Poll of the Day > Is addiction a disease?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Go
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Let's discuss, folks.

I don't think I ever met a drug addict who became addicted accidentally because the hobo down the street coughed on him.

Calling it a disease is just an excuse to say "It's not MY fault, it's a DISEASE!!!"

Okay, keep telling yourself that Methany.
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You don't catch Cerebral Palsy from someone coughing on you.

There's more than one way to contract a disease.
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1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2. any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3. any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society

1 and 3 both fit pretty well, so yes.

You are not a doctor.
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_AdjI_ posted...

1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2. any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3. any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society

1 and 3 both fit pretty well, so yes.

I like that one.
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Far-Queue posted...

There's more than one way to contract a disease.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

The point is, you don't become addicted by anything outside of your control.
You can get aids by being splashed with infected blood. Or other diseases from a problem with your genetics.

You can't become a drug addict unless you choose abuse drugs. Nobody ever became a drug addict because their genetics decided so, or because an opioid molecule was floating through the air.
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DrCidd posted...

Far-Queue posted...

There's more than one way to contract a disease.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

The point is, you don't become addicted by anything outside of your control.
You can get aids by being splashed with infected blood. Or other diseases from a problem with your genetics.

You can't become a drug addict unless you choose abuse drugs. Nobody ever became a drug addict because their genetics decided so, or because an opioid molecule was floating through the air.

Thats not Captain Obvious. Thats Far-Queue. Ill call Captain Obvious here. @CaptainObvius
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DrCidd posted...

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Dont say stupid shit if you dont want a response you dont like
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CacciatoPart3 posted...

DrCidd posted...

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Dont say stupid shit if you dont want a response you dont like

Implying I believed that's the only way to get a disease.

Feel like contributing to the conversation, or just dropping in to be a dick?
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DrCidd posted...

CacciatoPart3 posted...

DrCidd posted...

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Dont say stupid shit if you dont want a response you dont like

Implying I believed that's the only way to get a disease.

Feel like contributing to the conversation, or just dropping in to be a dick?

Just dropping in to let you know.
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DrCidd posted...

The point is, you don't become addicted by anything outside of your control.
You can get aids by being splashed with infected blood.

You can't become a drug addict unless you choose abuse drugs.

Hold up.

You do know some people take drugs unknowingly or by force right? Especially by people who abuse them?
And that certain drugs are inherently addictive? (This includes certain kinds of prescription medications.)

DrCidd posted...

Feel like contributing to the conversation, or just dropping in to be a dick?

Is that a serious question
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zebatov posted...

DrCidd posted...

Feel like contributing to the conversation, or just dropping in to be a dick?

Is that a serious question

Ha! There goes ol Dustin Zebby Zebatov Evans again!
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Doctors classify addiction as a disease
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DrCidd posted...

Thanks Captain Obvious.

If it's so obvious then why did you make such a stupid point of it?
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hard to explain this without writing an essay, but quickly, addiction is a hijacking of your brain's learning process. (not 100% sure of all this but it's a cool idea).

things that are addictive give you unearned super potent releases of dopamine. and *dopamine works by reinforcing the mental pathways that led to its release*. IE: things that are addictive manage to reinforce their own future causation. it's like a weird form of time travel where a thing brings about its own recurrence. it's a positive feedback causality loop.
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Xfma100 posted...

Hold up.

You do know some people take drugs unknowingly or by force right? Especially by people who abuse them?
And that certain drugs are inherently addictive? (This includes certain kinds of prescription medications.)

Alright, you got me, I can shoot someone up with heroin against their will to the point that they become physically addicted to it. That still doesn't make it a disease.
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I feel like it falls more into the category of a mental disorder but it's just splitting hairs really

It seems to spread like one.

_AdjI_ posted...

-snip-

Well apparently it is. Thanks wiiki.
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DrCidd posted...

You can't become a drug addict unless you choose abuse drugs. Nobody ever became a drug addict because their genetics decided so, or because an opioid molecule was floating through the air.

And those who were prescribed a reasonable dose of opioids because they were the best option for them and subsequently developed an addiction to them?

