Quote:
Originally Posted by Pat
The Disease That Isn’t
Addiction.
Sorry, I just can’t accept that addictions like alcohol, drugs or sex are an actual disease. Maybe a mental illness, but not a disease.
I’d like to know what other actual physical or mental diseases can be cured by a twelve-step program. Can you cure leukemia, lung cancer or Parkinson’s with a twelve-step program? What about bi-polar disorder? Can that be cured with twelve steps administered by somebody with no medical training?
Why isn’t nicotine addiction considered a disease like alcohol or heroin or sex addiction?
What sets tobacco use apart from other addictions? Could it be politics and the anti-smoking lobby that has determined that tobacco use is something to be vilified?
Golly gee, we wouldn’t want to show any sympathy for tobacco users, but if you choose to use heroin, then you are a victim.
Addiction isn’t a disease, calling it one is just an excuse.
|
Since habitual intake of some of these things (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine for instance) cause a chemical imbalance to occur, there is a good chance behavioral modification with reinforcement techniques can at least cure the symptoms.
My spouse feels the same way you do, BTW. He doesn't have any addictions save cigarettes and cannot understand that some people do.
We all know though that peer pressure or group modifications can affect behavior.
Just look at cabbage patch dolls.
A group of peers decided they were cute
and valuable so some of them soared in price to thousands of dollars.
Life is all about perception and how you perceive yourself is the most important of all.
Like praying and feeling forgiven or relieved of a problem, seeking a higher power to take over what you cannot seem to fight allows you to give up and still claim victory. The men who thought this up were geniuses IMHO.