is addiction really a disease?

[someguyontheinternet]

And in some cases, the drug helps the plant/animal/person function better.

I was a lot more physically & socially active when I was on opioids. I could perform laborious tasks easier & better than without them.
It also cured my perpetual insomnia & horrid depression.




I think what's difficult about this subject is a lot of people confuse addiction & dependency. And the fact that the word "disease" is often a word used for a variety of illnesses. But usually when I think of a "disease", I think more of things like autoimmune problems, an illness, cancer, etc..

I think addiction could be a mental illness, but addiction is also incredibly complex.
If some one takes heroin 3 times a day & rarely escalates or abuses it, but wants to use it, does this make them an addict?
Compared to say.. some one who's throwing their entire life & resources away just to get a hit?

I'd say mental illness is the real cause & addiction is just a symptom or side effect of that.

But even mentally well people can end up with "addictions".


I think it's mostly just so big pharma can capitalize on it with new drugs too. But in a way it's good to at least recognize addiction/dependence as a health issue instead of just a criminal or moral failing.

Sure, some people definitely have malfunctioning opioid signaling but that issue is separate from someone who doesn't and they develop a heroin addiction

In the second case, that is not a disease but rather a learned behavior

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

I personally think some depression (actual clinical major depression) is a related to a dysfunction of the opioid pathways & obviously the dopamine pathways.


This is why SSRI's don't do jack shit. At least for me.

 

[painfulstate]

I think saying its disease is a bit off indeed..its more like a false coping mechanism , a learned behaviour ... The same chemicals that are involved in addiction , say dopamine , are the same chemicals you need to have a steady motivated and productive life ..but on the one hand the learned behaviour is to reach for a substance for x reasons and on the other is to do whatever you do in your life if you dont do drugs ... In addiction after a while it is as if you are trapped in this behaviour especially since no everyday task seems to get you that high of an illicit substance well designed through the years to be exactly that ...addictive. There are a million psychotropic chemicals , why do you think only opiates and coke/crack are on the streets maybe also meth and benzos ..because they are addictive, they make profit , they create customers ...otherwise they would sell lolly pops and xtc and all kinds of things .