February 18: National Day to Combat Alcoholism

In addition to being a psychiatrist and attending chemical dependency, I have a secret that I quickly share with patients, which is my own addiction: I am a smoker in abstinence. And, to control my addiction to tobacco more easily, I decided to stop drinking too. I don't miss it. However I quickly realized that when I talk to people about quitting smoking. When I comment on quitting drinking, the information is received with strangeness and disdain. "Congratulations for stopping, especially for the cigarette!"

We live in a culture where the queen of chemical dependencies is treated as a weakness and the biggest drug as something almost necessary to socialize and enjoy. It is interesting to reflect: this drug, alcohol, is prohibited not because it is safe, but because of the large number of users and dependents!

It is through our culture that we lose so many people to chemical dependency and it is through culture, education and health care that we can recover and prevent it.

Happy National Day Against Alcoholism. Congratulate an abstention!

Emmanuel Kanter - Psychiatrist CEFI Integration team