes to addiction. What's unreasonable about any of this? The article in OP seems impossibly nitpicky.
For reference, he's the NPR article on the SG's report on addiction[0]. All the Surgeon General is trying to do it to shift addiction from an issue of personal blame that's widespread in the culture ("he's just an alcoholic!") and make people view it as a complex pathology that we need to address. The SG also proposes school programs to teach about substance misuse, and stress-management, as stress obviously contributes to addiction. What's unreasonable about any of this? The article in OP seems impossibly nitpicky.
[0]: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/17/50240240...