Alcoholism: Is it a disease, or bad choices?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Mods and Organizers - please do not move this thread as the argument has political ramifications as well as public policy, such as homelessness, poverty and incarceration.

...................................

The battle rages on.

Addiction is a disease.

Addiction is a choice.

Dr. Jason Powers, a board certified addictionologist and family physician, champions the disease model.

"The suffering is miserable," Powers told a crowd of about 60 alcohol and drug abuse counselors at NAU's du Bois Center back in August. "Addiction, living in addiction, is a living hell."

There is no "choice" in addiction, any more than there is choice in diabetes, he added. Powers' talk focused on the disease of addiction, based in part on his book, "When the Servant Becomes the Master."

On the other hand, Gene Heyman, a psychologist who teaches at Harvard and Boston College, asserts in his latest book, "Addiction: A Disorder of Choice," that addiction is indeed just that -- a choice. A very complex choice with a number of psychological, social and maybe even biological variables.

"Some say addiction is a choice," Powers said, adding that the classification as disease absolves people of responsibility in the matter, according to critics. Yet, that same sentiment does not appear to cross to diseases like diabetes, or colon cancer, which can be brought about by choosing a poor diet.

When suffering from diarrhea, make the choice not to have it and see how far it gets you, Powers said.

It is the stigma associated with addiction and the often antisocial behaviors of the addicted that serve to undermine the idea of disease. People appear to choose to take that next drink, or line of coke, or next shot of heroin.

CHOOSING LONG-TERM GOALS

Heyman's detailed study of addiction focuses more on choices people make that go wrong, or bad. Short-term choices, made day in and day out, undermine long-term goals of life and lead to an ever increasing severity of consequences that hinder those goals.

Heyman notes that only a small portion of drug users become addicts, and that less than 20 percent of alcohol users become alcoholics.

And with choice comes the ability to change from choices of short-term satisfaction that hurt long-term goals to choices that enhance long-term goals. In essence, to quit being addicted -- something the disease model says is incurable.

Heyman also cites data that says addicts, about three quarters of them, end up quitting on their own without benefit of treatment -- something which flies in the face of the addiction-as-disease model.

SURVIVAL MODE KICKS IN

Drugs and alcohol, first and foremost, are tools, Powers said. They change feelings in the brain more than anything that happens naturally in the body. Drugs and alcohol can alleviate anxiety and depression, and they can deliver pleasure and happiness.

"They are very good, effective tools," Powers said.

But when they stop working and begin to go bad, the tools begin to gain control. He recited an old fable: "First, the man takes a drink. Next, the drink takes a drink. Then, the drink takes the man."

What happens in the process is that the self-aware frontal lobe of a person, the place where a person can make a choice, is overridden by the much older and very primitive part of the brain's limbic system.

The limbic system is concerned with survival, defense, procreation. It is the part of the brain that activates in search of food when hungry, of flight when confronted with danger, of perpetuation of the species.

The limbic system always wins, Powers added. He challenged the audience to consider holding their breath for six minutes, and if they do so, they will win a large sum of money. The frontal lobe makes the choice to do so, but the limbic system, in charge of survival, makes a person breathe well before six minutes are up, no matter how much the frontal lobe wants the money, Powers said.

And when the limbic system is satisfied with food for survival, or sex for procreation, the brain releases a chemical called dopamine to indicate all is well with the world. Alcohol and drugs also cause the release of dopamine, but at much higher levels, indicating to the limbic system, eventually, that the alcohol and drugs are essential to survival.

And the power of choice is no longer possible.

NO GOING BACK

And once that change has happened in the brain, there is no going back, so the sufferer must manage the disease, much the same way a person with diabetes manages sugar levels in the blood once the body's ability to produce insulin has been compromised beyond repair.

Powers used another analogy: A cucumber, once turned into a pickle, can never go back to being a cucumber.

A variety of tools are helpful to manage the disease of addiction, including 12-step groups that allow people with common experience to identify with one another. Also important is the treating of underlying problems and symptoms that alcohol and drugs were being used to deal with.

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/state-and-regional/7997f2a0-16a2-5f5c-bd8d-28f8ab88da2f.html

[TBoneTX 45,288]

[...] the argument has political ramifications as well as public policy, such as homelessness, poverty and incarceration.

Personal opinion: I submit that, while this point is not untrue, it's a stretch to pick P&R as the preferred location for this thread. The article itself states only health and psychological points -- nothing political -- and the overall topic is disease diagnosis & treatment. The source publication seems to have published it in their "local news" section, because one claim was part of a presentation given at Northern Arizona University and the other was in a medical-topic book. Personally, I would support this thread's move to the Polls forum or Off Topic forum, either of which would be clearly more appropriate than P&R.

Furthermore, the poll choices are restricted, with no choice of "it depends" or similar. Very little in health or medicine is 100%, except for the 100% mortality rate in human beings.

