# Is Addiction a Choice?



## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Let's let Whitney RIP. In my book as stated, in the end she was just human. However that thread brought up some good points. Those points being whether or not addiction is a choice or a disease. I just turned 55, lived a good long life with a lot of "experience" In my experience to say addiction is not a choice is bunch of crap, it is a choice. Worst case you can say it's a character flaw, but make no mistake about it, it's a choice. Same as smoking, drinking, or overeating.


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## Nick (Feb 13, 2012)

Hard to say. I have had compulsions for things before (food, overeating, beer, :lol but never anything serious. I even occasionally smoked cloves and cigarettes in college when I was a bartender and never felt the "need" for one. So it's hard for me to say, having never been in those shoes. 

I think you always have to make a choice at first to do it the first time. I mean, no one is addicted to heroine who hasn't done it, right? But once you do... I gather there are drugs that are horrendously physically addicting, and that I can see from that point forward as no longer really being a choice, at least not a very easy one, because of physical reasons. 

Psychologically, even harder to say, because everyone controls themselves in different ways. 

I don't think there is an easy answer to this question ...


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## hammer (Feb 13, 2012)

I think addiction itself is not a choice but in the vast majority of instances the actions that lead to addiction certainly are.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Nick said:


> But once you do... I gather there are drugs that are horrendously physically addicting.



The most horrendously addictive drugs would be tobacco and alcohol. If someone puts there mind to it they can quit, I have. Not easy, but can be done




Nick said:


> , and that I can see from that point forward as no longer really being a choice, at least not a very easy one, because of physical reasons.
> 
> Psychologically, even harder to say, because everyone controls themselves in different ways.
> 
> I don't think there is an easy answer to this question ...



You're right in that there is no easy answer, maybe, but there is always a choice. That's where character comes in. Once again, won't get into detail, but talking from experience. The psychological aspect is the hardest part.


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## 2knees (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> In my book as stated, in the end she was just human..



that's some heavy duty insight right there bro.


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## riverc0il (Feb 13, 2012)

I don't think there is any answer to this question. I don't think we should just shrug our shoulders, label someone an addict, throw them into 12 step programs (that fail more often than not), and blame it on chemical imbalance in the brain. But on the flip side, addiction can be truly crippling to the psyche and I understand it is incredibly difficult for many people to find the will power to overcome a physical reaction that the body generates demanding more of something. I think the word "choice" isn't the best way to look at it. I think people with certain minds and certain physiologies have more "choice" than others.


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## riverc0il (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> You're right in that there is no easy answer, maybe, but there is always a choice. That's where character comes in. Once again, won't get into detail, but talking from experience. The psychological aspect is the hardest part.


So you have character because you succeeded but anyone that fails does so out of lack of character? I bet there are a lot of people with good character that can't overcome addiction. Boiling it down to character is a bit too simplistic, even if it is true that it is a "choice", I think it is more than just character.

On the flip side, I am a bit of a determinist so the whole argument is kinda moot from my perspective. :lol:


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> So you have character because you succeeded but anyone that fails does so out of lack of character? I bet there are a lot of people with good character that can't overcome addiction. Boiling it down to character is a bit too simplistic, even if it is true that it is a "choice", I think it is more than just character.
> 
> On the flip side, I am a bit of a determinist so the whole argument is kinda moot from my perspective. :lol:



No, my mistake in the way I worded it. It doesn't come down to having character, or good vs bad character. It comes down to a weakness in ones character, or even more accurately just weakness.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> I don't think there is any answer to this question. I don't think we should just shrug our shoulders, label someone an addict, throw them into 12 step programs (that fail more often than not), and blame it on chemical imbalance in the brain. But on the flip side, addiction can be truly crippling to the psyche and I understand it is incredibly difficult for many people to find the will power to overcome a physical reaction that the body generates demanding more of something. I think the word "choice" isn't the best way to look at it. I think people with certain minds and certain physiologies have more "choice" than others.



The same can be said for robbers, murders, rapists, etc...The way society is going we find explanations for everything, yet that is not an excuse.


