21st Century Stupidity: Willie O’Dea On Alcoholism

Would you choose to be an alcoholic? I doubt any of us would. An addiction is something which controls you’re whole life. It’s a leech; robbing the victims of their enjoyment of life. It can be debilitating and difficult to beat.

But, according to Willie O’Dea, this isn’t the case and he doesn’t think that the 124 people in Ireland claiming illness benefits from the state due to alcohol addiction deserve the money.

Why? The  Fianna Fáil Social Protection spokesman  told The Irish Daily Mail it was wrong to pay people who were “literally indulging themselves”, adding that “If someone has a disease called alcoholism, then you don’t drink, you give up the drink.”

If we were living in the early 2oth century, O’Dea’s comments wouldn’t be that astonishing. But in 2013, with a wealth of scientific and proven information to show that alcoholism is a disease, O’Dea’s political stance is to deny those who are ill  financial help because of some cracked idea that it’s their own fault they’re sick.

” I know people who have cancer or are suffering from motor neurone disease who can’t get medical cards. They didn’t drink or bring those things on themselves and they’re the victims” he said. The Mayo Clinic states that alcoholism is a “chronic and often progressive disease”. A disease. Not something that the person asked for.

It is disgraceful that seriously ill people are facing the loss of medical cards due to cutbacks. But to link that issue with addicts receiving social welfare for an   is inappropriate and stigmatizing.

To insinuate that those who receive social welfare as they try to battle addiction are some how stealing services from terminally ill patients is disgusting. If you want to find blame in this, look to those who are responsible for cuts in our healthcare – the TD’s in the Dáil.  Not a vulnerable group in society who Mr O’Dea deems unworthy of help.

O’Dea’s comment that alcoholics should simply “give up the drink” demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of addiction and mental health issues. Should we also tell people suffering from anorexia to just eat more? Advise people suffering depression to get up and get on with it and stop moping around?

As a public figure, O’Dea’s comments are ignorant, hurtful and perpetuate damaging stereotypes. He should be ashamed of himself; I know I’m ashamed that he is a politician in my country.