The "illness" of addiction

It's not an illness. Addictions are inadapted behaviors that have reinforced themselves through repetition and cue-reward associations by the lower brain.

They can be cured by using brain plasticity and replacing the unhealthy behaviors. Former addicts still need to stay vigilant after recovering.

 

Wot @Bale said...

 

I used to hold the view that it was an 'illness' until fairly recently someone on here suggested a book called 'The bioligy of Desire..Why addiction is not a disease' by Marc Lewis which talks about the science of how the brain opperates under addiction, it concludes that the brain is doing what it's supposed to do 'seek reward and pleasure but in a world that isn't co-operating' It's not to say that addiction isn't real but Marc Lewis argues that there is nothing inherrently wrong with the brain itself. It is a behavioural issue which @Bale rightly pointed out can be managed by utlising the brains plasticity and replacing the unhealthy behaviours. The other issue is I did actually find it helpful at first to understand it as a 'disease of the mind and an alergy of the body' as 12 step programs put it, as I was in Cocaine Anonymous for a while which I have the upmost respect for as it was those men and women in the fellowship who helped me to get to where I am today. With things like alcohol and heroin there are of course physical dependency aspects to contend with, one cannot simply quit cold turkey if they are heavily into them, they have to be weaned off it for their own safety, but again that is not a 'brain disease' it is a symptom of the reaction the substances have on the mind and body. I have wondered if addiction can cause brain diseases though, it has been researched before that using things like cocaine and porn reduce the volume of grey matter in the brain and inhibit the pre frontal cortex which is responsible for making logical and rational decisions.

 

Addiction is bad enough - it doesn't need to be called something else.

 

Addiction is not a disease in the sense that it can be cured by medical ways.

It is a state of "dis-ease"

For me it feels like being stuck in a state of perpetual heartbreak. You lack a feeling of love and connection to yourself and others and the addiction is a way of finding a connection to anything.

Some people get addicted to porn, others its heroine or other hard drugs. Some it's alcohol or gambling. Realistically you can become "addicted" to anything.

Every person on the planet has one form of addiction or another

 

When I look at my Anxiety problem and compare it with my addition, no I wouldn't call it an "illness". As horrible and terrible as I feel at least my addiction will eventually go away unlike the anxiety.

I agree with thorswrath32 100% on what he said, great read.