Is addiction really a disease?

[progree]

7. Uh oh, the dreaded "D" word again, in quotes

Last edited Sun Jul 24, 2016, 07:51 PM - Edit history (1)

[font color = blue]>> There is thus physiology involved, but not in a way that is specific enough to make the physiology an expression of "disease" and not by far something that is narrowly caused by addictive drugs. <<[/font]

Oh, if it isn't "specific enough", then its not a disease. Well, we're getting somewhere, maybe. I haven't seen any definition of disease that involves "specific enough" or that excludes "cognitive problems like negative automatic thoughts, anxiety, lack of sound sleep and a host of other causes", as causation, symptoms, or contributing factors, but that's OK.

Why are you so obsessed with the topic? What do you want from us?

In my experience, a lot of anti-A.A. people think that the "disease concept" is part of A.A. and therefore go on an endless jihad to discredit it. Usually some pretty rough-hewn types that have the strangest concepts of what a disease is or isn't, if you pin them down on it. They share with you a contempt of definitions. As in insisting that "X" is not a "Y" and then refusing to define or explain what "Y" is, in their mind, and just going on and on about cognitive factors, willpower, environment, etc. Silly.

(BTW, I can't find the disease concept or anything like that in the Big Book or the 12 X 12 anywhere - I searched an electronic version of both for the word disease. And BTW I'm no fan of A.A.).

Some people think a disease has to be permanent to be a disease, but I haven't found permanancy in the definition of disease.

Some people think "well its not a disease like malaria", and therefore, its not a disease (yes gobsmack).

Some people think disease has to have a simple physical explanation. That if it's complicated, and/or involves cognitive, environmental, social factors, then it is not a disease. Somehow.

You still didn't answer my question -- do you think addiction is a malady, a disorder, a sickness, something-fucking-wrong, whatever, but not the dreaded D-word, and why?

And, do you think bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia and other so-called "mental diseases" are diseases or just disorders or something other than the dreaded "D-word"?

To me, addiction fits with every definition of disease that I have seen, so I conclude it's a disease.

YMMV.