ADDICTS ONLY: Is YOUR addiction a disease?

[Institutionalizer]

^stop waiting and start reading fewl.

 

[malfunkshun]

IMO, addiction is definitely not a disease, it's a lifestyle choice.

*waits for onslaught

You should read my post on it. You might agree with it because I don't think it's a disease either. At least, DRUG addiction isn't a disease.

 

[dreamthr]

I have an obsession (aka "addiction") with crack cocaine and its lifestyle.

It is, and always has been, my choice and I am more powerful than it. Addiction, whether it is mine or anyone else's, is not a disease. My wife had a double mastectomy from breast cancer. That's a disease.

I dare any alcoholic or heroin addict to tell the father of a dying 10 year boy from Leukemia that they have a disease.

I dare them.

 

[SKL]

I don't believe that drug addiction is a disease either, I believe that it is a lifestyle choice related to a social context which can be hard to withdraw from. But a social worker friend of mine to whom I explained this said that it's a theory that should strongly appeal to drug addicts, because it takes the focus off the drugs. 8) So make of that what you will.

There's a lot of exciting neuropharmacological work going into addictions right now, but I don't think that that makes it any more or less of a disease, I've said it before, neurochemistry creates reality and reality creates neurochemistry, ipso facto, changes in one's reality affect changes in one's neurochemistry, and addiction is certainly a particular way of interpreting and altering both one's neurochemistry and one's reality.

In the end, it's all semantics. Whatever helps you get to sleep at night, or keep you in recovery, or whatever it is your looking for, define addiction however you like. At the end of the day what matters is that it is a very real phenomenon which has very real consequences for people. It can be defined, debated, but not denied.

And for the addicted, deep down, one knows one's addicted, and at rock bottom there's a certain honesty, even though all we ever hear about an addict's insight is "being in denial." There's no denying it, in the end, to oneself. And once one realizes this, then there are decisions to be made. If addiction is a disease, it is a disease which is diagnosed by it's behavioral manifestations, and behind the decisions which make up our behavior, whatever neurochemistry or social conditioning or what have you is there, there is free will, and there's free will to take it one day at a time.

Whew, and sorry that was so long, I didn't intend it to be, but I've been thinking a lot about these questions lately. And that's a bit of what's going on in my head right now.

 

[Tortoise]

I believe that is addiction is a disease, albeit a psychological one. It is very much the equivalent of anorexia.

 

[paranoid android]

Inspite of all the shit ive gone through due to being addicted to alcohol for years (gave that one up 4 years ago but i think about going back) and my on and off again love affair with opiates i gotta admit i love getting high.

I don't think it's a disease although my bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain certainly does not help matters. I do need pain meds so i do become dependent on them from time to time. Doctors don't know the difference between physical dependence, tolerance and psychological addiction at all for the most part.

But the fact is i want to get high sometimes and it's my personal choice to get high. I always say to people that say i have a disease and i should seek treatment to fuck off and let me do what the hell i want with my life.

 

[sixpartseven]

I see it pretty simply. Its not a disease for me, because I started my path to addiction by my own choice, BUT, I feel as if I did lose the ability to control my usage at a certain point. I would say its a disease. I know Ill never be "cured" of my cravings and urges to use heroin. Its something Ill live with till I die.

Also, I think addiction should be recognized as a disease because I think it deserves to be treated medically like it is now. It would be a horrible day when its no longer viewed as such and you can no longer be treated professionally for it.

 

[SKL]

Also, I think addiction should be recognized as a disease because I think it deserves to be treated medically like it is now. It would be a horrible day when its no longer viewed as such and you can no longer be treated professionally for it.

Addiction can be treated according to the medical paradigm, sure, but that doesn't make it a disease. I think the big problem was, up until the middle of the last century, addiction was almost universally looked at as a moral failure, although some called it a "disease." That perception is very slowly changing in larger society, and that's a wonderful thing. But "disease" ... I think the disease model misses out on a lot, most of which relates to social context.

 

[danalprazolam]

I'm addicted to a few things. I would say it starts as somthing you want to do. But when it gets to the point where you cant get by without it. It kind of sucks always having to do it. However if you have a huge stash to start an addiction (this is what got me addicted recently) it's nice to take huge amounts. Now that i'm starting to run out it really sucks. I know the first thing i'm going to do tommarow is come up on a huge stash. I think that you control it at first. But it comes to a point where your always going to be into it.

