Is Addiction a Disease or a Failure?

Disease vs Choice When someone is suffering from addiction, it can be very easy for those around them to wonder how it happened. How could this person choose to drink so much, despite the consequences? How can he/she possibly choose to pick up heroin for the first time? Why do they act the way that they do or say the things they say while they are high? Are they a failure? In addition, when someone is in the throes of addiction, it can be very confusing to realize how they got to where they are. How did I let it get this far? Am I a bad person? Why have I made these choices? Why can’t I stop, even though I am hurting people around me and suffering major consequences? Am I a failure? The stigma of addiction is such that people tend to judge the addict, seeing them as a person of low moral standards, rather than someone who is suffering and needs help. People suffering from addiction can also think these things about themselves, which causes severe depression and a hesitation to reach out for help in fear of being judged. The Brain With Addiction If it is the choice of the person suffering from addiction to pick up a substance in the first place, then how can they be suffering from a disease? This is the question that many loved ones of people suffering from addiction, as well as addicts alike, will ask. The answer is: while it is initially someone’s choice whether or not to start drinking alcohol or using a substance, it is not their choice as to how exactly their brain wi...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Addiction Addiction Recovery Alcohol Anxiety Depression Drug Treatment Mental Health Substance Abuse addiction treatment disease disease of addiction family disease Source Type: blogs