Addiction: disease or choice?

I'm not sure I would classify it as a disease.
My father was a severe alcoholic. He had bottles of booze hidden in every nook and cranny throughout the whole house, garage, and even a bottle or two in the yard. Which makes it a good thing we never had Easter egg hunts in our yard. It (and smoking) killed him in 1989.

My sil is a smoker. She's diabetic, already had one heart attack, has COPD, but won't cut back on her cigarettes even a little bit. Heck, when we take a trip in the car we have to plan the extra time for her because she has to stop every few minutes to have a cigarette. Even her doctor has told her that if she doesn't quit, she'll have to find a different doctor. That is, if she doesn't die first. She told him "I never listen to you anyway. I'll quit when I get ready. Not before."
No, the effects can be classified as disease-like. The cause though is definitely a personal choice.

I'm going with - a little of both. Also depends somewhat on your definition of "disease".

It's interesting how we find some human actions to be choices while others are not.

It's always a choice to start. Perhaps it's more difficult for some to say no than it is for others. I never drank until I was 23 years old. I never would have either had it not been for environmental changes (new "friends.") Due to those factors and other struggles I was going through, I began to pretty much get hammered most every evening over the course of a summer. When I started dating my wife, it tapered off and eventually we both got to the point that we never drank anymore. It was definitely a choice for me and something I could turn off. Still today I could have a beer or glass of wine with my meal and not drink again for a year or more. Right now, it's been 16 months since I've had a drink. But for others, I know that is not the case.

I know this, if I had a family history of alcoholism, I would do everything in my power to never touch the stuff.

Tide1986 said:

It's interesting how we find some human actions to be choices while others are not.

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I believe it's a choice to start, but what happens in one's mind after that initial choice makes me lean toward disease, especially when adding chemicals to the body.

TideEngineer08 said:

It's always a choice to start. Perhaps it's more difficult for some to say no than it is for others. I never drank until I was 23 years old. I never would have either had it not been for environmental changes (new "friends.") Due to those factors and other struggles I was going through, I began to pretty much get hammered most every evening over the course of a summer. When I started dating my wife, it tapered off and eventually we both got to the point that we never drank anymore. It was definitely a choice for me and something I could turn off. Still today I could have a beer or glass of wine with my meal and not drink again for a year or more. Right now, it's been 16 months since I've had a drink.
But for others, I know that is not the case.

I know this, if I had a family history of alcoholism, I would do everything in my power to never touch the stuff.

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I started smoking and drinking when I was in the Army (1967-1973). By the time I got out I knew I had a drinking problem, so I quit drinking for several years. Now I drink, but only on occasion. I'll drink less than a 6 pack of beer a week. I have a bottle of Jack Daniels in the cabinet, but I haven't touched that in over 6 months. Even though my father was an alcoholic, that doesn't mean I have to be as well.
I quit smoking in 1988, but found out only last month that it had given me COPD. Now I'm dealing with the effects of that, and will do so for the rest of my life.
Whether I drink or smoke (or not) is my choice. Because life gives you choices. Be careful of the choices you make.

IMO it depends on how you view the definition of disease:
: an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant : a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally
: a problem that a person, group, organization, or society has and cannot stop

The line for me is between psychological (habit) and physical (chemical) addiction. It may have been a choice at one time, but I believe at a point when an addiction is physical the disease term is applicable.

If I had it to do all over again, I would not touch the stuff either. It took a lot to quit my destructive behavior. Whether my problem (or anyone's) was psychological or physical I would have to leave for those that know at lot more than me to determine.

Jessica4Bama said:

So when does it become a choice of what you put into your body? Hope this question doesn't make you mad. I'm just trying to understand because my mother has said the same thing.

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In no means does it make me mad. I don't understand either. As friends growing up we all experience with several things including alcohol. All my friends except the one that became addicted didn't have a problem. Later in life things became to light and we all tried to help him. At this point we all are still there for him. He is our brother and we love him but the final move is his. If he does not want help then we can't help him.

TIDE-HSV said:

This is the real answer. It starts off with a bad choice. It takes an inherited addictive personality, then whatever the substance is itself modifies your brain chemistry and you're off and running...

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This is in part why I answered with a simple "Yes" at the beginning of this thread. I'd add that quitting is a choice, too; but that is difficult and often can't be done alone without help. Even after an addict stops they are still an addict.

As an aside, many people are afraid if they take medicine they will become addicted. Not true if you take it only as long as you need it. You may even become physically dependent on a medication (pain meds, for instance), but addiction happens when you take it for reasons other than the intended purpose. But unless you have a history taking a few pain pills after surgery only when you are hurting and then stopping when you feel better will not an addict make.

I think we can throw one more term in the ring. I agree it starts as a choice; before it becomes a disease (it triggers physiological responses involuntarily), I think you can throw habit in there.

Choice -------> Habit ---------> Disease

I think it starts by choice but turns into a compulsion. The physically addictive qualities of certain substances has been proven.

Reminds me of something I saw recently. I was in a gas station and the E-cig rep (Drug dealer) was there. He was handing out coupons for extra smokes, E-cig accessories and drawing off an E-cig the whole time. I noticed that the he was holding the E-cig (Former combat arms, I always look at the hands) in the same hand he wore an "I am second" bracelete. I chuckled that he was indeed second....to his complulsion for nicotine.

Silverback said:

Reminds me of something I saw recently. I was in a gas station and the E-cig rep (Drug dealer) was there. He was handing out coupons for extra smokes, E-cig accessories and drawing off an E-cig the whole time. I noticed that the he was holding the E-cig (Former combat arms, I always look at the hands) in the same hand he wore an "I am second" bracelete. I chuckled that he was indeed second....to his complulsion for nicotine.

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like the crack slingers on the corner. the first taste is free

Silverback said:

Reminds me of something I saw recently. I was in a gas station and the E-cig rep (Drug dealer) was there. He was handing out coupons for extra smokes, E-cig accessories and drawing off an E-cig the whole time. I noticed that the he was holding the E-cig (Former combat arms, I always look at the hands) in the same hand he wore an "I am second" bracelete. I chuckled that he was indeed second....to his complulsion for nicotine.

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Agreed. My sil gets mad because when she goes outside for a smoke (in the sun, rain, sleet, snow or whatever) I say to her "your boss is calling". And that's the truth. When you have an addiction, that addiction is your boss, and you jump when it calls.