Current Events > Drug addiction: Disease or not?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I say calling it a disease may be an exaggeration. But saying that a lack of willpower is the only factor is equally inaccurate and unfair.

It's a medical condition, but not a disease, imo.
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disease
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Ic3Bullet posted...

I say calling it a disease may be an exaggeration. But saying that a lack of willpower is the only factor is equally inaccurate and unfair.

I say it's a disease.
Some drugs forever mess up the neurons/receptors in the brain, others ruin the liver or other body parts, just like any other disease or virus would do.
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Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

I guess it could be different for different people. Like for me, I'm a recovering alcoholic. My downward spiral began when I was depressed about something and I think I was trying to numb the feeling. Usually when I was down, alcohol would also help me feel more confident about myself, even when I was by myself (Most people feel like shit when they get drunk by themselves). However, I'm not depressed anymore, but will still binge hard for several days in a row sometimes. For me personally, those binges are a lack of willpower. I could easily not binge on those days if I found something else to keep me distracted.

During the peak of my depression, I would drink during the morning, then in the afternoon I would show up for work half drunk. Not every day, but sometimes. I don't do that anymore. But I'll drink a whole 750 mil bottle of 101 proof whiskey in 2 days if I don't watch myself.

Some people think alcoholism isn't extreme but you don't know what other things are going on until the individual brings them to light. People are just like families in that they can be dysfunctional.
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Best disease ever.
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ehhwhatever posted...

Some people think alcoholism isn't extreme but you don't know what other things are going on until the individual brings them to light. People just like families can be dysfunctional. obviously

Dude the only reason alcohol isn't considered a hard drug is because it's legal. That shit has the potential to ruin lives even if only slightly used out of moderation. And let's be honest, how many people who claim to be "moderate" drinkers are REALLY keeping themselves within the realm of moderation? Many ILLEGAL drugs are safer and have less potential to ruin lives than alcohol.

It most certainly is a disease and one (along with drug addiction) that needs a lot more support in general from people.
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I wouldn't call it a disease simply because it's something someone makes a conscious decision to engage in, in the first place. That said, once someone is addicted it's something that's out of their ability to control, like a disease.
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It's a tough one imo. I would consider it a disease, because even though there is an element of personal choice to it, it's still a sickness that affects the body. I mean we consider lung cancer and diabetes to be diseases and there is an element of personal choice to many of those cases as well. Though I do see the argument that someone can get lung cancer and never have smoked, but you can't really be a heroin addict if you never did heroin.
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One thing I a man proud of though. Even at the peak of my alcoholism, I was never a violent drunk. Being drunk almost exclusively made me think happy thoughts, even when drinking alone. Now there were a couple of occasions where people would say something fucked up that would have pissed me off even if I were sober. So me being drunk when they said those things only intensified it, and I would feel my entire soul darken with rage. But I never acted on it. I always removed myself from the situation. I was a very functional alcoholic. I'm NOT proud that I used to show up for work half drunk, but when I did, I was still an outstanding employee.

Ic3Bullet posted...

I guess it could be different for different people. Like for me, I'm a recovering alcoholic. My downward spiral began when I was depressed about something and I think I was trying to numb the feeling. Usually when I was down, alcohol would also help me feel more confident about myself, even when I was by myself (Most people feel like shit when they get drunk by themselves). However, I'm not depressed anymore, but will still binge hard for several days in a row sometimes. For me personally, those binges are a lack of willpower. I could easily not binge on those days if I found something else to keep me distracted

Congrats on taking the road to recovery

But yeah, my dad's side of the family has been ravaged by alcoholism and I wonder if it's a susceptibility to the thing itself or more symptomatic of other underlying issues. Depression is also strong on that side too, and it's something I've gone through but never found substances did anything to help with, so perhaps both of the above are factors and are especially dangerous in combination.
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Asherlee10 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

Addiction vulnerability is the genetic, physiological, or psychological predisposition to engage in addictive behaviors. A vulnerability to addiction may lead to an increased risk for a substance dependence. Addictions can arise in both a chemical and a behavioral manner. A chemical addiction refers to a physical substance dependence[1] where a behavioral addiction involves a psychological dependence. Genetics has been shown to account for 40–60% of a person’s likelihood to develop an addiction.[2][3]

Citing the definition to me doesn't mean shit.

GunmaN1905 posted...

Citing the definition to me doesn't mean shit.

Like climate change for conservatives.