 

[Khadijah]

Lacey: ehh.. you did repeat yourself in your first post, but obviously that still wasn't enough for some. geez.

...................

Im never gonna cop-out and use the "disease" word not to have to face responsibility. But im prepared to admit that some drugs, in some brains, might be able to cause disease-like or allergic-like reactions.

Great post yo. LOL, i was thinkin the same thing about the 1st thing u said there....No matter how much you say it some people still cant fuckin understand some simple shit sometimes, but no use stressin, jus let em post all silly....


Anyways, i definately agree with your post...For myself I think havin a brain that wants, as opposed to a 'non addictive' brain whatever the hell that may be, got somethin to do with people INITIALLY experiencing their desires to do more, and the first beginning of the difference between someone who can try, and someone who tries, and tries again, and tries again, and etc. After the "first date" where they see how they really react to a substance, whether they feel a need to do more, whether they are finding out if they got the
'addiction' gene or not, then after that they set their own course.

I dont think its a disease myself. Definately not for me. And i think that since i known many people with this so called addiction gene or brain, that said "i tried it a few times and i liked it so much i knew i would be fucked if i ever did it again so ill never do it again" that shows that they, apparently right there in that action, beat their "disease" so...Im skeptical...In theory someone is either addict or not, and you either got the powerlessness gene, or the ability to control yourself. so then how can there be people who become addicted but then in the future can moderate their use and not be careless and go into their own ways These people are kinda rare, but im one. And i think that honestly, I hate to say the shit cuz it sounds mad arrogant, but i think that when it comes to internal willpower determination and strenth, that there is not a large percentage of people in this world that possess higher than average any of those. And that would explain the not so high percentage of addicts who can control and regulate their addiction and tendencies to it. In general, people are weak. Were all weak. we like it to be easy. And most folks never really take the time to really get into developing their discipline. and they are happy that way, its a majority of people i believe. And i think that the ones who really focus on self control n willpower n etc are the ones who can hold the reins on their addictions.

I also know that i aint got no disease cuz if i did, i would be suckin dicks left and right for drugs. But I got morals when I feen. i dont care how sick i am. this too shall pass. however much i might want to do risky shit or say fuckit about shit like approachin ppl for drugs that i dont even know, etc, but some things i will never do and that include anything sexual for drugs or any kind of thing related to that, and also fucking over my most beloved blessing in my life is also very off limits. My man and my temple is sacred. I definately got the addiction gene no doubt about that. runs in the family giving me more relatives that were addicts than not. So it aint a queston of whether i got that genetic predisposition or not. I got exposed to large amt.s of cocaine the first 4 mons i was in the womb. So i got all the makings of a desperate disease addict. But yet i still can somwhere inside know that I got that power over it. Sometimes it just takes some extremely long deep digging to un bury it from all the bullshit clouding my mind. but lemme stop for now......

But i believe whatever helps you cope and deal with ur addiction, and hopefully quit it one day, even if it turns you into a crazy zombie attatched to a 12stepper cult the rest of your life, whatever more power to you if it makes you that happy. But out of my own personal experience bein on both sides of the fence here, and goin thru powerless and powerful against it, i know in my heart that there aint no bullshittin and at the end of the day its just me and me makin up my mind.

Great posts peeps...Keep em comin

 

[sixpartseven]

Addiction can be treated according to the medical paradigm, sure, but that doesn't make it a disease. I think the big problem was, up until the middle of the last century, addiction was almost universally looked at as a moral failure, although some called it a "disease." That perception is very slowly changing in larger society, and that's a wonderful thing. But "disease" ... I think the disease model misses out on a lot, most of which relates to social context.

I know that doesnt make it a disease, and I totally agree with you on what youve said. Up until it was recognized as a disease, it was very hard to get propper treatment for it. Doctors and society alike viewed addiction as only being poor judgement on the addicts part, or a moral failure as you put it, making them not worthy of proper medical care. I think calling it a disease is a way to make it acceptable to the non-drug using part of our culture, because they associate a disease with something that the person with that disease cannot control, or did not choose to have.

Now that its accepted, there have been enormous changes in treatment for addiction. Doctors can now prescribe medications for it, treatment centers are better than they ever have been because more funding is being provided, harm reduction organizations are slowly being given the chance to provide needle exchanges, shooting galleries with on-site nurses, and overall drug addicts are being taken more seriously. This is why I say it would be a sad day when addiction is no longer viewed as a disease, because that means it will no longer be taken seriously, or be accepted by the rest of our society as something the deserves equal medical treatment.

