One of the most common questions we get at Georgia Addiction Treatment Center is, is addiction a choice or a disease? There is no simple answer to this question. The causes of addiction are varied. When you seek treatment, we help you evaluate your unique causes of substance abuse. We then create a treatment plan that will address these causes. No matter the cause, people struggling with substance abuse are encouraged to seek out the support necessary to help get them through these challenges safely.
Is Addiction a Disease or a Choice?
Everyone has an opinion: is addiction a disease or a choice? Many people will argue that addiction is a string of bad choices, some will shame you for comparing addiction to a real disease such as cancer, and a few will ask, “Why can’t they just stop?” On the other side of the argument are those who believe that addiction is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit that can be treated with 12-step programs.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse categorizes addiction as a complex, relapsing disease, and usually, quitting takes more than just “good intentions” or a strong will. Drug abuse hijacks the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who truly want to.
Conversely, some argue that addiction is a choice, particularly in its initial stages. According to this viewpoint, people choose to use drugs, and as such, they are accountable for the results of their choices. The illness model’s detractors point out that classifying addiction as a disease may free sufferers of personal accountability and downplay the significance of personal action in the healing process. They contend that a great number of people effectively recover from addiction by willpower and behavioral adjustments, implying that decision-making and self-control are important components.
Drug and alcohol use may start as a choice, but becoming addicted is not. Once you are addicted physically and mentally to drugs or alcohol, that is when you begin to see the patterns and behaviors that society has deemed as morally unjust. You may choose to try smoking pot or to drink a beer with friends. You may even up the ante and experiment with cocaine or pills. For some, doing it once or twice and never thinking about it again is simple, but others will become addicted to the high and chase it for years. While the initial decision to experiment was a choice, the disease that affects some and not others was not a choice. So, that leaves us with the question that nobody knows the answer to, what makes these people different?
Why Are Some People Addicted, While Others Aren’t?
Some people believe that those who become addicted to drugs and alcohol were born this way. Experts suggest that there is some genetic predisposition to substance abuse. They believe that the addiction gene is hiding in the person’s genetic makeup. For these people, they may have realized they had the qualities of an addicted person long before the drug or alcohol abuse began. They may also have parents or grandparents who battled addiction and just passed the gene down to them.
For others, their experiences ultimately pointed them into the depths of addiction. It could be trauma or low self-esteem, a problem with their mind and how they view themselves.
The truth is, nobody knows why some people battle substance use disorders, and some can drink or use without consequence. Some treatment experts think that people don’t just become addicted to drugs, alcohol, or habits. Instead, whether genetically or due to their upbringing, people use the coping skills they have created to deal with life. In some cases, they believe that if drugs and alcohol never came into the picture, then there would probably be some other adverse coping skills, such as:
- Food
- Gambling
- Shopping
- Sexual relationships
- Video games
- Social media
Drug or alcohol is a symptom of the disease of addiction. A range of factors can play into this condition. These things all play into the disease, which causes people to seek out coping skills to make them feel better. In many cases, that is all people who use drugs or alcohol want– to feel better. When clients enroll in our addiction treatment center, we give them healthier coping mechanisms that can help them in the future.
Why Looking at Addiction as a Choice Is Not Useful
Viewing addiction primarily as a choice can be counterproductive and detrimental to both individuals suffering from addiction and broader societal efforts to address the issue. This perspective oversimplifies a complex condition, ignoring the profound physiological and psychological changes that addiction causes in the brain.
Reasons this is not conducive to a person’s recovery can include:
- Stigmatization: Labeling addiction as a choice increases stigma, leading to shame and isolation for those affected, which can hinder their willingness to seek treatment.
- Reduced Access to Treatment: When addiction is viewed as a moral failing rather than a medical condition, it can influence policy and funding decisions, reducing access to evidence-based treatment options.
- Oversimplification of the Problem: A choice-based perspective ignores the complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors that contribute to addiction, leading to inadequate treatment approaches.
- Impact on Recovery: Believing that addiction is solely a matter of willpower can discourage individuals who struggle to overcome their addictions. This belief dismisses the significant challenges posed by the brain’s altered state.
- Policy Implications: Policies based on the choice model tend to focus on punitive measures rather than supportive, rehabilitative approaches, potentially exacerbating the problem rather than alleviating it.
In the end, attempts to treat addiction as a public health concern are undermined when it is framed as a choice. Acknowledging addiction as a multifaceted disease affecting the brain and behavior and requiring extensive medical and psychosocial therapies is essential to effective treatment. Society can lessen stigma, increase access to addiction treatment, and promote more efficacious policies and therapies that acknowledge the underlying nature of this disease by eschewing the choice model.
Get Addiction Help at Our Drug Rehabs in Georgia
Addiction is different for everyone who struggles with it. It is a chronic relapsing disorder that needs to be taken care of daily to stay well. It isn’t a moral failing, and it is not something people choose to live with. No one wakes up and says, “I want to become a heroin addict. That sounds like a lot of fun.” However, this is the reality for thousands of people. They are addicted, and they cannot stop without the proper treatment, which is the tricky part. Since everyone has different experiences and genetics that could play into their addiction, there is no one way to treat all of these people.
Our Rehab Center in Georgia does not apply cookie-cutter treatment techniques. Each patient gets their treatment plan based on their strengths and needs. We use a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on each person as a whole. We look to treat the mind, body, and spirit, along with family issues, social relationships, educational issues, and mental health issues. We take this information to decide which level of care is the most suitable fit.
Many of our clients have some healthy coping skills. They may have even tried to use these healthy coping skills to no avail. Our clinical staff will teach you how to use the coping skills and tools learned in our addiction therapy programs and find what works best for you.
