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The fact that someone, in 2017, would imply that addicted people could just decide to stop being addicted seems to me as reason enough to keep calling it a dise
by jonex 9y ago
The fact that someone, in 2017, would imply that addicted people could just decide to stop being addicted seems to me as reason enough to keep calling it a disease. Just to fight that notion.
- gozur88 9y agoYou can, with sufficient motivation. The problem is people with that kind of motivation tend not to become junkies in the first place.
- flachsechs 9y agothere are plenty of rich, workaholic, yuppie addicts. professional drive is oftentimes counterbalanced with substance abuse. makes me wonder what kind of crazy bubble you grew up in. what a strange belief to have.
- wellboy 9y agoHe still has a point. Often, addicts quit cold turkey after a moment of clarity. That doesn't mean that it is not an illness.
- dragonwriter 9y ago> Often, addicts quit cold turkey after a moment of clarity. More accurately, often addicts attempt to do so, but the vast majority who do so relapse. But, in any case, not using drugs doesn't mean you stop having an addiction anymore than avoiding contact with bees means you stop having an allergy to their sting.
- astronautjones 9y agocold turkey is also dangerous - Amy Winehouse quit alcohol cold turkey and died from a relapse of alcohol, a legal and (practically, for adults) unregulated drug
- jacquesm 9y agoThat can kill you. And the fact that some manage does not mean that all of them could.
- gozur88 9y agoI grew up in the bubble where a few addicted people I knew managed to kick their addiction when the alternative was sufficiently grim. Did you grow up in a bubble where that never happens? What a depressing bubble.
- astronautjones 9y agoAre you a fan of any art? anyone prolific who was crippled by addiction? it's a human condition and that american ideal of "just straighten up" clearly no longer applies. What if I told you that using the internet was detrimental to your health? Could you just stop?
- KGIII 9y agoNo, you can't. You may be able to stop the use, but that doesn't stop the addiction. Addiction continues, regardless of continued use. There is a whole lot of information out there, for free and easily discoverable. If you're really interested in holding an opinion, I'd start at your favorite search engine. Have you heard the phrase, "Dry drunk?" That is a good reference point. A dry drunk is a colloquialism for someone who doesn't drink but still exhibits the behaviors associated with an alcoholic. This is because the brain chemistry has changed. An addict can, sometimes, learn to use in moderation - but the addiction remains. The brain chemistry remains forever altered. There has been huge efforts made in researching this. The science is fairly mature and the results are fairly well understood. Addiction doesn't just go away. Physical dependence may go away, though that depends on the treatment and many other things. There is a difference between drug use, physical dependence, and addiction.