Maybe you’ve kept up with the tragic death of Amy Winehouse.

Maybe you just pay attention on Twitter, Facebook, or the news feed of whatever homepage you use.

Maybe you heard someone mention in on the radio, during the days following her death.

Whatever the case, chances are you’ve at least heard about “For Amy,” the dedication actor and comedian Russell Brand wrote and posted on his own blog a couple of weekends ago.

More than a dedication to his friend Amy Winehouse, “For Amy” is a dedication to society’s desperate need to recognize addiction for what it is: A disease that kills.

Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation.

(For our purposes, this is an edited version of Brand’s final paragraph; I urge you to read the entire thing.)

I get that not everyone realizes addiction is a disease. I know we don’t live in an ideal world where those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol are treated as people suffering from a disease, rather than weak junkies who can’t get their lives together, and that this ignorance plays a role in leading folks to think people like Amy Winehouse somehow deserve to die.

But, we’re getting there. Doctors get it. Family members and friends who take the time to learn about it get it. The numerous resources like substance abuse treatment facilities and addiction support groups get it, too.

The addicts themselves eventually get it (which I imagine is somewhat of a relief, finding out you’re battling an addiction rather than you’re a weak, selfish loser much of the public would have you believe).

Brand wants us to view addiction as a disease that kills, and in order to do that, we must learn more about it.

Check out the following resources to learn more about alcoholism and drug addiction:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Pretty much everything on this website can help you learn more about substance abuse.
• Medline Plus: Dual Diagnosis: Helps you understand dual diagnosis, which occurs when someone has both a mental illness and an addiction.
• Psych Central’s An Epidemic of Addiction blog, which is all about addiction. Start with Is Addiction REALLY A Disease?

Do you know of any other helpful resources for people to learn about addiction as a disease? How about any personal stories to share with others?

Image Credit: Joel Telling per these Creative Commons License Attributions

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    Last reviewed: 3 Aug 2011