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## Riverskier (Feb 13, 2012)

Addiction is a choice. If you choose to try a substance that is known to be highly addictive and deadly, continue to use said substance, then end up addicted to it, how is that not a choice? Once addicted, there may be some psychological issues that pervent some people from quitting. However, you have to make poor CHOICES over and over again to get there.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

2knees said:


> that's some heavy duty insight right there bro.



Of course it's obvious. It's just that as different celebrities die off, we seem to lose track of this.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Riverskier said:


> Addiction is a choice. If you choose to try a substance that is known to be highly addictive and deadly, continue to use said substance, then end up addicted to it, how is that not a choice? Once addicted, there may be some psychological issues that pervent some people from quitting. However, you have to make poor CHOICES over and over again to get there.




Very good point, you don't sniff coke once and get addicted, you don't shoot heroin once and get addicted. You have to do it over and over.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 13, 2012)

Well all I can say in a bad time in my life i did do the experience the "party"  and I can see how easy it is to become addicted if you know anything about it the high is same effect on human brain as sex, that is not easy thing to not get addicted to.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Scotty said:


> Well all I can say in a bad time in my life i did do the experience the "party"  and I can see how easy it is to become addicted if you know anything about it the high is same effect on human brain as sex, that is not easy thing to not get addicted to.



To take it a step further, you do coke or speed one day, you stay up until noon the next day, Well guess what, you suddenly need something to get you through that day, and the same thing happens again. You've suddenly developed a cycled, and that's how the addiction starts. It's a strength in character that allows one to get out of that cycle. Weakness, one falls to the wayside. Darwin.


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## ctenidae (Feb 13, 2012)

Want to do it more than you want to quit? Addicted.
Want to quit more than you want to do it? Not addicted.

Complete cold turkey quit smoking after 18 years. Smoked as much as 2 packs a day for some stretches (stupid restaurants...) One day I decided I was tired of it and didn't want to smoke anymore. So I didn't. 

Could someone who is addicted to heroin do that? Probably not- the physical symptoms are muych worse, and will generally overcome the desire to quit without help. A lot of other drugs are good at dulling your desire to do anything, much less quit taking them.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Want to do it more than you want to quit? Addicted.
> Want to quit more than you want to do it? Not addicted.



What if you just enjoy it and want to do it but can control it? Believe it or not, it is possible.




ctenidae said:


> Complete cold turkey quit smoking after 18 years. Smoked as much as 2 packs a day for some stretches (stupid restaurants...) One day I decided I was tired of it and didn't want to smoke anymore. So I didn't.


How long since you're last cig. Wish you all the best, but I once quit for 9 years, second quit, I'm now on 6 years. 



ctenidae said:


> Could someone who is addicted to heroin do that? Probably not- the physical symptoms are muych worse, and will generally overcome the desire to quit without help. A lot of other drugs are good at dulling your desire to do anything, much less quit taking them.



What are you basing this on? That heroin is tougher to quit.

Interesting concept how folks thing that illegal drugs are more addictive than legal ones. Has anyone ever tried quitting coffee for a week. If you're a regular coffee drinker, give it a try.


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> What if you just enjoy it and want to do it but can control it? Believe it or not, it is possible.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Your off your rocker to compare quitting coffee to heroin.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

ALLSKIING said:


> Your off your rocker to compare quitting coffee to heroin.



No, you're off you're rocker if you think that's what I was doing. I was simply trying to illustrate the misconception people have about legal vs illegal in terms of quitting. Coffee is not easy to quit, is it tougher to quit than heroin? Don't know, never did it. Have you?


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Coffee is not easy to quit, is it tougher to quit than heroin? Don't know


If you can't answer that question then you should probably not be posting in this thread.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

ALLSKIING said:


> If you can't answer that question then you should probably not be posting in this thread.



Likewise


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## hammer (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Coffee is not easy to quit, is it tougher to quit than heroin? Don't know, never did it. Have you?


I don't want to quit coffee...does that make me not addicted?;-)


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## Nick (Feb 13, 2012)

hammer said:


> I don't want to quit coffee...does that make me not addicted?;-)



+1


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## riverc0il (Feb 13, 2012)

Heroin makes you physically ill when you try to get off it. Not saying folks don't get the shakes for coffee and cigs, but they don't end up bed ridden for a week in a complete wreck and totally unable to function. When did anyone have to go to rehab for coffee and cigs?


