Do you believe that drug addiction or alcoholism is a disease or do you feel that it is just a weakness?

Answer 1

Neither.

When someone becomes physically dependent on a substance, (such as is the case with a nicotine addiction,) that (part of the?) addiction is a physical *condition,* (like a sprained wrist or a sunburn, both of which have the potential to lead to serious complications, disease or illness if aggravated, worsened or left untreated) but it is neither a disease (like cancer) nor an illness (like the flu.)

A psychological (portion of an?) addiction is a habit and is broken in the same ways and with the same difficulty as any other habit (biting nails, etc.)

Answer 2

Addiction to either could be something in the genes, but weakness? I don't believe that people who move themselves into addiction are "weak" people. All humankind have the capacity to form an addiction to just about anything and few people who move into addiction ever realize they are, in fact, addicted. Personal motivation, resolve, confidence, and hard, hard work are needed for a person to move OUT of an addictive state, so weakness just isn't part of the problem.

Addiction occurs for a lot of reasons and no one (I don't believe this) wakes up one day and decides to start an addiction.

The awful thing is that friends of addicts can't "make" the addict change, but they can change their attitude about how they look at and respond to a friend's addiction and probably not good behaviors. The addict may need to hit the floor before deciding to get up and work through it and when that time comes, their strength and the support of friends can work together to overcome the addiction, and then to figure out what was going on in the first place that led to a need for addictive escape.

I hope this makes sense.

Answer 3

Alcoholism may very well be a disease. However, I think most of the people who suffer from these so called diseases, got themselves into it. No body is making them pour the alcohol down their throat, or put the drugs into their bodies.
I was a smoker (cigs), I believe it was a learned behavior because I was raised in a household where both parents and older siblings smoked. I finally quit. Today is 71 days, and after almost 25 years if I can do it, and others can quit drinking and doing drugs. then so can anyone else. You just have to be strong..

Answer 4

Neither is a problem for people who never touch drugs or alcohol, but I think that once a person takes that first drink or 'drug of choice' they then face possible addiction because of a weakness to 'try' "just once" ... for some that leads down the road to addiction.

Answer 5

In my opinion, drug addiction and alcoholism are a weakness.... Even though babies can be born addicted to drugs because their mothers used during pregnancy and passed the drugs to their babies, it is still not a disease...but a weakness. Once they are out of your system, then its all choice as to whether you continue to use it again or not, which to me spells out weakness.

Answer 6

i think it starts off as a weakness and progresses to a disease. weakness on the part of the person to actually try drugs in the first place. with alcohol it's a weakness not knowing when to stop.

Answer 7

Addiction is a horrible symptom of pain inside one's being. Yes, at first, it's a choice..do I try it or do I not?! But, when someone uses a drug or anything else to get rid of pain, lonelines,, etc. it's sad and becomes a disease. Anyone who says otherwise has never been addicted and doesn't seem to have much compassion. This, of course, is only my opinion. I believe we need to have more compassion for those victims of addiction.

Answer 8

A disease is an abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. Sometimes the term is used broadly to include injuries, disabilities, syndromes, infections, symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts these may be considered distinguishable categories. Therefore with this broad categorization you could say it's both. As to whether it's controlable, it very definitely is. I'm not saying it's easy, but it is achievable.

Answer 9

It is both. In some people, the disease aspect of it is stronger, in other people, the weakness is more in charge, and some are fairly equal with both.

Answer 10

it starts as a weakness and then becomes an addiction