Mentally sane people know that drugs are not good for their mental or physical health.
And in most cases (not counting people forced to take drugs or kids getting trapped into that shit) they willingly take drugs and do that shit to themselves.
I've got no compassion or pity to those people.
Same goes for cigarettes, alchohol, gambling, etc.

Calling it a disease it's an insult to those who actually suffer from a disease which they didn't bring upon themselves.
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GunmaN1905 posted...

Citing the definition to me doesn't mean shit.

It's not something that's tested for, so if it's genetic and a person is unaware, how can they be said to be bringing it upon themselves willingly?
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Volkswagen_Bros posted...

Calling it a disease it's an insult to those who actually suffer from a disease which they didn't bring upon themselves.

Excatly.

InYourWalls1 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Citing the definition to me doesn't mean shit.

It's not something that's tested for, so if it's genetic and a person is unaware, how can they be said to be bringing it upon themselves willingly?

They bring it upon themselves by taking drugs.
As I said, if an individual is sane, he knows that drugs are bad for him.

GunmaN1905 posted...

They bring it upon themselves by taking drugs.
As I said, if an individual is sane, he knows that drugs are bad for him.

And what about people who are predisposed to addiction, get prescribed pain killers for a legitimate reason, and then get hooked on opiates? Though no fault of their own they were introduced to the drug and developed a dependence on it quickly.
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I believe it is. I was very reluctant to admit this because I felt like I was making excuses, but I believe it to be a disease.
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justaguy3492 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

They bring it upon themselves by taking drugs.
As I said, if an individual is sane, he knows that drugs are bad for him.

And what about people who are predisposed to addiction, get prescribed pain killers for a legitimate reason, and then get hooked on opiates? Though no fault of their own they were introduced to the drug and developed a dependence on it quickly.

Unfortunately, opiate painkillers are all that the pharmaceutical industry chooses to provide us with. Sometimes you have to take them, but the vast majority of doctors prescribe them after the patient no longer needs them.
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justaguy3492 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

They bring it upon themselves by taking drugs.
As I said, if an individual is sane, he knows that drugs are bad for him.

And what about people who are predisposed to addiction, get prescribed pain killers for a legitimate reason, and then get hooked on opiates? Though no fault of their own they were introduced to the drug and developed a dependence on it quickly.

I'm certain this topic is mostly referring to those that develop an addiction to recreational drugs, like cocaine, heroin, marijuana, etc.

That's just Darwinism in my opinion.
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justaguy3492 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

They bring it upon themselves by taking drugs.
As I said, if an individual is sane, he knows that drugs are bad for him.

And what about people who are predisposed to addiction, get prescribed pain killers for a legitimate reason, and then get hooked on opiates? Though no fault of their own they were introduced to the drug and developed a dependence on it quickly.

Ratio of people who actually need pain killers and people who take them is huge.
Everyone is taking some kind of fucking pills today and most of the time they're not needed.
For example, most of my acquaintances take pills for headache every time they're hangover.
Idiotic.

Asherlee10 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Asherlee10 posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

Addiction vulnerability is the genetic, physiological, or psychological predisposition to engage in addictive behaviors. A vulnerability to addiction may lead to an increased risk for a substance dependence. Addictions can arise in both a chemical and a behavioral manner. A chemical addiction refers to a physical substance dependence[1] where a behavioral addiction involves a psychological dependence. Genetics has been shown to account for 40%u201360% of a person%u2019s likelihood to develop an addiction.[2][3]

Citing the definition to me doesn't mean shit.

That isn't just a definition, which makes me inclined to think you didn't read it.

That is an explanation to your belief that addiction is brought upon people all by themselves, which is not correct. People are predisposed to it.

No they're fucking not.
My mother smokes, my father smokes, both of my grandfathers smoked, one grandomother smoked before she had a major surgery.
My two uncles and aunts smoke, most of their kids smoke.
Like all of my friends have at least tried cigarettes, but I've literally never had even wanted to try one.
Being predisposed is just another modern day bullshit propaganda for weak people to make themselves feel better.

It's a disease. People that are already predisposed to falling into addictions can't break out or away from the dependency on chemical stimulants and therefore become addicted and suffer from all the various symptoms stemming from drugs. Addiction itself is a disease. Mental illness is a disease. Both are very much alike and can run parallel in a person's life. It's very tragic most of the time, but there are ways to break the cycle. One of the first steps is for the person to seek help. It absolutely takes a LOT of will power..which after falling into addiction can obviously make it near impossible for most. But, where there is a will....
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GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

So I shouldn't have much compassion for the patient admitted for CHF exacerbation because maybe he ate a little too much sodium over the past week.

