Accepting Addiction as a Disease and Not an Underlying Symptom

Addiction as a disease isn’t just a convenient treatment philosophy for substance abuse or alcoholism- it’s a clinical diagnosis that left untreated is 100% fatal. If you’ve suffered through addiction yourself, then you know first-hand how severe this disease can be. And if someone you loved has struggled with addiction or alcoholism, then chances are you’ve seen how this disease can decimate even the strongest among us. However, some people have difficulty understanding why addiction truly is a disease and instead see it as an underlying symptom of some other cause, such as depression or bipolar disorder. But while this might be difficult to comprehend unless you’ve experienced it yourself, the fact of the matter is that addiction is indeed a clinical disease that has destroyed millions of lives, and there is empirical evidence abound to support this. Addiction and alcoholism can be classified correctly as diseases (they are actually categorized together simply as “addiction”) because they meet similar criteria as other serious diseases, including fatal illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. These characteristics include: *Chronic: Without treatment, addiction will not decrease or improve *Progressive: Without treatment, the condition will worsen, eventually resulting in death *Similar Symptoms: Regardless of the substance, (alcohol, heroin, cocaine, etc.) the symptoms of addiction are very similar *Recurrence: Symptoms of this condition occur again and again throughout a person’s lifetime *Treatable: Like other major diseases, addiction and alcoholism are treatable Addicts and alcoholics are usually diagnosed via a serious of behaviors rather than clinical testing. However, there are serious physical signs of addiction that can include weight loss, signs of paranoia or severe anxiety, poor hygiene, tremors or shaking, lack of coordination, insomnia and lethargy, among other signs. However, the behaviors of addiction are even more noticeable and are usually categorized as follows: *Loss of control: A person who has become addicted to drugs will generally lose control over the substance and overdose, not remember what or how much they took or when, or be unable to control their emotions and actions while under the influence of the drug. *Obsession: An addict or alcoholic will constantly think about their drug of choice, create new ways to obtain or hoard it, glorify the act of using or regale in stories of past use, make great efforts to hide their addictions, and generally center their lives around using drugs or drinking. *Continuation despite consequences: Even with the threat of losing a career, family, friends, loved ones, money and assets and even personal freedom, a person in active addiction will still continue to use. This is perhaps the most telling sign of an addict. However, despite all of these side effects, symptoms and signs that demonstrate the serious, progressive and fatal nature of this condition, there is one specific physiological clue that tells us addiction is a disease. This clue lies in the form of neurological pathways in the brain. When addiction is active, specialized pathways are built in the brain that supplies addiction with the necessary elements for life. However, when a person stops using, these pathways remain, causing a powerful and perpetual desire in the sufferer to feed the pathways and therefore the disease by using drugs or drinking. So just as a person should be able to get the best care possible for a disease like cancer or diabetes, a person should also expect the best care available for the diseases of drug addiction or alcoholism. For this reason, it is essential to educate as many people as possible about the true nature of this dangerous disease.

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