let’s take drugs (not literally) as that’s what your graphic shows.
Someone may decide to take them recreationally and then end up moving to stronger stuff and getting addicted, that’s a lifestyle choice that became an addiction.
Then you have those that slip in to it as a means of coping, mental health issues usually and get addicted.
then you have those who do it via another person, a boyfriend, girlfriend, sibling, friend etc and through peer pressure end up addicted.
Then look at other addictions, gambling, video games, alcohol, porn, each has this initial attraction but can become an addiction quite easily if not recognised early.
the important bit is when a person realises they have a problem, an addiction what they then do about it.
personally it becomes a sort of disease when there is a culture that promotes it and there is little support or poor regulations around it.
Alcoholism is a good example, certain countries and cities have a huge alcohol problem that results in early deaths, medical conditions etc, however the culture within that city, country, area, is such that it is seen as a good thing to get totally wasted and nothing wrong with it.
when certain things above become excessive and are almost socially accepted, then that is when you have major problems.
a lot is down to mental health of each individual and their mental fortitude in kicking an addiction.
Then you already have a bias, and too many misconstrued ideas.
Addiction is not a monolith - it takes many forms, known and unknown.
Daniel G. Amen (MD) In his book : The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Adhd, Addictions, Ptsd, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More. Hits the nail on the head when he suggests people are just swapping one bad habit for another by pill popping and expecting "silver bullets". The true problem can be genetic and there might be no cure, instead the person has to learn how to mitigate and abstain instead.
Sort of like people with life threatening allergies need to do a few extra steps for their own safety irrespective of who and where they are.
Yes I may be biased…hence the reason for posing the question. As a former addict (and present depending how you view addiction) I always felt that classifying it as a disease was a cop out. As if someone was afflicted with this terrible ailment and the outcome would be total chance. I felt that it was my lifestyle choice to purchase and then administer my drug of choice, as no one was forcing me…. And a medical problem wasn’t steering my mind and body in a direction I didn’t want it to go in. However reading through these comments is enlightening and just might at least put me on the fence.
At first it may be a lifestyle choice as you mostly get addicted to something when you do it of your own free will. Eventually you may not want to continue with the practise but it's incredibly difficult to quit because you "need" it to function properly. That "extreme attraction" is not quite a choice because it happens whether or not you want it. So concluding this, addiction is mostly a disease with free will in most cases.
It's entirely a choice. People can simply say "No" to an offer of something harmful and illicit, they don't have to have one beer after another. No one is forcing the gambling "addict" to keep putting coins in the machine; that is entirely his/her choice. People need to stop making excuses for bad behaviour, and actually start to take full responsibility for their actions.
physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects _______ Knowing a few addicts including family members its not something that can be overcome alone. That is why its called addiction. And its not something that any average person can help them overcome. They need professionals. The average person will sink $1000s into the person and it will all be feeding the addiction. I know a few who where drugged unknowingly and got addicted, got addicted to the prescribed drug, and a few who slowly moved deeper and deeper because of friends (lifestyle).
SO it CAN be a choice at first, but after a surprisingly swift moment, the choice is gone. The only choice they seem to have after is what to do to get the next fix.
It's a choice. Your choices might cause something that's physiologic but it happen by your choices.
Even the worst heroin addict continues by choice. Millions of people have quit addictive substances. Unless they were somehow forced to quit, they all quit by choice. It might not be easy, but it's a choice they have to make. Either they choose to quit or they don't.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's stupid to start highly addicted things in the first place. But once they are addicted I'm not going to judge them for it. I'm not going to call it a disease either. It's not like they walked into a public place and caught it from someone.
Wow, must be nice. All of you suffer from addiction in some form, let's just start with social media, refined sugars, tobacco, vapes, only shopping at Victoria secrets, going to the gym everyday, masterbating, etc... It's all done for dopamine. Now sure somethings are way easier to quit then others, but habits are difficult to stop regardless of their benefit. Most of you seem to also think that OCD is BS too, based on your replies. Right, because they can just choose to not check the door knob. Right?
