What does addiction look like?
From the perspective of an addiction counsellor in Singapore, addiction or substance use disorder, as it is now termed, usually looks like the guy or gal sitting next to you at work, on the MRT, in court or in the boardroom. Substance Use Disorder is a spectrum, so includes both the colleague who can’t get through the day without a quick drink, and the guy on the park bench drinking methyl alcohol. People struggling with this disorder might be introverts or extroverts, people pleasers or “don’t give a damn” managers. In other words, they may act and look just like you and me.
But what goes on behind our many masks might be very different indeed.