The Best Medicine is Connection

    Recently, I was researching best practices for treating addiction and I came across this phenomenal TEDTalk given by Johann Hari. (I will add the link to that talk below. ) In this talk he suggested that drug addiction was driven by the inability to connect.  He used Portugal as an example. They had a huge heroin problem and after trying the "American way" of punishing drug addicts, it did not get better. They decided to decriminalize addiction, and use the funds they would have used on prosecution, to invest in  job training. They wanted to give the addicts a reason to get up in the morning. Ultimately, it seemed what the addicts needed most, was to feel like a part of the community. They needed to feel connected. He proposes that, "The opposite of addiction isn't sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection". That idea resonated with me, and as I thought about the addicts in my life, it made a of of sense. 
      The idea that connection could be such a powerful, healing aide in the treatment of addiction, made me wonder where else connection could serve as a healer. I immediately thought of race relations. A few years ago, I bought a house in an "up and coming neighborhood". I had this awesome neighbor who seemed to really connect to the young Black teenage boy who lived across the street from him. My neighbor and this boy, at first glance, did not seem to have a lot in common. My neighbor lived in a renovated house in the neighborhood, was a college graduate, had a good job; while this teenager was likely living in poverty, in a run down house in which he sometimes had to sleep on the porch because there was not enough room for him. For whatever reason they connected, and once that connection deepened, I noticed my neighbor seemed to gain insight and empathy about what it means to be a Black in America. I'm not sure he would have been able to gain this insight without this connection. What if everyone purposefully and intentionally sought to make a connection with someone, who at first glance, seemed nothing like them? It seems that this tiny push of connecting with just one other person, could be what we need to heal as a county. 
        I believe that connection extends beyond healing addiction and race relationships. I believe that connection is a powerful, often untapped, natural healer to many of the troubles we see in the world. Think about ways to connect with others. When you feel like withdrawing, choose to connect instead, and watch how healing connection can be. Reach out to those who do not want to connect, because connection is likely exactly what they need! Also check out this lovely video that illustrates how moving connection and inclusiveness can be: 

Here is the link to the TEDTalk I referenced: 

​https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong#t-859418

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