TrishaV

Ok..please tell me whether you all beleive that addiction is a disease. I am really struggle with the term Disease when it comes to someones choice to do drugs. I can understand that after the use of drugs a person becomes addicted, but I cannot relate this with a disease. Am I honestly the only one who feels this way??

Afraid2Succeed

Hi Trish,
I, too have problems calling addiction a "disease", though I have said that in the past. The AMA calls it a disease, so who am I to disagree? Well, keep in mind if we call addiction a disease then it can be treated in a hospital - thus further lining the doc's pockets.

Habitual, voluntary behavior *addiction* does not resemble what we call disease like diabetes, or cancer. There's no biological way of determining someone is an alcoholic other than assessing how much they drink and its apparent consequences.

What about compulsive shopping, eating, hoarding, etc. Are those biological diseases?

DoingWell

Addiction isn't the disease, it's only a symptom of the disease Addiction as the symptom has many more plausable and scientific data to back it up rather than to believe an addict "develops the disease of addiction" many addicts will have shown signs of addictive behavior long before their first drug or drink.

Nicotineaholic, Caffeineaholic, heroinaholic, cocainaholic.. etc. See the difference?

Sciene is discovering many Genetic markers within DNA that are there from birth. Long ago there was a theory that drugs "hijacked" a person's brain leading them to addiction, however that theory was disproven.

Afraid2Succeed

I agree, if only from a personal view. My addictions, or compulsions, are symptomatic of deficits in my life that plague me. Thus, my compulsions are ways of coping with life circumstances.

BigSis

95% of young people try drugs and alcohol by age 25. Trying drugs and alcohol is NORMAL. About 10% become addicted... their experience, from the get-go is different from that of "normies". It takes a grown man about 5-10 years to become alcohol dependent, a grown woman about 5 years (biological differences) and a teen about 16 MONTHS (due to brain growth and changes during teen years).

Addiction runs in families... like diabetes and heart disease. A child of ONE alcoholic has FOUR times the chance of becoming one herself. If BOTH parents are alcholic, the odds increase.

Twin adoption studies have shown that identical TWINS are FAR more likely to have the same level of alcholism as their twin - no matter what the family situation in which they were raised.

A diabetic can eat sugar most of their lives, but once they develop diabetes, they need to make lifestyle changes or they will suffer consequences.

A heart patient can eat red meat and smoke most of their lives, but once they devleop heart disease, they need to make lifestyle changes or they will suffer further consequences.

An addict can use "socially" for some period of time, but once they develop addiction, they need to make lifestyle changes or they will suffer further consequences.

If my mother is a diabetic, I am more likely to develop diabetes. If my father is a heart patient, I am more likely to develop heart disease. If my parent is an alcoholic, I am more likely to develop addiction.

The part the frustrates ME are the normies who run around saying, just put the drink/drug DOWN, stupid! Because heaven knows, every addict/alcoholic I've met has tried - repeatedly and far harder than many ever know - to put that stupid drink/drug down.

Left untreated, diabetes, heart disease and addiction are fatal. With intervention, there can be changes. Intervention can be formal (with counselors and doctors) or informal (with hospitals or policemen - when "life" intervenes).

But the ONLY one who can force a diabetic, a heart patient or an addict to make the necessary lifestyle changes... are those who actually have the condition.

Lobo

Trish,
I have a problem calling it a disease also. My son summed it up for me. He said my daughter didn't have a disease until she gave herself her own d--n disease.
Call it want you want.... it is self inflicted destruction. I am really p----d off today about all of this addcition crap. You just struck a nerve.

TrishaV

I am sorry, I didn't mean to stike a nerve...I just don't think I would put an addict who had the choice whether to do drugs or not in the same catagory with someone who had no choice whether they got cancer or not. I don't feel bad for people who use and abuse drugs and I don't feel bad for those who made the choice to continue to use drugs until they became addicted. I don't feel that a disease is a CHOICE..like i feel drugs are a choice.

I also do not agree with the rational about if you were born into a family who used drugs or alchol you will more than likely use yourself. I really think it depends on the person. Both my mother and father had drank since I was 4 years old, none of my bothers or sister have taken on this role. Another example is my daughter, I dont do drugs and her father doesn't do drugs...so what made her do drugs?? You know what it was, it was a way out of responsibilites, obligations and life as most people know it. Why work the rest of my life and raise my children when I can forget i have an obligation as a human being to do what is right. Sorry, but I feel these individuals need to find better cooping skills just as everyone else has.

There are a lot of things in life that I have done that i enjoyed but if I felt it was harmful to myself, family and friends, I choose not to do it. For people to give up their normal lives to let themselves selfdestruct is just plain studid!!

cookconfay

I am an addict, not stupid.....thank you very much.

I am a recovering addict as well.

