Is Drug Addiction A Choice Or A Disease

I have always contemplated whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice? This topic has been very controversial and has brought many debates. A lot of researchers have taken a stand that being a drug addict is completely a disease and it only is cured by seeking a medical treatment. However, some researchers believe that drug addiction is a choice. After a lot of research on this controversial issue, my stand remains that a drug addiction is ultimately a choice and not a disease.

In the world of today, it is impossible for someone to say that they have never come across or know anybody who has been involved in a drug or addiction. Even in the most powerful country in the world, America is in its grip. According to National Institute on Drug

“Addiction is a behavior and thus clearly intended by the individual person “(Schaler). When I was a child my father struggled with drug abuse. His habit was bad that it led him to lose his family, my mom and dad divorced when I was twelve years old. He didn’t just lose my mother but also me and my eleven other siblings. It wasn’t until years later that he decided to clean up his act and seek treatment. He did all on his own without help from anyone in a rehab center. This is what made believe that drug addiction is a choice, not a disease. Everybody has the will to make their own decisions and whatever one chooses to do is their own choice. Nobody gets involved with drugs with making the choice to do so in the first place. The first decision is always to test the drugs, and that decision leads to drug addiction or abuse. They are a lot of people who don’t know the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction. Drug abusers will continue to use regardless of the fact that there are detrimental effects on their health, relationships, career and overall success in life. Addiction causes the individual to become increasingly dependent on the drug thus becoming consumed by the drug. Those that are considered addicts simply cannot function without the substance of drugs or alcohol, their mind has become hijacked into believing that it is

Addiction can affect anyone regardless of race, religion and economic status. Drug addiction is influenced by preferences and goals. For instance, when a person is intoxicated they make poor decisions. For example, a person who is under the influence will make risky decisions without thinking about the consequences. They might drive a vehicle while drunk without thinking about the consequences and when drugs are heavily consumed they can damage the brain “long-term drug abuse can trigger adaptations in habit or non-conscious memory systems” (NIH). Long-term use of drugs will eventually lead to not being able to do your daily activates or daily obligations, such as doing school work, going to work, visiting your family members and friends. I believe the reason people get addicted is that they are either suffering emotionally and want to escape from their situation, which can lead to drug abuse. I have recently had a conversion with my father and asked him what had led to him to do drugs. He said the reason he started using drugs was that of my mother. My father is drug-free for more than 15 years now. He recalled the first time he started smoking weed and he said he made that decision to smoke because my mother made him mad and he easily made a decision to let someone else convince him to smoke. Form that time, he wanted to smoke again and again, every time he finds himself in a