Why Is Addiction A Disease?

Addiction is not a disease it is the result of a series of bad life decisions. It is the person’s choice to start using drugs or addictive substances, at some point that person also actively had to make the decision to continue using the addictive substance despite the negative repercussions, and that individual also made the decision to stay in the negative environment that is influencing their bad choices.
Addiction is a path people choose for themselves, you are not born an addict. You did not pop out of the womb thinking you know what? I am going to spend my whole life gambling all my money away. Although you could argue children of addict mothers born dependent on narcotics could be considered someone who was born an addict, but it is more of a matter of opinion whether or not you would consider that child a drug addict or an unfortunate victim of abuse. Addiction is not a disease but more a “… behavior and thus clearly intended by the individual person” (Schaler 2). A disease is something you have no control over a person does not get to decide whether or not they are schizophrenic or if they will develop Marfan’s Syndrome, but an addict gets a choice. They chose to start the addictive behavior and they chose to continue it. …show more content…
So when does someone become an addict? What exactly is an addict? Well according to Mr. Vale author of Addiction – and rational choice theory “Addiction is when those certain substances or services take control of the individual and displaces behaviours that best serve the individual’s interests” (Vale 38). A substance or a service can only take over an individual after prolonged use. Which means the individual in question would have to actively make the choice to continue using the addictive substance. Proving even more that addiction is nothing like a disease because the individual has a choice in the