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## gmcunni (Feb 13, 2012)

i choose YES


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## Nick (Feb 13, 2012)

I think some people also just have more addictive personalities right? 

Liek I said earlier... it's wierd but once I make my mind up about something I've never had a hard time stopping. That said, getting to that point where I make up my mind has always been hard. 

Food is the biggest example, if you looked at a graph of my weight over past 15 years it looks like waves. I'm fat, then thin, then fat, then thin, then fat, then thin. But rarely am I able to just "hold" a weight for a long time. 

That's because I am either a) on a hardcore diet that really regimented and strict ... no cheating at all OR b) I am eating a pizza every night of the week and washing that down with four beers and stopping at Taco Bell on the way home first :lol: 

Where is the middle ground :uzi:


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## Nick (Feb 13, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> i choose YES



 

Biggest +1 of the thread!


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## ScottySkis (Feb 13, 2012)

Nick said:


> Biggest +1 of the thread!



+2


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> Heroin makes you physically ill when you try to get off it. Not saying folks don't get the shakes for coffee and cigs, but they don't end up bed ridden for a week in a complete wreck and totally unable to function. When did anyone have to go to rehab for coffee and cigs?



First of all, never ever compared coffee to heroin. Cigs, yeah sure, you can quit heroin and get through the intense symptoms within a week, here it is 6 years after I quit cigs and still get he urge from time to time. 

What about alcoholism? Any issues with quitting that? How's it compare to heroin? 

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying one or the other is right or wrong, what I am trying to say is misconceptions can be dangerous. Going by what is legal and illegal, my colleague  is presently going through treatment for colon cancer and suffering from nausea   
and loss of appetite yet due to misconceptions, not getting the relief he could be getting.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 13, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> Heroin makes you physically ill when you try to get off it. Not saying folks don't get the shakes for coffee and cigs, but they don't end up bed ridden for a week in a complete wreck and totally unable to function. When did anyone have to go to rehab for coffee and cigs?



In extreme cases, people die from heroin withdrawal.  It can causes seizures which can result in death.  That is often why methadone is incorporated into a treatment plan.

The choice is only in using a drug in the first place.  It was said that someone can't become addicted after one use.  This is probably true, but for certain people, using only a few times is all it takes.  Also, some people become addicted to certain substances, some don't.  I know plenty of "social smokers". It is all in the brain chemistry of the individual.  For one person to project their experience on others with statements like, "if I was able to quit, so can anyone" is somewhat ignorant in my book. 

I view drug addiction as a disease not too dissimilar from depression.  Some people are cured easily, for some it is much harder and some are never cured and die.  It all comes down to the individual and their brain chemistry.  Character and will aren't the only factors involved.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 13, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> In extreme cases, people die from heroin withdrawal.  It can causes seizures which can result in death.  That is often why methadone is incorporated into a treatment plan.
> 
> The choice is only in using a drug in the first place.  It was said that someone can't become addicted after one use.  This is probably true, but for certain people, using only a few times is all it takes.  Also, some people become addicted to certain substances, some don't.  I know plenty of "social smokers". It is all in the brain chemistry of the individual.  For one person to project their experience on others with statements like, "if I was able to quit, so can anyone" is somewhat ignorant in my book.
> 
> I view drug addiction as a disease not too dissimilar from depression.  Some people are cured easily, for some it is much harder and some are never cured and die.  It all comes down to the individual and their brain chemistry.  Character and will aren't the only factors involved.



+1


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 13, 2012)

Scotty said:


> +1



+2


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## o3jeff (Feb 13, 2012)

Lots of ignorance in this thread. I don't even know where to start. I guess first is that people are talking about two different things in this thread, addiction and habit. Simply put, with a habit you are in control of your choices, with an addiction you are not in control of your choices. Lots of drugs are pretty addictive and after a couple uses the rest is history.

 Quiting a lot of times is not as easy as a lot of you think, depending on what the addiction is, sometimes detox is necessary with some drugs and even alcohol since quiting cold turkey can wreck havoc on the body and the withdrawl symptoms can cause health issues since essential your body has become dependent on the drug/toxins(have you ever seen how meth is made, they freaking use the insides of a battery)  you've been putting in it and needs to be slowly rid of them by use of other drugs such as suboxone and others in a controlled environment.