Staaan? Staaaan?
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It's a disease like getting food poisoning from eating food you know is fucked.

No sympathy is deserved.
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_AdjI_ posted...

And those who were prescribed a reasonable dose of opioids because they were the best option for them and subsequently developed an addiction to them?

See

DrCidd posted...

Alright, you got me, I can shoot someone up with heroin against their will to the point that they become physically addicted to it. That still doesn't make it a disease.

It's like you didn't bother reading the topic.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

It's a disease like getting food poisoning from eating food you know is fucked.
No sympathy is deserved.

Mmmm, feels good to just ignore all of the actual problems that lead up to addiction doesn't it.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

No sympathy is deserved.

Elaborate.
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shadowsword87 posted...

Mmmm, feels good to just ignore all of the actual problems that lead up to addiction doesn't it.

Everybody has problems, not everybody does dumb shit to ignore them.

wwinterj25 posted...

Elaborate.

Self-inflicted injuries deserve mockery.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Self-inflicted injuries deserve mockery.

So drug babies that are addicted to drugs from birth deserve it? How about those with illnesses who become addicted to their medication?
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Everybody has problems, not everybody does dumb s*** to ignore them.

Yeah, and different people respond to different problems differently.
Then you need to consider that more extreme problems need more extreme solutions.
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wwinterj25 posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Self-inflicted injuries deserve mockery.

So drug babies that are addicted to drugs from birth deserve it? How about those with illnesses who become addicted to their medication?

Addiction doesn't remove responsibility, you can stop at any time and failure to do so means you are a failure. It's unfortunate they get afflicted with withdrawal symptoms, not so much that they maintain the illness.

shadowsword87 posted...

Yeah, and different people respond to different problems differently.

Yeah, some people do the wrong thing.

shadowsword87 posted...

Then you need to consider that more extreme problems need more extreme solutions.

And addiction merely requires that you tank the symptoms for a while til your body balances out.
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SunWuKung420 posted...

You are not a doctor.

SunWuKung420 posted...

You are not a doctor.

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You know, I don't think you have ever actually been addicted to something, or really listened to someone who was/is addicted.

You don't wake up every day feeling like you have smoke still in your mouth, you don't unconsciously hold your hands in certain positions just out of habit, you don't just daydream about having just a quick smoke.
That shit doesn't go away, it lasts for the rest of your life, and that's not a joke.

Go smoke fifty cigarettes and see how easy it is to quit.
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shadowsword87 posted...

You know, I don't think you have ever actually been addicted to something

You're not wrong, my body's strongly resistant to addiction.

shadowsword87 posted...

or really listened to someone who was/is addicted.

My only experience is my dad on a 60 a day habit who quit cold turkey the day he couldn't smoke inside. Literally quit out of convenience, so I have a hard time taking addicts seriously.

shadowsword87 posted...

You don't wake up every day feeling like you have smoke still in your mouth, you don't unconsciously hold your hands in certain positions just out of habit, you don't just daydream about having just a quick smoke.
That shit doesn't go away, it lasts for the rest of your life, and that's not a joke.

You need a hobby, maybe you wouldn't be so obsessed if you had a life.

shadowsword87 posted...

Go smoke fifty cigarettes and see how easy it is to quit.

I'm not stupid enough to do something that has no benefits.
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wwinterj25 posted...

So drug babies that are addicted to drugs from birth deserve it? How about those with illnesses who become addicted to their medication?

In what bizarro world do either of those things remotely resemble self-inflicted injuries, or self perpetuated addiction.

Reach a little harder and you might just touch the sun.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

And addiction merely requires that you tank the symptoms for a while til your body balances out.

While I'm on your side. Physical dependency is a very real thing, and sometimes trying to tough out withdrawal symptoms can lead to death.
You're not sounding very smart right now.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

My only experience is my dad on a 60 a day habit who quit cold turkey the day he couldn't smoke inside. Literally quit out of convenience, so I have a hard time taking addicts seriously.

