A recovering addict who is otherwise qualified should be exactly the type of person we want involved in healthcare and public health administration, because a recovering addict is uniquely qualified to understand substance abuse patients and policies related to them.
Many healthcare professionals simply cannot empathize with addicts and instead treat them like moral failures. Comments like these are exactly what I’m talking about - a recovering addict is just as capable as anyone else, and anyone else is just as capable of becoming an addict.
Worse yet, most public health responses to situations like the fentanyl crisis boils down to “try to stop the drug dealer” rather than “try to manage the underlying conditions that lead to addiction and substance abuse.”
But, this particular recovering addict happens to swim in sewage, doesn’t believe in germs or vaccines, and thinks that extremely expensive rehab is accessible to everyone. This is not because he is an addict, it is because he’s a fucking madman.
Being or having been an addict does NOT make anybody an expert. It makes you an (ex-)addict. That’s all. I am by no means an expert on tobacco use or cessation, nor am I an expert on binge eating.
Cabinet secretaries shouldn’t be experts in their department’s business anyway. They should be advised by experts, but not come into the job with preconceptions or biases from their own experience.
As a person? Perhaps. As HHS Secretary? It is a valid criticism.
A recovering addict who is otherwise qualified should be exactly the type of person we want involved in healthcare and public health administration, because a recovering addict is uniquely qualified to understand substance abuse patients and policies related to them.
Many healthcare professionals simply cannot empathize with addicts and instead treat them like moral failures. Comments like these are exactly what I’m talking about - a recovering addict is just as capable as anyone else, and anyone else is just as capable of becoming an addict.
Worse yet, most public health responses to situations like the fentanyl crisis boils down to “try to stop the drug dealer” rather than “try to manage the underlying conditions that lead to addiction and substance abuse.”
But, this particular recovering addict happens to swim in sewage, doesn’t believe in germs or vaccines, and thinks that extremely expensive rehab is accessible to everyone. This is not because he is an addict, it is because he’s a fucking madman.
So having been a heavy drug user in the past disqualifies you from those roles in your mind?
I said exactly what I meant: It is a valid criticism.
Why would being an expert in the field disqualify you from becoming an expert in the theory?
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Being or having been an addict does NOT make anybody an expert. It makes you an (ex-)addict. That’s all. I am by no means an expert on tobacco use or cessation, nor am I an expert on binge eating.
Cabinet secretaries shouldn’t be experts in their department’s business anyway. They should be advised by experts, but not come into the job with preconceptions or biases from their own experience.
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