You put it perfectly...

it's a theory that should strongly appeal to drug addicts, because it takes the focus off the drugs.

Thats exactly how it should be viewed by everyone. It takes the focus off the fact that the addict takes drugs, and puts on the fact that its a life threatening "affliction" and the addict deserves equal medical care and concern as the next non-drug user gets.

I dare any alcoholic or heroin addict to tell the father of a dying 10 year boy from Leukemia that they have a disease.

I dare them.

Show me one and Id be more than happy to. It may sound cold hearted, but youre telling me that I dont deserve the medications Im prescribed and the treatment I get because my "disease" isnt as bad as someone elses?

What makes that 10 year old boys life more valuable than mine? Why does he deserve to be treated for his conditions but I dont? Who even decides what diseases are worse than others? The boy will probably die at a young age, and that is sad, I know. Im not so cold hearted that Im not sad for young kids who have to suffer through that until the die.

But what about an addict who in your mind shouldnt get medical care equal to others? Why should he have to suffer for the rest of his life when there are so many possible ways to make him better just because his problems arent as bad as the little boys?

There should be equal medical treatment for anyone with ANY problems they have. Its sad that it took this long and its sad that we have to call addiction a disease in order for it to be taken seriously, for there to be proper medical treatment for it.

And you say you are in control of your addiction. What addict doesnt say that? If we were in control of our addictions, they wouldnt be addictions. There wouldnt be a need for rehabs and NA/AA programs, or medications like Methadone and Suboxone. Maybe you are in control of your addiction. Who knows? But the fact is that most addicts have no control what-so-ever and despite how hard they try, they can never get control without help. Help that you are saying should not be provided to them because their are other people more worthy of the doctors time.

anyway, i don't believe that DRUG addiction is a disease, the way i define 'disease'. to me, a disease is an illness that is caused by something which is not in your own control.

So what about a smoker who gets lung cancer? They could have chose to stop smoking, but they didnt, and they got lung cancer. Is their cancer no longer a disease because they could have controlled wether they got it or not?

Look, I know someones going to say Im playing on semantics, but thats the whole point here. It takes semantics for drug addiction to be taken seriously and be treated professionally. It takes having to call addiction a disease in order for the medical field to treat it with the medications we now have and for organizations to provide therapys and counseling that some need to over come their addiction. So to answer the original question, no, I do not call my addiction a disease, but I sure as hell will if it means someone is going to take me seriously.

 

[Adrenochrome]

yo lacey my old nemisis; turn this thread into a mother fuckin poll yo!

 

[garuda]

I know that doesnt make it a disease, and I totally agree with you on what youve said. Up until it was recognized as a disease, it was very hard to get propper treatment for it. Doctors and society alike viewed addiction as only being poor judgement on the addicts part, or a moral failure as you put it, making them not worthy of proper medical care. I think calling it a disease is a way to make it acceptable to the non-drug using part of our culture, because they associate a disease with something that the person with that disease cannot control, or did not choose to have.

But I also think there is a bad side to this, if drug addiction is a mental disease it is not a great leap to define drug use itself as a mental disease. I have already seen an article where a counselor(possibly a psychiatrist) was quoted as saying the people that need to get into treatment are the people just starting out with drugs and whose use is still recreational, so basically in his world view there are addicts and non addicts and recreational users are just nascent addicts. This is a troubling view point that could become the norm, especially since there is a financial incentive to get all drug users into expensive treatment.

Treatment centers and rehabs often have patients who are forced in by the courts, they greedily accept thousands of dollars from involuntary patients to treat them for nonsense like "marijuana addiction" or "shroom addiction" when medically they know no such thing exists.

Also the treatment industry from rehabs to counseling to methadone clinics that have come into being because of viewing drug addiction as a disease are just another way the drug war is being used for monetary gain, they depend on drug use being viewed as a negative and societal stigma and guilt for their profits. In the end the vast treatment industry will just be another roadblock to overturning drug prohibition, they will lobby hard because their industry depends on it. If heroin was legally available would any heroin addicts go to methadone clinics? How many empty beds would rehabs have if they didn't have "weed addicts" being forced in by the courts? How many fewer people with non-problematic drug use would go to rehab out of family induced guilt if drugs were not illegal?

All things to think about.

 

[LivingOnValium]

%)

This could be made into a poll? maybe?

I believe that partly because my severe ADHD I'm strung out on stims.