You should get out more then, talk to people, listen to honest people, and have empathy for those people.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

You need a hobby, maybe you wouldn't be so obsessed if you had a life.

..What?
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shadowsword87 posted...

You know, I don't think you have ever actually been addicted to something, or really listened to someone who was/is addicted.

You don't wake up every day feeling like you have smoke still in your mouth, you don't unconsciously hold your hands in certain positions just out of habit, you don't just daydream about having just a quick smoke.
That s*** doesn't go away, it lasts for the rest of your life, and that's not a joke.

Go smoke fifty cigarettes and see how easy it is to quit.

I am very addicted to cigarettes. I've tried quitting on more than 10 occasions and failed miserably.

That doesn't mean my addiction is a disease.

It just means I lack the willpower to give them up. Calling it a disease is beyond silly.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Addiction doesn't remove responsibility, you can stop at any time and failure to do so means you are a failure.

And how do you propose stopping when the only thing that provides any sense of fulfillment is another hit? It's easy to talk about willpower if you ignore that willpower is just a matter of neurochemistry, neurochemistry which is very seriously thrown out of whack by addiction. If you don't respond to natural dopamine, you don't have the ability to be motivated.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

My only experience is my dad on a 60 a day habit who quit cold turkey the day he couldn't smoke inside. Literally quit out of convenience, so I have a hard time taking addicts seriously.

Remember that other topic where you were trying to assert that the sample size for pro-trans bathroom policies was too small to conclude that they didn't increase sexual assault rates? And then you waltz into this topic and base your entire suite of beliefs on the matter off of n=1? Something which you admit immediately after saying that you yourself are particularly resistant to addictions, thereby acknowledging that there is some degree of variance which likely played a role in that single subject who just so happens to share half of your genome?

I'm amazed you don't feel more cognitive dissonance than you do. You're so terribly inconsistent.

DrCidd posted...

_AdjI_ posted...

And those who were prescribed a reasonable dose of opioids because they were the best option for them and subsequently developed an addiction to them?

See

DrCidd posted...

Alright, you got me, I can shoot someone up with heroin against their will to the point that they become physically addicted to it. That still doesn't make it a disease.

It's like you didn't bother reading the topic.

Do you not believe that people can develop opioid addictions without exceeding a reasonable dose (prior to the onset of the addiction)? Or do you believe that people should refuse any sort of medication or treatment that carries any possibility of addiction, regardless of whether or not it's the only possible treatment for what's ailing them?

DrCidd posted...

That doesn't mean my addiction is a disease.

_AdjI_ posted...

1. a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

Dictionary.com disagrees.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Addiction doesn't remove responsibility, you can stop at any time and failure to do so means you are a failure.

A drug baby that becomes dependent on drugs from birth can stop being addicted whenever it wants?
I see.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

It's unfortunate they get afflicted with withdrawal symptoms, not so much that they maintain the illness.

You are aware if folk have a illness medication is sometimes a requirement to get better and some folk can actually become addicted to said medication right? Seems like a rock and a hard place to me in that situation.

DrCidd posted...

In what bizarro world do either of those things remotely resemble self-inflicted injuries, or self perpetuated addiction.

Reach a little harder and you might just touch the sun.

Sit down kid and shut up the adults are talking now.
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_AdjI_ posted...

Dictionary.com disagrees.

Do you even know why they started calling it a disease in the first place?

It's because they realized that making people feel guilty contributed to addiction.

So when you put them in the mindset of "It's not my fault, I have a disease" instead of "I'm a piece of shit" it removes the responsibility from the person. It's not because it's actually a disease.

Looking for sources right now, but there was a study done in vermont where they paid people who had a long history of chronic addiction $500 a week if they could pass a drug test every day. I'm pretty sure this study lasted for a year. And they had a near 100% success rate.

If addiction IS a disease, then it's the only one in existence that can be cured with money.

Who'da thunk it?
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DrCidd posted...

Far-Queue posted...

There's more than one way to contract a disease.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

The point is, you don't become addicted by anything outside of your control.
You can get aids by being splashed with infected blood. Or other diseases from a problem with your genetics.

