is addiction a disease?

[dead0man]

go

[Sestak]

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.

Yes, it is.

[twenty42]

It is more of a biological condition than a disease. You can have addictive tendencies from the day you are born, but every addiction is ultimately borne out of choice.

[dw93]

Initially, no, but with time it can become one, so I voted yes.

[courts]

It is more of a biological condition than a disease. You can have addictive tendencies from the day you are born, but every addiction is ultimately borne out of choice.

whoa nuance,thought..get that stuff out of here

[Unapologetic Chinaperson]

Even if addiction is not a disease in a strict sense, it should be treated as such. Public health approaches have worked much better than law and order approaches.

[Virginiá]

I don't know if it could be considered a disease as disease is currently defined, but it's a powerful disorder that can take hold of pretty much anyone. Everyone is different, and I'd say there are different levels of addiction (how strong the urges are, physical symptoms, etc), but the effect on people's decision-making capabilities is powerful enough that it should be treated as a public health issue. I know there is a desire by some to treat this with "tough love" and that these people have the ultimate say in their behavior, but it is really not that simple. The way their brain makes decisions is hijacked at its most basic level.

[MillennialModerate]

This is an incredibly difficult question and one I’ve always always grappled with. I’ve come down on the side of yes. At least in the case of opiate addiction. After a minimal amount of time of consistent use (even at a prescribed level) it can change the brain chemistry of the individual - thus the individual isn’t fully in control of the situation. Granted it might be SELF-INFLINCTED in many situations but so is lung cancer, emphysema, diabetes and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.