Yes, a disease.

Lol! i'm quoting myself!

I Didn't eaven think how deeply i'm addicted to benzos when i first posted. i'm a fucking polyaddict.

 

[porcelina]

i agree with garuda. now it's to the point where kids are starting to get sent to rehab because their mom caught them smoking a j in the garage once. any rehab center that is willing to take involuntary patients busted with weed or shroomz or acid and tell them "you have an addiction you will battle for the rest or your life" is bullshit and obviously doesn't care about ANY patient in there. in fact, i'm not so sure about telling ANY addict that they "are going to battle this their whole lives". i don't believe it has to, and i believe telling that to an addict ensures that they WILL have problems their whole life.
i got shit faced every day for a year. couldn't get through the day without it. suddenly, i decided i'd had enough of the consequences of the constant drinking. i got counseling for reasons OTHER than drinking/drugs (was doing a lot of drugs then as well), worked them out, and never felt better. as soon as i personally realized the reasons i was doing all that shit and resolved them for myself, i quit partying, and since then i've had a drink literally once a month or less, but never been drunk. in fact, i have no tolerance for alcohol and probably never will again. one beer gives me a migraine, one bloody mary gives me a killer hangover. it's just not euphoric.
i've quit smoking before for months at a time cold turkey. i smoke now because i decided consciously to pick up a cig and light one, because i don't care too much about quitting until i decide to get pregnant. not because "i'm fighting a lifelong disease".
my point is that all addiction, i believe, is a symptom of a greater mental problem. seriously, why do YOU get fucked up? i know why i enjoy it: it takes me away from my problems for awhile. some highs would FINALLY give me some relief for my anxiety disorder, something no doctor in years of searching has been willing to give me, though i've never once had a benzo problem, never took more than 1mg at a time, and never illegally purchased it.
if and when i am able to get some better care and relief for my anxiety, i'm sure i'll be free from weed. and i really want to be because shit's expensive.

 

[GlassAss420]

" We teach, give advice, and lead our patience in the right direction. Most importantly, our alcohol drug rehab center professes the idea of self-independency. As our clients progress in treatment, we insure that they become less depended on us and more capable at making their own decisions."

That was a quote from the addiction center linked above, to me it says their controlling your decisions when your their ie depened on us (is that even a corrent sentence? not to be a grammer natzi but its supposed to be a professional commerical site). It seems like their admitting their brainwashing you into behaving in a way society deems acceptable.

I've been an opiate addict for 1 1/2 years, theres been great times and shitty times, but to me it seems like the shitty times ie legal trouble, being sick due to artificaly inflated dope prices making dope out of my means, being rejected by straight people or even people who only smoke herb, all the shitty times have been a result of my DOC being illegal..

Back to the original question from the OP..

I don't really consider my addiction a disease.. heres the Wikipedia definition of disease..

" In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.

Now in the basic sense of disease they give, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person.

All the maladies (sp?) a addiction causes as a disease are a direct result of my DOC being illegal, discomfort from H not being readily available and cheap, dysfunction from having to rush around to get heroin and being late to work cause I had to either be sick and work or go cop and miss work, distress from withdrawls again from H being hard to obtain, social problems from being seen as an outcast cause of heroins tainted image which is mostly made up by goverment sponsered anti-drug ads, ie no one says I want to grow up to be a junkie, no portyls of succesful heroin users in movies and TV. Also social problems from the legal system, being arrested and being subjected to the legal system, court dates, jail, having a record making it hard to re-integrate into society and get a good job, also social problems from being rejected by non-using friends and family, not being trusted looked down on etc. The final sympton they list is death, which also could be avoided if heroin was legal and people could know exactly what they were using, even if their were safe injection sites and more sidespread information about naloxone, more community outreach places that give out naloxone their would be significantly less OD's. Vancouver is an example of that, I forget the exact number but I *think* it was like 7000ish times it was used and *500* ish OD's and NOT ONE DEATH, thats 500 people who would have most likely died if that place wasn't there.

Ok I got off on a rant but that was my debate against addiction being a disease.

Heres another quote from that addiction center linked above..

"Individuals who struggle with both mental illness and substance abuse face special challenges in drug rehabilitation. Transitions Recovery recognizes the unique challenges of dually diagnosed clients and offers dual diagnosis in our alcohol and drug rehab center.

In addition, our Alcohol Rehab Program and Drug Treatment Center treats depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sexual addiction, trauma and abuse in the context of drug rehabilitation and alcohol treatment."