You can't become a drug addict unless you choose abuse drugs. Nobody ever became a drug addict because their genetics decided so, or because an opioid molecule was floating through the air.

Not to be an ass, but I do kind of agree with this.

I mean, its so easy to just say no to something.

Especially in this day and age where we have all this information on why and how certain things are so bad for us.
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Your argument against addiction being labeled a disease is that it's "self-inflicted" and preventable?

So if I get hepatitis from contaminated water - that's a disease. But if I get hepatitis from sharing needles, then it's not a disease?

If I develop cirrhosis from hepatitis I contracted from contaminated water - that's a disease. But if I get cirrhosis from excessive drinking, then it's not a disease?

How does that make sense?

Not to mention, as others have pointed out you can develop addictions even when you're not a drug-seeking junkie.

Addiction is a disease. Your arguments suck. Keep trying, though. It's entertaining watching you make an absolute fool out of yourself.
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Addiction is a behavioral disorder, or a condition.

But it's not a disease. You can't catch addiction, you can't be infected with addiction, you can't develop an addiction as a result of your genetics.

Only through repeated exposure to a substance can you become addicted to it.

And again. I'd like to see another "disease" that can be cured with money.
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DrCidd posted...

I'd like to see another "disease" that can be cured with money

...Sorry what?
Do you not know about the magic of antibiotics?
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Just another thought from TCs brain
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DrCidd posted...

Do you even know why they started calling it a disease in the first place?

Because it's consistent with the commonly-accepted definition for the term? That definition hasn't been spun at all to make it better encompass addiction; that's simply the definition for "disease."

DrCidd posted...

It's because they realized that making people feel guilty contributed to addiction.

Not making people feel guilty for their problems is a nice bonus of acknowledging that the definition fits, yes. It's always fun when things work out like that.

DrCidd posted...

So when you put them in the mindset of "It's not my fault, I have a disease" instead of "I'm a piece of s***" it removes the responsibility from the person. It's not because it's actually a disease.

Why should the definition of "disease" care about responsibility? Diseases are problems, and the victim and those around them benefit if those problems can be fixed. I'd much rather focus on solving problems than assigning blame. That seems more productive to me.

DrCidd posted...

Looking for sources right now, but there was a study done in vermont where they paid people who had a long history of chronic addiction $500 a week if they could pass a drug test every day. I'm pretty sure this study lasted for a year. And they had a near 100% success rate.

If addiction IS a disease, then it's the only one in existence that can be cured with money.

That goes back to what I was saying earlier about motivation. A strong, concrete motivator can end up providing enough dopamine to overcome the tolerance the addict has built up, offering them satisfaction without needing the drugs. That can be money, that can be an ultimatum from loved ones, that can be any number of things, it just has to offer a dopamine hit that's comparable in strength and predictability to the drug of choice. That's just simple neurochemistry.

That's also true of more than just addicts. You could improve prognoses for a number of serious conditions by offering definite financial rewards for meeting certain progress milestones. It won't necessarily be as reliable, given that there'll be more than just neurochemistry involved in the disorder, but extra motivation to recover helps more than you might think, especially for any sort of physical rehab.

DrCidd posted...

And again. I'd like to see another "disease" that can be cured with money.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's time to stop commenting on things you have no understanding of.
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wwinterj25 posted...

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's time to stop commenting on things you have no understanding of.

I have a perfect understanding of what I'm talking about. I'm sorry you don't like or agree with what I'm saying. If you really don't like it, you don't have to read it.

Do you see me trying to shut you and your shitty opinions down?

Learn to be a fucking adult and have a conversation. There's a thing called free speech and I'll continue to exercise it.
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DrCidd posted...

Do you see me trying to shut you and your shitty opinions down?

No not at all...

DrCidd posted...

In what bizarro world do either of those things remotely resemble self-inflicted injuries, or self perpetuated addiction.

Reach a little harder and you might just touch the sun.

Hopefully a mod will close this topic because your clearly trolling at this point and clearly have no understanding of the subject.
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DrCidd posted...

There's a thing called free speech and I'll continue to exercise it.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.