Lots of money in calling something an “illness” or a “disease”…10% of US GNP is dedicated to medicine. That semantic difference can be quite profitable, if the

Lots of money in calling something an “illness” or a “disease”…10% of US GNP is dedicated to medicine. That semantic difference can be quite profitable, if the illness model is correct. But you can’t just “will” your way out of an illness. You can will your way out of an addiction. In fact the addicts I know who are no longer troubled with their addiction say it’s the only way to conquer it. It must be a deep transformative personal choice, an act of will. Supporting that new life often requires support, say AA, but not the sort of support normally associated with treating physical disease. Even “mental illness” isn’t a match, because again the will can’t be applied if the mind is broken. (Here assuming that the addiction alone is the issue, and physical pain or organic brain dysfunction isn’t the actual culprit.) But there’s not a lot of money in strengthening/reorienting the will. Only actual deep, permanent healing. But if you can grift it into an “disease”, well…say hi to Matthew Perry for me.