Truly boneheaded of you to say. Many (if not all) medical conditions have modifiable risk factors.
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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

So I shouldn't have much compassion for the patient admitted for CHF exacerbation because maybe he ate a little too much sodium over the past week.

Truly boneheaded of you to say. Many (if not all) medical conditions have modifiable risk factors.

Dude, that's a borderline strawman right there.
We were talking about real drugs.

Volkswagen_Bros posted...

heroin

Many people turn to heroin as it's a cheaper and more potent form of the painkillers they were prescribed.

GunmaN1905 posted...

Ratio of people who actually need pain killers and people who take them is huge.
Everyone is taking some kind of f***ing pills today and most of the time they're not needed.
For example, most of my acquaintances take pills for headache every time they're hangover.
Idiotic.

You seemed to have no sympathy because there's the element of choice, I'm just trying to say there isn't always that choice there. Say someone breaks their arm and they are put on pain killers for a short time. Maybe they don't end up needing all 30 pills, but at some point they needed it for the pain. It's fairly common to get hooked on opiates early on, it doesn't take months of downing the pills to develop a dependency.
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I get your point and I think you're getting mine so let's just say we're in a disagreement and that's it.
As you said, my focus is on the element of choice.
I have no sympathy for those people because they have no sympathy for themselves or their body.

GunmaN1905 posted...

Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

So I shouldn't have much compassion for the patient admitted for CHF exacerbation because maybe he ate a little too much sodium over the past week.

Truly boneheaded of you to say. Many (if not all) medical conditions have modifiable risk factors.

Dude, that's a borderline strawman right there.
We were talking about real drugs.

ANY drug you take can have unintended consequences that can bring about medical conditions and illness. The woman who takes estrogen for postmenopausal hot flashes is also at risk for developing blood clots and breast cancer. Should I feel less compassionate towards her if she develops these?

Alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, freaking water, you name it - anything you introduce into the body can have side effects. "Real drug" (don't even know what the hell that means) or otherwise. Many patients are predisposed to drug addiction, which I personally believe should be treated as a disease.
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Asherlee10 posted...

But it's clear that you are going to remain willfully ignorant on this topic because of your personal experiences, which is really a shame. The science behind addiction research is not propaganda. I would recommend you do a little research and remove your biases. To simply put it, you beliefs are incorrect.

Ok, I should rephrase myself.
Genetics surely play a role, and some people are more likely to bend and break under the influence of their envoriment and do drugs.
But any sane individual should be able to have enough willpower to say no to that.
Everything else is just an excuse.
For example, if you're gonna take some cocaine because you want to be cool (is that still the term these days) and then you get hooked onto that shit and die, then that's just natural selection.

GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.
Therefore there shouldn't be as much compassion for them as for people who are truly sick.

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It just means you're weak willed so you're going to inevitably be a fuckup anyway.
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TimePharaoh posted...

It just means you're weak willed so you're going to inevitably be a fuckup anyway.

I sincerely hope you never have to experience dealing with anyone in your family or a friend suffering from any addiction. It's terrible to have such a narrow minded view on life and its many struggles. It most definitely is much more complicated than what you are making it out to be.
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Volkswagen_Bros posted...

Calling it a disease it's an insult to those who actually suffer from a disease which they didn't bring upon themselves.

So we shouldn't call something a disease if the sufferer is in any way responsible? I don't think that's how that works. STDs can be contracted due to poor choices and disease is right in the name.
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GunmaN1905 posted...

Disease that individuals willing bring upon themselves.

to a certain extent, yes, but the vast majority of alcoholics and addicts have a genetic predisposition to their conditions.
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fenderbender321 posted...

Asherlee10 posted...

fenderbender321 posted...

Asherlee10 posted...

fenderbender321 posted...

Does it really matter how anything is categorized?

Yes. It matters sometimes in treatment and societal acceptance.

Should it matter, though?

Yes, because if we want to reduce this many people with crippling addictions, we have to care.

But should we not judge the addiction for what it is, rather than what label we categorize it under?

And everyone should love each other and end hate and war, but they don't. Unfortunately, many people suck and sometimes we need to do certain things to convince them to care about something. Categorizing addiction as a disease with predisposition will convince more people than just telling them addicts deserve help.
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