Is Addiction A Disease

Is addiction a disease? This question has long been debated and not just among the medical community. It seems if you ask this question to any random people you can find varying opinions on the issue. Stanley Peele's wrote an article which argues that addiction is not a disease and the growing influence of addiction as a disease will create problems within our society. Stanley presents several arguments for his points, however these are not strong enough arguments for people to consider his point of view. Addiction is not a disease, because addiction is a choice, it's something a person does and not has, and it refers to a behavior. This essay will expand on Stanley Peele's arguments.

Addiction has generally been attributed to drug addiction. Drug addiction is very serious and those that fall into substance abuse can cause severe damage to themselves and others around them. Drug addiction is the most common form of addiction. People use certain drugs and generally overuse will cause a physical and mental dependence. Addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine are very dangerous and may lead people to become damaging to themselves and other around them. These drugs exhibit tremendous chemical effects, and which may be irritating to the user and only continuous use will help make it stop. But can you blame drugs for the addiction? Addiction is an experience that happens in a persons mind. It may be triggered by a drug and it usually creates comfort or some pleasurable feeling which is better then the person's normal state. This may be one reason why not everyone who tries drugs becomes an addict, as the feeling obtained by the drug is not better then a person's current state of affair. Drug addicts may fall into drug addiction as they may be depressed with their current state of affairs and drugs provide an escape from reality. While this cannot be generalized to all addicts there are many outside factors to consider when a person becomes addicted to drugs. Therefore addiction is in a sense a choice, a voluntary behavior to satisfy some need. However it should be noted that a person can become dependent on these drugs which can lead to damaging result, but it is initially the person's choice to partake in the addiction.

Stanley Peele addresses the issue, that addiction is now becoming accepted by others as more than just drug addiction but other forms of addictions as well. While Peele does state this, he doesn't support his point with significant evidence, which is why it is important to expand on this issue, to understand why addiction is not a disease. Other forms of addiction include: addiction to food, to video games, to internet, to television, to shopping, to gamblingÐ'... The list is quite long as to what people have become addicted to. All of these forms of addictions are not that different from drugs, as they are sought after to satisfy a feeling. Addiction to food is usually not the sole cause for this, as people turn may