*So people don't get the wrong idea, essentially my info comes from having dated a detox nurse and was my understanding of what she was telling me.


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## o3jeff (Feb 13, 2012)

I guess yes you do make the choice the first time to use a drug, but after that it may or may not be your choice.


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## ctenidae (Feb 13, 2012)

I don't think how difficult it is to quit has any bearing on whether you're addicted or not. Nor does legal/illegal.

According to Stedman's Medical Dictionary, the definition is "Habitual psychological or physiologic dependence on a substance or practice that is beyond voluntary control."

I think the part where it's within voluntary control qualifies as a dependency instead.

I'm addicted to oxygen. I'm dependent on coffee.


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

I like coffee and oxygen  I'm addicted to one, not the other


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Can you be addicted to skiing?


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## deadheadskier (Feb 13, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Can you be addicted to skiing?



Well, there are treatment programs for sex addiction, so yeah I'm sure.

I wonder where a skiing addiction treatment center would work out?  Mountain Creek on busy Friday nights? :lol:


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## darent (Feb 13, 2012)

ALLSKIING said:


> Your off your rocker to compare quitting coffee to heroin.



had a friend that was told to quit drinking coffee by his doctor, had horrible headaches for a week  coming off coffee.might not have been as intense as the muscle pains  coming off herion but a physical pain all the same


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## andyzee (Feb 13, 2012)

Yep my experience as well.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 14, 2012)

I notice a while ago that coffee gave me anxiety so now i mostly drink black tea still has good amount of caffeine and if its a sleepless day then I might have a small coffee. Plus working in my town a crappy small cup of coffee cost usually 2 dollars and change a good lg cup of coffee could daily coffee person like near 10$, tea cost me set up of five dollars for glass measure cup,  then maybe five dollars for box of twenty i like the varietys they have.


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## hammer (Feb 14, 2012)

darent said:


> had a friend that was told to quit drinking coffee by his doctor, had horrible headaches for a week  coming off coffee.might not have been as intense as the muscle pains  coming off herion but a physical pain all the same


Surprised that the doctor would recommend going cold turkey...if I had to give it up I'd gradually cut back.


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## andyzee (Feb 14, 2012)

Scotty said:


> I notice a while ago that coffee gave me anxiety so now i mostly drink black tea still has good amount of caffeine and if its a sleepless day then I might have a small coffee. Plus working in my town a crappy small cup of coffee cost usually 2 dollars and change a good lg cup of coffee could daily coffee person like near 10$, tea cost me set up of five dollars for glass measure cup,  then maybe five dollars for box of twenty i like the varietys they have.




Coffee $2, WOW that's a deal. Funny thing, in this day and age that's the truth.


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## andyzee (Feb 14, 2012)

hammer said:


> Surprised that the doctor would recommend going cold turkey...if I had to give it up I'd gradually cut back.



Cold turkey is the way to go, otherwise you're just playing with yourself. I know people that quit smoking, they would go for let's say a week, two weeks. I'd ask how they're doing, answer good, only had one smoke to get through. My response, you just started smoking again.


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## kingdom-tele (Feb 14, 2012)

I would highly recommend reading this, "The Compass of Pleasure: How our brains make fatty foods, orgasm,exercise,marijuana, generosity, vodka, learning, and gambling feel so good."  - David J. Linden 

he has another book, "The Accidental Mind"  which is also quite interesting with regards to the evolution and function of our brains.

may not change anyone's opinion but certainly will enlighten to how complex and associative our brains really are.


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## riverc0il (Feb 14, 2012)

uphillklimber said:


> I haven't read thru this thread, but my take on the original question is that I don't think anyone ever choices to be addicted. But.......
> 
> They do make that first decision to try ____________ knowing that the very likely consequences are addiction when they first try it, whatever "it" is.
> 
> So while they may not choose to get addicted, they do choose to do everything that causes them to get addicted.


This might be a sound argument coming from someone that is completely 100% straight edge. But I assume everyone in this thread has tried alcohol? It is easy to blame and vilify the victim when you're not in the glass house yourself. We all choose to do things that we know are not completely 100% healthy. By this reasoning, no one should ever try anything addictive for fear of getting addicted. I think a Bill Hicks quote popularized by Tool might fit in well right about here...