I do feel that certain addictions can fill voids created by real diseaes like depression and anxiety, which I feel describe why I REALLY got into H with no abandon, no regard for the consequences, like anything to take away the void and the lonely feeling inside. Ugh I feel gay for having admited that, IRL I'd never admit that unless I was 1 on 1 with a counsler or psychiatrist.

In conclusion I feel that addiction in and of itself, in my case is not a disease. I can stop using H if I want and choose to, if someone with diabetes tries to go coldturkey from their insulin its going to be a whole diffrent outcome, like death vs just being intensly uncomfortable for a heroin addict without heroin.

A real disease is something like AID/HIV or cancer, shit that ndosen't go away and progresses until you die. You can stop being an addict, you can't fucking stop AIDs, you can live healthy and live longer than if you lived a shit life style, you can get chemo or stop smoking to reduce the risk of cancer spreading, it can go into remission, but you will eventually die of it, whereas you can stop using your DOC and live a normal life.

To me the addiction is a disease thing is some bullshit created by AA to take the burden off of alcoholics,like oh you can't help it, you have a disease.. BULLSHIT.. and you don't have to keep going to meeting and your not in recovery everyday for the rest of your life, like they say your a dry drunk, still a drunk just not activiley drinking, thats a load of BS,I'd say you need to keep your guard up for 6 months to 1-3 years but eventually you should be able to walk past a liquer store and have no cravings at all. There was a kid about 22-23 (my age so I have noi idea why I call him a kid when I'm only 24), who came and was the leader at a NA meeting at a rehab I was at last summer, he kinda pissed off the other 2 speakers by saying he wasn't tempted anymore and didn't really need the NA stuff that much anymore and could totally be offered some fine dope ina rig ready to go and walk away no urge at all, said that for him after 9 months to a year the urge was completly gone. I hope I get to that point some day, but right now even when I quit I have the urge hardcore and I'm just scheming till I get some money or someone kicks me down a blow.

Wow that was my longest post on BL, thanks for making me think lacey, even if 1/3 of it was quotes to make my point.. lol

 

[iamonit]

I want to post something that may not even fit here... but I have a lotof diseases... some say a disease is something you have that you have no choice over... but I disagree to a point on that... I have Cushing's syndrome... which can be caused be a tumor(out of controll) or by prolonged use of steroids (in my control) now I didn't knowingly take the steroids thinking it might give me a disease... but I did take them knowing of other disease conditions they could cause because I wanted the pain reliefe that went along with it... I took steroids by choice with the knowledge that it could give me high blood pressure... guess what it did!! and it seems to be chronic blood pressure... sometimes our actions even the known ones can cause disease... are all addictions diseases?? I don't think so, but I think my older brother who is dead know from a heart attck due to drug abuse had a disease with his addiction... it isn't to validate my feelings or make me feel better... but from watching it after sometime... he did not have controll... yes in many diseases you have control at first... what about smoking leading to cancer?

anyway this is my list of diseases... and I still take a hoard of meds that could even cause other diseases... it is my choice to do so though... so at first you choose to do a drug and I think itcan turn to disease... and or it can turn into habit... or for me it can turn into fear of drugs as I'm one of those that totally freak out and think I'm dying if I get high...

 

[iamonit]

here is my list...

Known definite things I have... i'll try to remeber them all...

lupus/ or undifferentiated connective tissues disease... possible more
than one of them... but I have almost all symptoms of the lupus... I
have a diagonisis of it from one doc... and then that other connective
tissuething from everyone else

before I go further I know I don't have to apologize, but on this one
I will not be editing my typoes i'm sorry... I'm in a hurry want to
update, but this chair is killing my tailbone...

typoes ha

anywho...

ok

lupus
vaculitis
chronic fatigue
fibromyalgia
raynauds disease... NOT the syndrome... I don't get the white hands...
but something grosser if I go out in the cold for too long or even
just put ice in a cup I get these ulcers in the nails of my hands and
feet... they are gross and ooze and stuff... I do get the blue
nails... or purple... or a color I like to call... the shade of
death... my old rheumy believed a lot of my pain actually came from
this disease... but I never did research too much... I just logicallyy
understood poor circullation no oxygen and so muscle spasms etc

yummy

I seem to have a chronic rectocele, syrgeries have been useless on
that one
which contributes to
irritable bowel... chronic constipation
right now I have a gastric ulcer... yay!!

