Addiction: is it a disease or a choice? A disease can be described as “a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of a physical injury.” Knowing this, one can believe addiction is a disease. It is something that is done frequently, that usually does not end, just as a disease; it cannot cease on its own, because it requires some form of treatment. The big question regarding addiction is why people believe it to be a choice opposed to a disease.
Addiction affects 40% of the population in the Western world (Lewis, Marc). There are many different kinds of addictions such as: food, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or sexual aspects. When someone has an addiction to one of these things, the individual may suffer from consequences. If it is an addiction to food, one would gain excessive weight, which is extremely unhealthy. Substance abuse is one of the hardest addictions to overcome; some people never do. Tobacco is something that is unhealthy for the individual and the people surrounding them. It can cause health problems, which also can result in pricey healthcare bills. Gambling isn't something one would want as an addiction. They may find themselves lying to get extra money to blow, and it can also be a reason that they may borrow and owe a lot of money to somebody.
Sexual addiction is hard for one to overcome, it can consume their lives. Family households can be ruined by one's addiction. It doesn't usually ever end up with positivity. The thing that a person is addicted to is ingrained in their daily routine, and happens sometimes without them realizing it. It can be defined as a compulsive activity.
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Works Cited
Kuhn, Sherri. “Babies born addicted: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.” She Knows Parenting. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
Levy, Neil. “Addiction is not a brain disease(and it matters)” Frontiers in psychiatry, Vol 4. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
Lewis, Marc. “Why Addiction is NOT a Brain Disease.” The Public Library of Science-Science Blog Network. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
Leyton, Marco. “Are Addictions Diseases or Choices?” Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Vol 38(4) pp. 219-221. July 2013. Retrieved 25 November, 2013.
http://www.thecleanslate.org/myths/addiction-is-not-a-brain-disease-it-is-a-choice/
crashes.." Addiction 103.5 (2008): p749-757. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. UMBC, Baltimore, Albin O. Kuhn Lib. 4 Mar 2011.
According to Leshner, drug addiction is a chronic brain disease that is expressed in the form of compulsive behaviors (Leshner, 2001). He believes that drug addiction is influence by both biological, and behavioral factors, and to solve this addiction problem we need to focus on these same factors. On the other hand, Neil Levy argues that addiction is not a brain disease rather it is a behavioral disorder embedded in social context (Levy, 2013). I believe, drug addiction is a recurring brain disease that can be healed when we alter and eliminate all the factors that are reinforcing drug addiction.
Addiction /ə-ˈdik-shən, a-/ noun 1. A strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble), 2. An unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something (Addiction). Addiction can cause a person to sabotage their lives in order to get their next fix, whether that be scoring another gram of coke or a double with cheese, a large fry, and a large soda. Addicts are stuck in a constant cycle of getting cravings, going through with their ritual, using, experiencing guilt, and being emotionally triggered, thus bringing them back to the beginning. Now, most people when they hear the word “addiction”, the first thing that comes to their mind is drugs. However, if a vast majority of individuals
Sally Satel, author of “Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate? Wrong,” leads us down a harrowing path of the causes and effects that lead people to addiction. It can be a choice, possibly subconscious, or a condition that leads a person left fighting a lifelong battle they did not intend to sign up for. Mental and emotional health/conditions, personality traits, attitudes, values, behaviors, choices, and perceived rewards are just a few of the supposed causes of becoming an addict.
Toates, F. (2010) ‘The nature of addictions: scientific evidence and personal accounts’ in SDK228 The science of the mind: investigating mental health, Book 3, Addictions, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-30.
People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers.
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction is normally thought of as drug abuse and alcoholism but people can also be addicted to things such as gambling and sex as well. The controversy on if addiction is a disease or a choice is a continuous debate. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, one side believes it’s a disease, while the other believes it is a choice. Although addiction has been assumed to be a lack of willpower and a weakness, addiction is actually a complex disease that changes the wiring of the brain. Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior (Leshner.) Both devolping
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
The biopsychosocial model of addiction theorizes that crossing biological, psychological and social and systemic properties are essential features of health and
""Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction" - Drug Abuse and Addiction." Web. 14 Dec. 2010.
Addiction is a very strong word that brings along many negative connotations. When we think of an addiction we imagine someone who depends on a certain substance, most likely alcohol to have their needs met. Addiction is defined by the Webster dictionary as, "a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Even though our society sees addiction and only applies the word to drug addicts and alcoholics, there is a much wider range of subjects that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is. An addiction is a dependency on any kind of materialistic object that you use on a day to day basis that brings
Addiction, Is it just an issue or is it one’s choice? Although no one chooses to walk around in their life and decides if he or she has or wants an addiction. An addiction is a “condition of being addicted to a particular substance” (Peele, 2016). One can be addicted to nicotine, drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, and even shopping if it has an impact on their everyday life. Consequently, some people with an addiction may reach a point in their life where it can turn harmful, therefore, people need to look for assistance. Even so, people still neglect to talk about addictions because people are ashamed, or in denial, and it is probably not one’s choice of topics that is brought up at your breakfast table, or you may never have confronted anyone before. Still, addiction is all around us, and most people today still do not understand or have misconceptions about addictions because addiction is a disease, and studies have indicated that addictions are a physical defect in the brain, thus, making it hard for some people to give up their addictions on their own.
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. It causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the addicted person as well as the people around that person. The abuse of drugs -- even prescription drugs -- leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain.
Leshner, A. (2011) Addiction Is a Brain Disease, and it Matters. Frontiers in Neuroscience: The Science of Substance Abuse.