Why Is Alcholism or Drug Addiction Called a Disease When in Fact It’s a Choice?
Question by : Why is alcholism or drug addiction called a disease when in fact it’s a choice?
I’m a recovering alchy & attend drug/alchol classes 4 nites a week, but I’m told as well as the meth heads attending we suffer from a disease of addiction. Why say it’s a disease? NOBODY forced the bottle down my throat nor the crack pipe in anyones face either.
See problem is I attend meetings & recovery groups 4 days a week, The facilitators & counselors all say addiction is a disease. I belive it’s a choice like I said nobody forced anybody to use. Is it just an excuse not too take responsibility for your actions? And by the wikipedia isn’t a reliable source.
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who said it was a disease? It’s called an addiction, duh ?
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7 Responses to Why Is Alcholism or Drug Addiction Called a Disease When in Fact It’s a Choice?
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Though no one forced you to make the initial decision to consume the drug of choice, the “thereafters” were not a decision, they were needs you had to meet because of your body’s response.
It’s an excuse so that booze can be kept legal and get taxed. The disease is what you get later (i.e. cirrhosis and all that). The addiction isn’t a disease. Just like smoking isn’t a disease. It’s a choice. I agree with you.
I would also like to know the answer to that. I have never understood why they call druggies and alcoholics people with diseases. A disease in my opinion, is something that you can not help. People choose to drink and use drugs and most if not all know the consequences. When you get the answer you need please let me know. Thank you
Because once it settles in, it does in fact become a disease. People who become addicted have physical symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol; DTs are an example of these, which may include shaking, headaches, and dizziness as examples to what some alcoholics experience during the worse stages of withdrawal. Also, it is referred to as a disease because there is evidence that the probability of one becoming an alcoholic is increased if they have a family history of it.
Some refer to it as a disease because they don’t want to add guilt to those who are already trying to recover. As if changing the word is going to make it A OK. =]
Others call it a disease because there are people whose chemical make up makes them more prone to addictive behaviors. That is, the person who drinks and manages to quit is likely to then become a smoker or an eater or a chronic exerciser…whatever. The concept is that the person suffers from the disease of addiction.
Because it was a choice to start, but if you have used/abused alcohol or other drugs to the point where it is an addiction, those chemicals have changed the wiring in your brain. So it was a choice to start, but it is not as simple as making a choice to stop.
You have created a neurological dependency on these chemicals, and your body will demand that you provide those chemicals just like it demands food and water. When you spend time clean, you can work to rewire, but any relapse will snap you back into the dependent state.
You can take 100 steps forward, but if you take one step backward it will be one 100-step leap back to the beginning.
You can win, but you can’t underestimate your opponent. Good luck and may you find the strength you need when you need it most.
Peace.
It started out as a choice…the first time you drank. It then became an addiction, which IS a disease. Good luck on your recovery. You are to be commended for your efforts!