Essentially, this thread veers dangerously off topic when we start examining initial decisions to do things. That seems to get into more of a morality argument. The whole point of addiction is that people start losing their choice that they once had. And as previously noted, prescription drugs for extreme pain can be addicting and there isn't much choice there...


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## Hawkshot99 (Feb 14, 2012)

riverc0il said:


> And as previously noted, prescription drugs for extreme pain can be addicting and there isn't much choice there...



When I had my wisdom teeth out and my ACL redone I was given a big bottle or percs.  I took the once or twice for the knee and then never again, because I hated the feeling the gave me.  I would much rather deal with the pain than the horrible feeling the pills gave me.


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## Warp Daddy (Feb 14, 2012)

When i had OPEN HEART surgery/ triple bypass  2 and half years ago they initially had me on a drip line in the cardiac intensive care unit for 2 days after the surgery. I was not in control of THAT decision  

Then on day 2.5  i was moved to a regular room  they then offered me pain pills IF i wanted them . They ranged in strength form serious heavy duty  stuff to very low level tylenol . I never took anything but  the lowest level of tylenol. During the week i spent there in recovery i think i took only 2 tylenols .

Made a decision that i could "make it " without . I 'm a firm believer  in  palliative care when the situation warrants it , but in my personal case i was willing  and  physically ABLE to mentally endure . Is it the Right way -- who knows ?? For me it was.  I made a decision to  shift gears mentally realizing that i could piss and moan and feel woe begotten or i could treat this situation as a grateful survivor and an   adventure rather than a drudgery . 

I find it hard to believe anyone who choose addiction  but realize that initial experimenting is a threshold to that being a possibility. Like you i have seen some real heartaches endured by  families who must deal with this fallout and also seen is some cases the triumph of the spirit when someone actually  rehabs successfully ---


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## SkiDork (Feb 14, 2012)

Andy, its a disease of the mind not the body,  When people think about disease they think cancer etc.  But its more like scizophrenia or bi polar or ADHD then it is cancer.


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## andyzee (Feb 14, 2012)

SkiDork said:


> Andy, its a disease of the mind not the body,  When people think about disease they think cancer etc.  But its more like scizophrenia or bi polar or ADHD then it is cancer.



I understand this, but in my opinion this way of thinking can also be considered enabling. I have lost friends and relatives to addiction and enabling was one of the worst culprits. I have seen it in the past, I still see it now. Enabling plays right into an addicts game.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 14, 2012)

andyzee said:


> I understand this, but in my opinion this way of thinking can also be considered enabling. I have lost friends and relatives to addiction and enabling was one of the worst culprits. I have seen it in the past, I still see it now. Enabling plays right into an addicts game.



Expand on this.  So, if you agree that addiction is in part a mental disease, do you also feel that a doctor diagnosing someone with bipolar is also a form of enabling?

Speaking of the comparison, often drug abuse / addiction coincides with deeper mental issues.  It's often the result of depression that people turn to drugs to artificially elevate serotonin levels.


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## snoseek (Feb 14, 2012)

When I was a 15 I sniffed a line of Coke. I really really liked it. The two years that followed all hell broke loose. At 17 I managed to muster the will power to stop and realized I could never ever do blow again, not even once, I am wired towards stimulants. At 18 I joined the military to assure that I would be away from this scene. I have two dead friends from that crowd and one that is 38 and hanging on to dear life with a NASTY crack habit. I don't consider myself any better than these guys, just had better guidance and a whole lot of luck.

At the same time I've been on pain killers before and completely hate them, they make me nothing but sick. I have smoked a little opium back in the day, same thing. It would not be possible for me to be addicted to any kind of opiate. I consider myself lucky that I'm not wired towards painkillers, almost everyone has to take them at some point, recovering addict or not. Time for modern science to find a better alternative to pain mgmt.

You guys realize that lots of addicts made dumb decisions before they were fully matured adults right? You also realize they didn't all have the benefit of growing up in a sanitized suburban environment with good parent role models and friends? 

Ultimately yes each person makes that decision but a variety of factors can speed things right along...
Addiction sucks...


