Webster defines addiction as a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful. And one of the most menacing addictions to ruin the lives of countless people would have to be drug addiction. But is it really a disease? Addiction in my opinion is not a disease, but a choice in lifestyle.
If drugs and even alcohol were to be called a disease than we must completely redefine the term “disease”. In a true disease, some part of the body is in a state of abnormal functioning, and this causes the undesirable symptoms. Like cancer for instance, it is caused by mutated cells which we point to as evidence of an abnormality. The theory of drugs being a disease is simply to soften the blow of being a drug addict or alcoholic, also the person would have no control whatsoever. Many feel that the calling drug addiction a disease weakens the drug addict and almost allows him to feel pity for himself, pity that would leads the addict to justify his addition. According to Gene Heyman, a lecturer in psychology at the Harvard Medical School addiction is not an involuntary disease but is created by personal choices. Heyman looked at different factors that can influence an addict to stop using, and pointed out there are thousands of ex-addicts who have beat their addiction. We should all know how harmful drugs are and what it does to people, but thousands of people still decide to take, which can end up make the person addicted to the drug or have no effect what’s so ever.
So in conclusion drug addiction is a chose the person makes and not a disease like some try to make it out to