I think it depends on the person and their life circumstances. Some people become addicts because they're going through a difficult experience and don't know how to deal with it. Then they find a way of dealing with the problem or to escape from it by doing drugs. While others think that doing drugs it's cool and normal.
Both A disease of the brain due to the damaging effects of drugs to the endocrine system by increasing tolerance levels thereby requiring more of the drug for the same effect. The ensuing cycle slowly destroys the body and the brain. The option to escape and fight the addiction is always there in spite of the gravity that surrounds addiction.
it's like some brains are predisposed to succumb to addiction while others are not so much
same when trying to quit and beat an addiction, some people can just decide to do it and they stop it... and others need to get heavily medicated just to survive withdrawals
one thing is for sure, addictions do manifest due to numerous circumstances and not just one or the other alone
It is not a disease. That is just a scam that liberals thought up so junkies could go to rehab and insurance will pay for it. I suppose it is a lifestyle choice although it is said that nobody intentionally becomes a junkie. But nobody forced them to take drugs either. People need to take responsibility for their own actions.
Life choice. I was addicted to cigarettes alcohol cocaine and gambling. Just stopped all of them when i wanted to. Its really not hard at all. Thats why i just think a crack head in an alley WANTS to be there. To solve their addiction is to solve why they have nothing better in their life that crack in an alley is all they have to look forward to. I believe modern studies show that the best way to stop addictions is by providing stimulating work and a full life and improved relationships. Has nothing to do with the drugs short of any initial physical withdrawal.
Once you're hooked it's a need not a lifestyle choice anymore, that's part of why it's a problem.
It's entirely possible to be forced into addiction, happens with victims of sex trafficking quite often. The handlers use it as a compliance and dependence mechanism.
For some it could just be genetics that give people a disadvantage in fighting an addiction. For others, maybe they took a hit of something so much that their body "developed" a need for it. It could be that the chemicals involved may also just have a strong addictive affect on the mind and body.
I think behaviour like shown in the picture where a person has to struggle to keep control is and addiction. Experimenting with drugs can be a lifestyle but it's a also metaphorical thin line because it can quickly become an uncontrollable addiction.
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Anonymous
(45 Plus)
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Neither. I've known people that are not very strong people quit cold turkey and never touch the stuff again. Likewise I've known some VERY STRONG people that genuinely try to quit but can never seem permanently. They always go back to it. I think it's a number of factors that determines all of this.
I think it's a way of dealing with trauma; running from ones demons instead of facing them has a terrible price. I know, eventually confronted mine & was MUCH better for it. I think its part self medication & part spiritual sickness.
It's a lifestyle choice. It's not cancer or something, people choose to do drugs. They don't choose to have cancer. I have a few friends that used to be drug addicts or alcoholics. You what they did? They wanted a better life so they just stopped drinking or doing drugs. You can't just say "I'm not going to have cancer tomorrow" when you have cancer but you sure as hell can say "I'm not shooting smack tomorrow", "I'm not smoking meth tomorrow" "I'm not drinking tomorrow" etc.
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Anonymous
(25-29)
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It’s a disease. I think it might be both, but because you cannot stop it on your own and need intervention. THEN ITS A DISEASE mostly. Im an addict to food, and it’s horrendous mental problems.
It is a weakness and selfish while they are getting high on whatever including alcohol they only think of how high or drunk they can get and not the mess they cause for other people not to mention the waste of life and money
All drug use is labeled addiction... I think when people start fucking off in life they crossed the line but just using drugs is far more common than you'll ever know.. I've sold drugs full time in the past and hooked up people you'd never suspect
i suppose lifestyle has a role in it as well because you would have never triggered your alcohol use disorder if you would have never consumed any alcohol.. that's how i see it. And alcohol is just so easily accessible.
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