Addiction Is Not A Disease Essay

“Addiction is a disease!” Have you ever stopped to think whether addiction is truly a disease or just a choice and everyone seems to turn a blind eye? I have a hard time believing addiction is a disease, and I am not the only person who thinks this. When it comes to understanding addiction, we are not on the same page. Till this day, there are people still arguing whether addiction is a disease or a choice. “A disease can be described as a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of a physical injury.” (2018 Oxford University Press) The different types of addiction are physical and psychological addiction. When one has a physical addiction,

It helps them get away from reality, sleep better, relax, and feel in control of everything and everyone around them. How many of us just wanted to feel relaxed after a long day and just taking one pill, having one cigarette, one beer, having sex, or gambling can do that for you? Well, why not? It’s just one time, right? Why can’t we just do that without wondering “what if”? I will tell you why, because you may think you have control of how much and how often you will do this when in actuality the substance or action changes how your brain functions over time. You might think, “It’s just one time” but that one time makes you lose all your self-control overtime and can lead to drastic measures. The urge of just that “one time” becomes a daily habit even when you want to quit that habit, you cannot do so now. “Your brain is wired to make you want to repeat experiences that make you feel good, so you are motivated to do them again and again.” (A. Tom Horvath) Over time, your brain begins to build up a tolerance to the drug, so you might need to take more and more of the drug to get that same good feeling, thus leading to