#and alcholism isn’t what made James abuse Jamie

[goodmorninglovelies42]

My least favorite take is that the story of Jamie’s dad is about substance abuse. It’s not. Addiction is a disease. At least in the US it’s classified as substance use disorder. And it’s a treatable condition that should be viewed as a public health matter and not a moral matter.

But that’s not the issue with James Tartt, Sr. The issue with James is that he’s abusive — physically, emotionally, and sexually — towards Jamie. Now, maybe that is exacerbated by substance use, particularly alcohol. But that doesn’t fully explain or excuse behavior.

And again, I believe that people can change. No matter how old they are or what horrible things they’ve done. And I believe that *societally* those people deserve second chances. But believing both of those things doesn’t require that the the *individual* they harmed extend forgiveness. Those are complex and individual choices.

The show implies that James Tartt Sr. is in rehab. And I think that’s great. People should absolutely get the medical treatment they need (AA isn’t evidence based, btw, but that’s a discussion for another day). But getting treatment for substance use disorder doesn’t automatically fix the behaviors he engaged in, even while under the influence. And me saying that doesn’t mean I’m demonizing people with substance use disorder.