ADDICTION a DISEASE???????

[LindyTara]

Hey,  I would like to have peoples views on addiction being a disease.  I have had this DRILLED into my head so much, I am beginning to believe that it is a self fulfilling prophecy.  I do not want to live in a world where I am forced to view myself as sick.  Is it possible that back in the day, when addiction was marked a disease that they didn't know what to call it?  How we were all just classified as sick people so there was an excuse for our behavior.  So really we are all walking around making a terrible excuse? I'm starting to this I am an alcoholic/addict is just an excuse.  We are sick people trying to be well.  If we keep telling ourselves that, then wouldn't it come to be?  I think EVERYONE can benefit from the 12 steps but this telling myself every day that I have a disease and am sick is for the birds in my eyes. These are the questions I am asking myself lately. I find it hard to believe that it is so cut and dry. What are your views/thoughts?

[nursegirl6572]

I definitely think that addicts are "wired" differently, without a doubt.  There are good and bad consequences with the labeling of addiction as a disease.

The bad...addicts don't need much to come up with an excuse to use, or to keep using.  If an addict runs with the "disease" concept, they can easily talk themselves into using based on the fact that they "have a disease and cannot help it."  That's simply NOT true.  While addicts may be cut from a different cloth, they are still 100% responsible for their choices and decisions along the way.  Just like someone with depression or anxiety.  Can they HELP that they are inflicted with that disorder?  Of course not.  But, does it give them the right to treat their loved ones horribly, being angry, miserable, and lashing out (common)?  Of course not!  An addict cannot help that they're an addict but they CAN help how they choose to address that.

As for the good...one of the best aspects of addiction being officially labeled as a disease, recognized with diagnostic codes, is that there is a LOT more help out there for people.  It also means that insurance is covering a lot of treatment modalities it didn't before.  The world of addiction treatment has GREATLY improved over the last decade.  It still has loads of room for improvement, but it's a far cry from what it was.  Before, an addict's options were few, with really one of the only treatment options being inpatient rehab.  Now, a person can go about their recovery in a multitude of different ways.

This is always a heavily debated topic, with very valid points on both sides.  I would tell people not to get hung up so much on the label, but more on how to move forward and formulate a recovery plan.  

[tramuser99]

I had the same dilemma, however I always recognized my addictive personality before I even got hooked into pills in my 30s. I have alcoholics on both sides of my family which likely 90% of addicts have addiction in their immediate family. It's a disease but we are not sick and hopeless, it's a disease we have the power to control when we surrender and admit we cannot manage our lives like some recreational users do. Being clean is a great life once you clear that first hurdle, I mean can you really imagine going through the rest of your life trying to feed your addiction, I would rather die now than be a slave forever.  Read the 12 steps and the CBT translations of them to gain more insight. We might have a disease however it's nothing to be ashamed of, I couldn't believe the kind of extremely successful people I met in treatment, I was there with a world class comedian, two actors, a doctor, a international lawyer, a university professor, a retired CEO of a major pharma, a multi-millionaire who is in the music industry, I was absolutely floored how so many people you think have everything straightened out still suffer from addiction. I am not some rich person either who went to Beverly Hills for treatment, just a normal dude who needed help.

[TTinKKerBBell]

Whether it is actually disease or addiction is kinda', sorta' a moot point - with much room for opinion/debate

The important thing is, and the only thing that really matters, is where, why, how, each and every individual draws personal strength to enable recovery (i.e., dominosarah, gnarly_1, meegWpay, etc, etc.)  

My Mother called it a "disease", my Son called it an "addiction" - They Both died from overdose/overuse of Their "drug of choice"

I am thankful and deeply moved by all who find Their path(s) to recovery

[dominosarah]

This is just MY opinion here and how i have to live MY recovery.  I have a hard time with the word "disease" on addiction.  It doesnt matter to me as the bottom line for me is i am an addict in recovery.  Labeling it a disease doesnt change that.  What it does allow for me is a road to excuses  This is how my brain is wired.  My addiction isnt lying to me tonight and hopefully it doesnt tomorrow.   For those of us who dont wrap ourselves around the word disease we arent at any greater risk for relapse than the ones who do call it a disease.  I work my recovery the moment my feet hit the ground in the morning.  As i said in the beginning, this is only MY opinion,

[gnarly_1]

Hi  well this is debated is like what came first the chicken or the egg  I base my opinion on hard science and doctors all agree this is a disease  I used a substance abuse counselor for the better part of 4yrs of aftercare  he had a masters degree in the field and also agreed it was a disease  I have watched specials on the brain and addiction and it gave conclusive evidence we a are wired differently the ''normies'' the mri shows that the pleasure centers not only lit up  the way normies din but also had other parts of the brain that lit up after going to N/A and lissining to people with 10+ years clean that are still dealing with the compulsions the obsessions  the resentments even after 10+ years clean this will not go away  if your honest with yourself you will realize that once you stop the drugs your still left with the mental part of this disease the addict is still alive and well in your head we still think the same  but it is ok you can arrest the disease and the recovery is possible... I have been on this forum since 09 and those that treat the disease stay clean those that dont come back on over and over wounding why there in the same boat again  this dose not have to be a death sentence you can recover but it is up to you to treat it   your disease will tell you you dont need aftercare it will tell you you will grow out of it it will eventually tell you one wont hurt then it is game on again  for many of us it is the first time in years that we are trying to deal with life on lifes terms clean and it is all but impossible without a program of recovery all I know is programs like n/a work and will power does not it is your disease that makes you ask this question in the first place now you can white knuckle it or find recovery  my best friend has 29 trs clean and goes to 4 meeting a week it is very treatable but it is up to you to surrender to the fact your going to have to treat it  if N/a works for a old dope fiend like me it will work for any one please dont be confused this disease will take you places you never thought you would go and it is progressive and only gets worst with time  the reason im so pashanet about this is I lived in active addiction for 35years and if I can help someone that is only in the begining stages avoid that it makes my day if someone showed me the way out I may not have wasted over 1/2 my life getting high   think long and hard about this post and for many your disease is already lying to you saying well it is not me  I feel for you...you never have to use again...........................Gnarly..................................

[meegWpaw]

I agree with some of what you said, lindy, i think that for a long time it was difficult for me to believe in addiction as a disease.  I have seen 'Pleasure Unwoven" and while I found it riveting it did not convince me.  In fact, the 'evidence' portraying addiction as a medical disease proved inconclusive imo.  However, "Pleasure" went a gigantic distance in aiding me in my recovery.  A substantial part of my relapse history, which is extensive (!!!), was precisely due to the fact that I was in denial about the gravity and nature of my addiction.  When I saw how the chemicals in the brain behaved, it allowed me to treat my addiction as more than just a personal failure or moral weakness.  While it may seem that one would use the disease model as an 'excuse' for addiction, in my case and I would posit in many others, it actually ameliorated my ability to get and stay clean with a more profound and effective understanding.  just my .02