BigSis

I don't think the AMA bases much on opinion... they base their determinations on studies.

cookconfay

Afraid2Succeed

The AMA, APA, AAA, and whatever acronyms you come up with, have ALL MADE MISTAKES. None of these 'organizations' have a perfect track record. There is so much politics involved with these organizations that they resemble government.

cookconfay

Well, I belong to IMA, I'ma addict. I did research of my own, know what I mean. Statistics, REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE, call it what you like.....there is "alcoholism/addiction" way back in the history of my family. I believe in Genetics. It is a disease. The problem is some people think it is just a moral or personal issue. If that was the case can there really be that many people wanting to screw up their whole lives? What's wrong with you people? I think stupid is being misplaced here....

TrishaV

I am sorry..maybe my wording didn't come out right and please forgive me if I offended anyone. I didn't mean to call any addict "stupid" what it should have said was the actual action is stupid. In all reality, i just don't understand. I don't understand that if you were born to a family of addicts and a person lived an awful childhood...why is that the path that people take? Please forgive my ignorance...i am only here trying to see if i can comprehend what has happened and why...If I offended anyone, again..i am sorry.

cookconfay

My mom was the alcoholic in my family....life was not horrible growing up....I was not sexually or physically abused. Later on maybe a bit emotionally abandoned but I'm really ok. I swore I'd never become like her.....

I never felt "good" about myself, felt like I never fit in.....ultimately that's why I started drinking and smoking pot....because then...they would like me.....then I'd be cool.....then I'd finally fit in.....BUT....I have the gene that does not process those chemicals in my brain like "normies" hence....my disease grew and progressed!!!!!

TrishaV

Thank you for your imput...and..please forgive me..i didn't mean to upset you or insult you in any way. I just don't understand. My daughter had her entire life ahead of her, she has two wonderful, adorable children and didn't lack selfconfidence or have any underlying issues that I was not aware of. In her case, she started hanging out with a partying crowd and from there it went downhill. I just don't understand how she got off the path into this form of selfdestruction.

Again, please forgive my ignorance and if anyone is stupid about this addiction stuff...it is myself.

DoingWell

I very much believe in genetic and science, someday finding the exact causation of this will only benefit our kids or their kids or their kids.

Here is a good question to ask yourselves and you don't have to share it with anyone, just ponder amongst yourself. In looking back as early as you can, can you find behaviours that may seem addictive in nature.. I'll share mine as I'm not embarressed.
For me addictive behaviors started when I was a young kid, my mother noted that there were certain things/habits that I just couldn't break (Hello blankie.. teddy bear?) Video Games ( I still have to watch and monitor that one)
Later on, when all my friends were out partying in high school, I was working 2 and 3 jobs, school, work, work work and more work, for the next several years I worked I am still a workaholic.
I also had an addictive behaviors among other addictions.. around the age of 13 I got hooked on a few soap opera's.. I would schedule my entire life around watching them, I was in heaven when my family got a VCR now I could manage that addiction <hee hee> It took me the next 20 something years to really cut that one out, now there is soap net where I can watch them at night (IF THERE IS NOTHING ELSE needing to be done)
Looking back that addiction had more of a hold on me than any other addictor and made my life UNMANAGEABLE.
Some of you will laugh, I'm just being honest and looking back is a good way for me to be reminded of how easily anything not in moderation can be a problem for me.

I have two sisters, one is a recovering Bulimic and still a workaholic, the other sister had addictions that went way back to when she was 6 or 7 years old and she is now a recoveirng heroin and opiate addict.

Just go back into your life even as a child, if you need to talk to your parents and ask them, try to remember any addictive behaviors. It was really interesting for myself to do this.

lostparent

I can understand that while they are using an in active addiction they can't stop themselves. But have trouble with understanding why, after not using for a period of time an the drug is out of their system, they start using again. When my Ad was in jail she swore she never wanted to live like that again, she realized how the drugs had messed her life up. So why did she go back to using, when she had been there an knew the end result? That's what I have the most trouble understanding.

Afraid2Succeed

Yeah I was compulsive growing up too. For a couple of years I was obsessed with baseball and I knew everyone's batting avg or era, even the 'no-bodies'. Then it was tennis. I was playing it for 12 hours in the summer. Then I found weed, which was much more rewarding than those other two.

My addictions were symptomatic of my compulsive personality. I focus my compulsions into positive areas now, because I'm *aware* of my addictive personality. Both my parents are non-addicts in the disease sense, but my mom is anal about organization, and my dad, well I never knew him well.

TrishaV

I too have the same problem. My daughter was in jail for a little over 3 months and clean during that time. She told me all her hopes and dreams when she gets out and it wasn't two days that she was out of jail before she was back to her old lifestyle. How can you be clean for that long, realize everything that you had screwed up only to go back to doing it again? Great question!!

cookconfay

I too have relapsed many times....it has to do with the amount of effort I have put into my recovery. It's not something that you can skimp on.....I used with everything I had in me and then some....so what makes me think I'm "fixed, cured or saved" if I just half-A$$ a meeting every now & then? Step work, sponsorship, lots of inside stuff, getting extremely willing to do whatever it takes ...... that's what it takes to NOT use for today. We have a disease that tells us we don't have it.