Addiction a disease?

You bring up a good point.... though..... when you say that "if a person doesn't eat, there is no disease," how do you feel about Alcoholism? Is it a disease? But yet, "If a person doesn't drink, there is no disease."


Note: I'm really NOT trying to be a smart *kitten*. I'm just curious to the response. Thanks!

I don't wanna sound mean but I think addiction is just people that are too weak to stop doing whatever it is that there "addicted" to. Canser is a disease,in my opinion eating,drugs,drinking ect.,isn't!

I agree, I think its more of a disorder than disease.

I don't wanna sound mean but I think addiction is just people that are too weak to stop doing whatever it is that there "addicted" to. Canser is a disease,in my opinion eating,drugs,drinking ect.,isn't!

I agree to about 95% of your opinion. yet, the small part of me inside says that there IS treatment for Overeating, drugs, drinking etc, so it should be labeled as a "medical issue." Whether the treatment is taken care of by the person's self, or a medical official, there's "Treatment" involved. MFP, IMO, is a treatment, for those of us who need to NOT overeat.

I think that some people are more predisposed to addictions than others and what they choose as their vice be it, alcohol, gambling, drugs, food, etc is just a matter of preference in how there addiction is manifested. Food addiction specifically a disease, nah. People being more prone to addiction than others, yeah definitely; I believe there is research that points to that.

It doesn't matter how fat or unhealthy we get, we have to make conscious decisions and fight the urge to eat bad foods...

100% agreed!

Easy to get hung up on semantics. We tend to not like to label things similarly when they appear to be so different (e.g. alcoholism and leprosy are both "diseases"). Lots of research showing addictive behavior can be chemical, genetic. But the behavior looks so much like a "choice" why can't people just stop?

There is physical addiction and psychological addiction, possibly even behavioral addiction (though that might fall under psychological). Whether addiction is a disease or mental illness or psychological disorder depends on whom you ask. How it is labeled can also affect what kind of treatment an addict can get.

In 2007, Joe Biden (as senator) introduced the “Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act” in the U.S. Senate. It didn't pass. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1011&tab=committees

The DSM-IV does not list addiction as a disease, but does talk about substance dependence and uses terms like "disorder." It uses a symptom-based definition.

The National Institue on Drug Abuse says addiction is a disease, and that genetics play as high a role as 50% of the risk of becoming addicted.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/Testimony/6-23-10Testimony.html

Tons of information and differing opinions about the labeling of addiction, addictive behavior, etc. Even recent debate about whether addiction should be called a 'brain disease.'
http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/16/why-the-new-definition-of-addiction-as-brain-disease-falls-short/

I've seen people have a difficult time accepting the ideas food addiction, love addiction, sex addiction. How can someone be addicted to something that is good, something that we need? Easy to see why this is hard to comprehend. But for the addict, often the pleasure from those behaviors is gone. Whether it's food, cocaine, relationships or sex, it's become a psychological and/or physical need. A sex addict having sex doesn't enjoy the act the way most people do. Likewise, a food addict doesn't enjoy a good meal the way some of us might.

And I think - for me, at least - that's the tipping point. That's where I would say the line between compulsive behavior and addiction begins - when there it is no longer a pleasure-motivated choice and more a function of need or dependency. It's where a person becomes a slave to the addiction, where choice really does begin to disolve.

There are smarter people that can articulate this stuff a lot better than I can. I do have fairly extensive experience with addiction (myself, family members, friends, working with groups, etc.) but my experience isn't science.

And whether you want to call it a disease, a condition, a mental disorder, whatever, I don't really care. However, I do sometimes get a whiff of judgment and even condemnation when people discuss this topic (whether addiction should called a disease), and I suspect much of the discussion is fueled by the opinion that calling addiction a "disease" lets the addict off the hook. Or that calling addiction a disease somehow minimizes "real" diseases in people's minds. I can understand that thinking. But I think it can be myopic.

I think the idea of accountability is a tricky one. It sounds so simple, right? If an adult makes a choice to do something he or she is accountable for that choice. But are there any shades of gray there? What about the mentally unstable?

The terms "addict" and "addiction" get overused. "I'm such a chocolate addict!" "Garfield is addicted to lasagna." If you want to get into the issue of accountability, it's probably crucial to distinguish between someone who has a substance abuse problem, or a psychological/behavioral disorder and someone who is truly an addict. Many of the definitions of addiction actually hinge on the point where a person loses control over choosing the behavior or not.


Some resources:

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction
http://www.drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/

Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction
http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/understand.html

What Is Addiction? What Causes Addiction?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/addiction/

What Is Alcohol Or Drug Addiction? Part 1 of 3 – The Medical View
http://addictionrecoverybasics.com/what-is-alcohol-or-drug-addiction-part-1-of-3-the-medical-view/

What Is Addiction?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction

What is Addiction?
http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/definition-of-addiction.htm

Definitions & Characteristics of Addiction
http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com/article1.html

The Genetics of Addiction - Is Addiction a Disease?
http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/is-addiction-a-disease.htm

Addiction: A Neurological Disorder
http://www.medical-online.com/addict.htm

Treating Addiction as a Disease: The Promise of Medication-Assisted Recovery
http://www.drugabuse.gov/Testimony/6-23-10Testimony.html

Why the New Definition of Addiction, as 'Brain Disease,' Falls Short
http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/16/why-the-new-definition-of-addiction-as-brain-disease-falls-short/

Overeating and overdrinking and smoking, etc. are all addictions and all disorders. These disorders often lead to contracting various unwanted diseases. Regardless of the label, disorders and diseases are serious and require treatment.