Addiction... Disease Or Choice?!

Hi, I’m Herb... My question is, why is addiction considered a disease & not a choice?! I can & have quit addiction but I don’t know anybody that has “quit” cancer, heart disease or diabetes... I’m convinced that addiction is a choice, not a disease!

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Hello Herb! How are you?

It is often considered a disease, since some people can inherit a genetic propensity for addiction, just like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, according to NIH studies. If their parents, grandparents, or others in their lineage were addicts, it could make them more prone to becoming addicted to any given substance, such as drugs, or alcohol.

That does not apply to everyone that experiences an addiction, of course, but it has been found to apply in the prevalence of cases. There are always exceptions to any rule, someone may not develop heart disease even if it runs in their family, someone else may develop diabetes even though there is no trace of it in their family. All of us are different.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

Thanks much, best explanation I’ve heard yet, but I still think addiction is a choice!

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Re: Herb (# 2)

Hi Herb. No one knows if they will become addicted. The first choice to use will eventually answer that. For the addicted person it is now a disease. Because they can not stop. You can binge drink or drink daily and then stop. At some point alcoholics lose the ability to to stop to make that choice. It intefers with your life health and people continue to drink. I dont think it's a choice to require life long treatment. you now have a disease that causes multiple system damage.

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