To strike a better argument for keeping this thread unmoved, why not instead say "The following article presents arguments about alcoholism as a disease or as a bad choice. What political or social-policy ramifications does either side of the argument have? Discuss."

Edited November 5, 2012 by TBoneTX

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Addiction itself isn't exactly a disease. It can be argued as a psychological disorder; however, there's a very thin line there as a large percentage of the populace has the genetic make-up to be addicted to one thing or another.

Just because you are prone to addiction doesn't mean you'll use and abuse drugs and alcohol. Simple every day activities that we don't even think about can be because of addiction. It's almost like a 'tick' that ends up having to be fed in one way or another.

Alcohol + addiction mixed can be a dangerous combination just as with any other drug there is out there. An individual made the ultimate 'choice' to start drinking, however they may not have a clear choice to quit drinking once the habit kicks in.

In all honesty, we could do society a favor by identifying those prone to addiciton at an early age and working with them to keep a rotation in the things they do in their every day activities. Not really possible I suppose, but it'd be the only way outside of coming up with more pharmaceuticals (which I am 100% against) to curb the chances of becoming addicting to something 'unhealthy.'

[웃 910]

Define alcoholism.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Personal opinion: I submit that, while this point is not untrue, it's a stretch to pick P&R as the preferred location for this thread. The article itself states only health and psychological points -- nothing political -- and the overall topic is disease diagnosis & treatment. The source publication seems to have published it in their "local news" section, because one claim was part of a presentation given at Northern Arizona University and the other was in a medical-topic book. Personally, I would support this thread's move to the Polls forum or Off Topic forum, either of which would be clearly more appropriate than P&R.

Furthermore, the poll choices are restricted, with no choice of "it depends" or similar. Very little in health or medicine is 100%, except for the 100% mortality rate in human beings.

To strike a better argument for keeping this thread unmoved, why not instead say "The following article presents arguments about alcoholism as a disease or as a bad choice. What political or social-policy ramifications does either side of the argument have? Discuss."

Really????

Far too much time is spent by mods in this regard. P & R or off topic? Who really cares?

Edited November 5, 2012 by Teddy B

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Define alcoholism.

There are people who literally go through physical withdrawals from alcohol and can even die without going thru some kind of medical detox.

[SMOKE 1,426]

Personal opinion: I submit that, while this point is not untrue, it's a stretch to pick P&R as the preferred location for this thread. The article itself states only health and psychological points -- nothing political -- and the overall topic is disease diagnosis & treatment. The source publication seems to have published it in their "local news" section, because one claim was part of a presentation given at Northern Arizona University and the other was in a medical-topic book. Personally, I would support this thread's move to the Polls forum or Off Topic forum, either of which would be clearly more appropriate than P&R.

Furthermore, the poll choices are restricted, with no choice of "it depends" or similar. Very little in health or medicine is 100%, except for the 100% mortality rate in human beings.

To strike a better argument for keeping this thread unmoved, why not instead say "The following article presents arguments about alcoholism as a disease or as a bad choice. What political or social-policy ramifications does either side of the argument have? Discuss."

its not about politics or religion....please move to off topic.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I think this poll actually roots out the democrats from the republicans secretly...

[natty bumppo 297]

Addiction itself isn't exactly a disease. It can be argued as a psychological disorder; however, there's a very thin line there as a large percentage of the populace has the genetic make-up to be addicted to one thing or another.

...

Alcohol + addiction mixed can be a dangerous combination just as with any other drug there is out there. An individual made the ultimate 'choice' to start drinking, however they may not have a clear choice to quit drinking once the habit kicks in.

key phrase ...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Welfare: Disease, or bad choices? You decide.

OP would probably get more answers if this was posted in general polls.

(F)

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Welfare: Disease, or bad choices? You decide.

OP would probably get more answers if this was posted in general polls.

(F)

Wouldn't you think a republican is more likely to choose choice whereas a democrat would choose disease?

That was my inclination anyway.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Wouldn't you think a republican is more likely to choose choice whereas a democrat would choose disease?

That was my inclination anyway.

There is already an anomaly in the poll results, if you think that is the case.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

Alcoholism is a bad choice (drinking too much and not seeking help is a choice), but it can lead to diseases.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Alcoholism is a bad choice (drinking too much and not seeking help is a choice), but it can lead to diseases.

Absolutely. The liver metabolizes most things the body ingests. Alcohol and even prescription drugs impair the liver's ability to function and can lead to diseases of the liver and other parts of the body.

[decocker 7,198]

i'm an alcoholic. i come from a long line of alcoholics, both sides of my family. we're all of the functioning alcoholic variety.

while it is true that alcoholism is a disease the only way to overcome the disease is to learn to make correct choices. for some that is complete sobriety. for others, we learn how to police ourselves and know what triggers binging.

depression, on the other hand, isn't a choice. and depression is my trigger because i develop an overall sense of not caring if i lose control of myself.that being said, anytime i've ever let myself drink too much - i've completely known the ramifications and simply been too depressed to care.