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## andyzee (Feb 14, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> Expand on this.  So, if you agree that addiction is in part a mental disease, do you also feel that a doctor diagnosing someone with bipolar is also a form of enabling?
> 
> Speaking of the comparison, often drug abuse / addiction coincides with deeper mental issues.  It's often the result of depression that people turn to drugs to artificially elevate serotonin levels.



Sorry, have to backtrack on that one. I was simply agreeing with Dork that is a mental issue as opposed to a physical one. If pushed for my thought on it, I will say it's a mental weakness not a disease. To call it a disease, in my opinion is just enabling. i.e. Poor Johnny has no control. BS, we all have control.


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## snoseek (Feb 14, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Sorry, have to backtrack on that one. I was simply agreeing with Dork that is a mental issue as opposed to a physical one. If pushed for my thought on it, I will say it's a mental weakness not a disease. To call it a disease, in my opinion is just enabling. i.e. Poor Johnny has no control. BS, we all have control.



Yeah but all those people that die every day, would you consider them to have control? Do they all just want to die? 

You know that if the drug is more powerful than the natural survival instinct then control is out the window. These are not all bad/stupid/unintelligient people, it happens all the time.


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## SkiDork (Feb 14, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Sorry, have to backtrack on that one. I was simply agreeing with Dork that is a mental issue as opposed to a physical one. If pushed for my thought on it, I will say it's a mental weakness not a disease. To call it a disease, in my opinion is just enabling. i.e. Poor Johnny has no control. BS, we all have control.



does an epileptic have control over a seizure? (Maybe thats a bad analogy)

does a turettes sufferer have control over yelling out an expletive?


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## kingdom-tele (Feb 14, 2012)

andyzee said:


> Sorry, have to backtrack on that one. I was simply agreeing with Dork that* is a mental issue as opposed to a physical one*. If pushed for my thought on it, I will say it's a mental weakness not a disease. To call it a disease, in my opinion is just enabling. i.e. Poor Johnny has no control. BS, we all have control.




so where is the dividing line between mental and physical.

if there are measureable neurochemical events occuring in the brain, is the brain not part of the body?


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## ctenidae (Feb 14, 2012)

snoseek said:


> You know that if the drug is more powerful than the natural survival instinct then control is out the window. These are not all bad/stupid/unintelligient people, it happens all the time.



Exactly- the desire to quit is weaker than the desire to continue.


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## andyzee (Feb 14, 2012)

These days we explain away every little behaviour issue as a disease, mental disorder, weakness, etc.. When did we stop making people responsible for their actions? Literrally, going by some of the arguments I see here, we can explain away why people kill, rape, and rob. Do we at any point stop making them responsible?

In the case of addiction, this does amount to enabling, seen it many times, not a pretty thing


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## ScottySkis (Feb 14, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> Expand on this.  So, if you agree that addiction is in part a mental disease, do you also feel that a doctor diagnosing someone with bipolar is also a form of enabling?
> 
> Speaking of the comparison, often drug abuse / addiction coincides with deeper mental issues.  It's often the result of depression that people turn to drugs to artificially elevate serotonin levels.[/QUOTE                                                       Yes  I agree DHS with out talking about my self to much yes, I know that mental illness for certain plays a role in why I and many people have tried drugs, illegal ones and legal ones and i been on a lot, and for me the best anxiety, depression has been MJ and i stopped when i was under drs orders several times, nothing dr ever gave me worked or works as good as MJ.


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## Abubob (Feb 14, 2012)

I think some people here are confused about the term disease. 

Disease is defined as: a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors.
(source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disease)

A disease CAN be a choice but it also doesn't have to be. One doesn't become an alcoholic just by walking near a bar and catching a whiff of beer. One doesn't "catch" an addiction. Walking in and getting a drink is a choice. (Abuse issues aside.)

Getting cancer or a viral infection is not a choice. Sure, you can avoid certain things you know cause colds or certain cancers but its much more a being in the wrong place at the wrong time sort type of thing. Developing a disorder of the mind can be environmental or genetic and again isn't a choice.

Drinking enough or smoking enough or injecting enough to do bodily damage (to the brain or other bodily system) started with an initial choice and a chain of choices to continue.

Besides if addiction were not a choice 12 step programs would NEVER work.


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