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Addiction/Alcoholism is a Disease

By On November 9, 2008 · 4 Comments · In quotes, rants

Dr. Drew Pinsky explains why science backs up the “Addiction is a disease” theory on his mid-morning radio show “Dr. Drew Live“.
This is one of my favorite calls I’ve heard on the show.

As for A.A. being a Christian organization, there were some calls placed into the show since then that also talked about how, when in A.A., they are turned off by the whole religious aspect. The gist of his response to those valid concerns is that not all A.A. groups are quite as focused on the religious aspect so it’s helpful to keep looking for a group that suits you. However, if you can’t find one, the best thing for you to do is essentially replace the word God with Faith, because that’s really the focus; having faith in yourself, your abilities, and faith in a better life.

The 12-step program is an essential part in an addict’s recovery. It’s THE most proven method of staying clean. Anyone can get clean but it’s STAYING clean which is so hard for addicts & alcoholics. Without 12-step, the odds are really, really against you.

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  • Brian Page

    you and i will differ on a whole host of issues and i guess this is no different… addiction is not a disease it is a behavior related action. If you do not pick up the bottle or ingest the drugs then you have no chance of becoming addicted to them..

  • Coz

    Listen, growing up with alcoholic parents, this wasn’t something I wanted to believe and I didn’t until very recently. I wanted it to be their fault. In some ways, it is, but not all.

    The actual drugs/alcohol are the triggers of the disease. The body can definitely sit there dormant with this biological setup, ready to become addicted to something.

    I have the biological setup, I’m sure of it. With both parents being addicts, the chances of me having the genes are very high. My addiction to cigarettes already proves that. So I have to be real careful not to allow myself to enjoy anything else, or I will trigger it and not be able to get over it.

    We used to call it an addictive personality. Some people can use and be OK. Some cannot. It’s those that cannot stop using that have triggered their addiction.

    I mean, it was all just explained in the tape. And until you’re suffering from the inability to stop yourself from using does it become more apparent that you have no control over this. The disease takes over your way of thinking and will justify using in any way it possibly can. I’m sure you’ve seen this behavior before, as have I.

  • mukesh11

    It is difficult for people to grasp the meaning of a nerve pathway, or why this is related to addiction. Often when people hear a new idea like: an addictive impulse is the result of a nerve impulse – they are left unsympathetic. Addicts and non addicts alike have a hard time believing that drug or alcohol use is anything more than a choice that is made in response to a habit. Deep down inside, most people believe that at it’s root – the behavior is always a choice. They are very, very wrong. This author was stuck in addiction for over a decade, so completely was he convinced that the mind was an immaterial spiritual power – and that to call alcoholism or addiction a disease was a cop-out for the weak-willed. This author believed that – each and every time – free choice was at the root of addictive behavior. Until one day, in another recovery facility – the author stumbled upon the concept of neuro-pathways – by reading a book called The Training of the Will – by a Jesuit priest. That book was written in the early 1900′s. Even then, the Jesuits knew that the root of almost all behavior was based – not in free will – but in neurological wiring. For the Jesuits, training the will essentially consists in training the body. After reading that book, this author began to understand that while his mind – his intellect – was indeed an immaterial power, the overwhelming cravings for drugs or alcohol were based in his body. He came to believe that addiction really was a neurological disease.
    ———-
    mukesh11
    Alcoholism Information-Alcoholism Information

  • http://kim71chavez.bravejournal.com Coleman Bursik

    A few decades former, if you were acknowledge alcohol dependence you’d be most probable to be greeted with tongues clucking. Although the stain is still attached, it’s great that facilities and support groups are ready and individuals are a lot more understanding with substance abuse right now.