um... oh and srogrens well... you know they would never diagnse it...
but when I was preggo with my second child... due to my blood work...
there was a chance that I would pass some blood disorder to her... or
she would be born and immediately need a pace-maker... and the
parenatologist actually wrote down that I had this... from the blood
work... but since my tears still flow and I don't have the classic
symptoms you know the jibe... but I do have a lot of the more rare
symptoms of that one... plus a positive ana ssa oe something what ever
they use in a blood test for it

no diagnosis yet on the dehydrating bones... but was told most likely
osteoperosis...

ah cushings

um postural orthostaic tachachardia syndrome not hypo or
hypertension... known as pots

I've got pots

he he

they say I have athritis but but my ra is always negative

however on my latest blood work my sed rate was 91 and my c-reactive
was 30 something
and of course in that batch all my ana's were negative... I hate that
so much!!!

anticardiolipin antibody syndrome

I have been diagnosed as a hypercoaguler and a free bleeder... try
that on for size... I don't know how it is possible... but true...
sometimes when I get stuck I mean I squirt them all good and then it
takes for ever to stop... other times they cant get anything to come
and when it does it is thick and they have to push and pull... I'm so
used to blood tests... I've had them normal in ice in almost boiling
water and warm water... and carried off like the plague...

and now what is looming is well they know I have something on one of
my ovaries...

they felt lumps in my breasts

I haven't had a period in about a year... but that could also be tied
to the cushings or the ovaries... or allof them or even the lupus

then I have 2 protruding discs in my neck
1 disc mid pack that is something I forgot
and then the 2 I think is it sacral... right above the tailbone are
compressed

I get sciatica kind of chronically too

I've never been to a neurologist, but I suspect some sort of
nueropathy... when I turn my head side to side or my eyes side to side
i get this weird kind of tingle vibration flash in my arme and face
eve tongue.. I just havent gotten around to discussing it yet.

severe chronic chostochondritis... and when I say sever I mean it... I
have it in every costochondral joint front and back

now there is this bone pain... it is the worst under my arms in the
rib cage... I don't kow what it is... butI had a bone scan done wabout
5 months ago that didn't show anything... ut they are doing a density
test this coming wed... I'l let you know what they find

slight scoliosis

I think that it all... I can't thin of anything else but I'm sure
there is

oh liver hepatitis and not from meds either from the lupus...

I have had 2 growths that were removed and i'm so glad because they
turned out to be a Reuben and a Kathiryn... I've also got a terminal
illness called marriage to my most and best disease, husband... and
yes it is a chronic condition

oh I forgot the mental crap too

bipolar... super mania woman to the rescue of boring and slow boards..
when she is able

I also have anxiety... more so than panic... some depression that is
more situational now and completely validated more than a couple of
years ago when it was clinical/post-partum... at I can't remember but
I dropped my baby from oh yeah I have bursitis chronic too in both
shoulders... which is why I dropped her and I went into a downward
spiral... which is why I am so positive right now... because I'm alive
despite the odds...

I've been having this bad tailbone pain and hip pain too... like when
I sleep I mean not just from sitting down... if I lie on my back for
more than 15 to 30 minutes at a time and the same for both hips... it
gets pretty uncomfy... which I thought was odd...

how can your tailbone hurt from lying flat on your back..??

egads.. I just uncrossed legs and ouch!!

 

[iamonit]

anyway I as a person with a disease that can kill.. a mother who really did die from lukemia... an aunt who died from a heart attch due to exxcessive smoking which she chose and knew the risks since her own father died the same way... and then my older brother again who did die from his disease... and it was the disease of no control of his addiction that killed him so yeah it can be... an then again for some it is not...

and you also have to be careful too... some people absolutely who are addicted do not have a disease in that sense but those aa places and rehab will brain wash it in you.

 

[Landoallah]

I have an obsession (aka "addiction") with crack cocaine and its lifestyle.

It is, and always has been, my choice and I am more powerful than it. Addiction, whether it is mine or anyone else's, is not a disease. My wife had a double mastectomy from breast cancer. That's a disease.

I dare any alcoholic or heroin addict to tell the father of a dying 10 year boy from Leukemia that they have a disease.

I dare them.

I AM dying of cancer, have about a year left, and i believe my addiction to opi's is a disease. it's not cancer, but it's a disease. and like lots of disease', you are not born with them, they come on with some sort of exposure(using drugs, or getting infected through a cut).