I DONT UNDERSTAND! why is addiction considered a disease?

Question

I thought that you didn't have a choice in a disease. I really need to understand this! Thank you!

Answer 1

Addiction is considered a disease because it has a predictable cause, predictable symptoms, predictable outcomes, and a predictable course of treatment--for everyone who engages in it. In other words, people who use drugs all have certain common characteristics in their patterns of use, the symptoms that they experience, and the outcomes for their health. At some point, substance abuse, which has less damaging symptoms, can become substance addiction, at which point the individual has little perceived choice over their use of drugs--they cannot stop without severe consequences physically and emotionally. Usually, the drug has altered the patterns of their behavior and their brain chemistry to the point that they need the substance to live.

To you and me, it may look like a simple issue of "well, just don't DO that anymore if you feel so bad", but the addict does not perceive that he/she has a choice in the same ways that we perceive that we have choices about using drugs. And it's the issue of whether or not one perceives that they have a choice. It's kind of like being in a room with a door that you can't see. If you can't see the door, you can't get out of the room, no matter how much you might want to. Someone else may come in and see the door, but unless I see the door, I cannot go through it. And until someone seeks treatment for their addictive disorders, they cannot "see" the door out.

RR works well for some people and the 12-step model works well for other people. But it remains basically a "disease process" because of the predictability of symptomatology, etiology, and treatment.

Answer 2

some doctors argue that it is a disease while others say it is a self-destructive choice. i tend to believe the latter, since its not like someone sneezes on you and you catch a gambling addiction. i found this article online you might find it interesting

POINT
Addiction Is a Choice
by Jeffrey A. Schaler, Ph.D.

Many activities that are not themselves diseases can cause diseases, and a
foolish, self-destructive activity is not necessarily a disease. When we
find a parallel between physiological processes and mental or personality
processes, we can mistakenly assume the physiological process is what is
really going on, and the mental process is just a passive result of the
physical process.

COUNTERPOINT
Addiction Is a Disease
by John H. Halpern, M.D.


Addiction-as-disease or addiction-as-choice may be better defined by
delineating initial experimentation with addictive drugs from ongoing drug
use. Repeated exposure to addictive substances changes the molecules and
neurochemistry of the addict. Addiction-as-disease accepts the
responsibility of the health care professional to treat the patient and
precludes the stigmatization that addiction is a choice.


POINT
Addiction Is a Choice
by Jeffrey A. Schaler, Ph.D.
Psychiatric Times October 2002 Vol. XIX Issue 10

(Please see Counterpoint article by John H. Halpern, M.D. below)

Is addiction a disease, or is it a choice? To think clearly about this
question, we need to make a sharp distinction between an activity and its
results. Many activities that are not themselves diseases can cause
diseases. And a foolish, self-destructive activity is not necessarily a
disease.......
to read the rest click the link.

Answer 3

It's considered a disease so that AA can you keep in 'recovery' forever and allow for relapses. Try RR (Rational Recovery) and you'll never have to play games with your addiction again.

In the days when aversion therapy was heavily practiced, these addictions didn't seem so prone to relapse. Besides that - as you said, with a disease, you don't have a choice. But with an addiction, generally, you choose to try the drug, you choose to continue to take it, etc.,etc.... - how is that a disease?

Need to break your addiction? get locked up - get taped down to a board - have a 24 watch dog that will chew you to pieces when you try to light up or drink or whatever it is....

society defined alcoholism as a disease so that insurance companies would pay for treatment and so that addicts could get help - the disease model of addiction was supposed to be more credible to the science of psychology

Answer 4

Addiction to what? Most addictions are to a substance such as drugs and alcohol, and yes it becomes a disease when one can't stop. so in this disease you do have a choice, if you stop it and you stay recovered it is no longer a disease

Answer 5

No rational person considers addiction a disease. Those that do will not be able to win a debate, they will stonewall and refuse to discuss their point of view.

The movement toward reclassifying addiction as a disease comes from organizations of trial lawyers who do everything they can to try to get money from the people who have it. They want to classify addition as a disease so they can force insurance companies to pay out for expensive "treatement programs". Currently, most health insurance plans do not cover addiction treatment programs. However, there are some states that have caved in to the pressure from trial lawyers' organizations and passed laws that force insurance companies to pay out for treatement programs. The politicians in these states are generally acknowledged to have sold out to special interest groups.

Answer 6

In a TRUE addiction, you do NOT have a choice. Your body demands something. It is also a disease in that it affects your body in many ways.

Answer 7

that's an dependancy and prefer numerous dependancy it adjustments the innovations chemistry in a manner that motives the addicted guy or woman to hunt for out the alleviation for that dependancy - alcohol, drugs, intercourse, playing, nutrition, starvation (anorexia)...is dependancy a ailment?...i won't be able to make that decision as i'm no longer a medical practitioner - i will in basic terms say that treating a medical venture as against the regulation is silly - calling it a psychological illness has lots of detrimental connotations....i think of the ideal element is to evaluate it a tragic venture and manage the folk who go through with it with as plenty compassion as you may still muster.

Answer 8

It's NOT a disease.

Psychiatry. Voting on Diseases:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy79C0v8elE&mode=related&search=

Answer 9

I do not believe it is a disease, someone, somewhere probably a doctor or pharmacy company labeled it that way.

Answer 10

its something that is ailing you mentaly or physically