Not a disease. With the exception of 1% of cases, it just comes down to weakness vs fortitude. Disease I think physical characteristics and with drugs alcohol food et al it is all self induced and nobody ever put a 'disease' into someone's system but the drugs that one took of their own volition could alter phys char. of ones system. Sorry to hurt feelings here but some need to have defined as a disease to help their cause. Attend any AA meeting and you will see it plain as day. FWIW, there is no group that I root more for than recov alcoholics. Love to see them beat it.
The question is about addiction, not about just drinking or doing drugs until you black out. You obviously have never had an addiction, good for you. And the fact you have never had an addiction to anything is why you are not qualified to answer the question. The same goes for many others in this thread who have never had an addiction to anything. Myself, HC, Illini, Bourne all get it because we have been there and know what an addiction can do to a person. Just because it is a self inflicted disease does mean it isn't still a disease. Many diseases can be sel inflicted. Aids, lung cancer, even hepatitis,one that you mentioned can be self inflicted.
I really don't care if alcoholism or drug addiction is a disease or not. For arguments sake lets replace the word disease with the word lollipop. Also, lets apply the definition of disease to the word lollipop.
Lollipop -a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Knowing alcoholism and drug addiction affects the brain and reading the definition above for the word lollipop...
Is alcoholism and drug addiction a lollipop?
Lollipop -a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Knowing alcoholism and drug addiction affects the brain and reading the definition above for the word lollipop...
Is alcoholism and drug addiction a lollipop?
Addiction is no more a disease than, over-eating, homosexuality, ect.. Under the definition being used here, those things too could be considered diseases. Anyone can become dependent on drugs, that is a fact. People die all the time because of with drawls, no one is immune to drug dependency.
Is it a disease, I guess yes if you go strictly by the definition which is BS, but it's not the same as having cancer, or HIV ect. Personally I think the whole disease thing is bull shit, and also believe that the whole AA is also bull shit, and often used as an excuse for fucked up people that do fucked up shit. Some one having seizure while driving, because they have epilepsy (a real disease) and crashing, is not the same as someone getting drunk and crashing because they're an alcoholic.
Is it a disease, I guess yes if you go strictly by the definition which is BS, but it's not the same as having cancer, or HIV ect. Personally I think the whole disease thing is bull shit, and also believe that the whole AA is also bull shit, and often used as an excuse for fucked up people that do fucked up shit. Some one having seizure while driving, because they have epilepsy (a real disease) and crashing, is not the same as someone getting drunk and crashing because they're an alcoholic.
Yeah, its all good. I was just trying to show those who dont believe its a disease why it is by definition. That's all. Last thing im going to say about the matter is if you ever get the question on a test and youbanswer no, you will get it wrong. Its not really a question for interpretation. It is a right or wrong answer. Its not like the OP asked what shade of blue is the sky. That would be a question of interpretation. Anyway, no worries.
"Inebriating" isn't really what makes a disease a disease though. Addiction is either a disease or it isn't. I think science may eventually find the answers to this, and may find there is disease in alcoholism that is separate from the addiction aspect, but I don't think it's as simple as the sky being blue and everyone that disagrees is ignorant.
