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To imply that addiction in any of it's many forms is a disease serves as a crutch to many people who have the capacity for substance abuse. Whether it's in regard to alcoholism, narcotics, or any variation of the two, the addictive mindset is difficult to overcome, and even harder to maintain control over. The predisposition to this kind of lifestyle can be the result of a lot of different factors, and I agree wholeheartedly that it's far more complicated than simply choosing not to be a user.

Unfortunately there is a commonly accepted misconception in regard to whether or not an addict can ever truly be cured. While it is always easiest for those of us on the outside looking in to assume that the person suffering through addiction is at fault, I am inclined to place a lion's share of the responsibility in the lap of the industries that have been born from the addiction phenomenon.

Countless treatment centers thrive on relapse. Court systems, lawyers, doctors, counselors, therapists, liquor stores, and drug dealers all rely a great deal on repeat customers. The myth that addiction is a disease I feel is symptomatic of that reality. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous can be valuable support mechanisms, but their strength truly lies in their numbers, and that is the reason for their part in the perpetuation of that myth, which in my opinion undermines the greater good they might otherwise serve.

Mind you, I am not merely speaking as an outsider. I grew up as a child of an alcoholic, I grew up as a child that was an alcoholic. I was drinking before I started Kindergarten, and drank myself into a near death situation by the time I was eight years old. Having the issue undiagnosed allowed me the opportunity to continue my near daily dosing for several years after that. I literally woke up to get drunk through most of my early life, and did not stop until I reached an adult age.

I engage in this debate with my brother every other day it seems like, because he didn't stop drinking. He accepts that it's a disease, and I know that he does this simply because he lacks the willpower to stop killing himself twelve ounces at a time. I drink socially on occasion, to excess infrequently, and can pick it up and put it down at will. This could not be achieved if the "disease" of alcoholism was anything more than the fabrication of a profit based industry, which encompasses farmers, brewers, suppliers, distributors, consumers, and treatment providers of many varieties.

It is not uncommon for years to pass between refills on my part, and I never "have" to have a drink. A frosty cold beverage on a hot summer day sometimes seems like a great idea, but never does a continuing trend develop, nor do I suppose it ever will. Admittedly, my knowledge of narcotics abuse is far more limited, having only been inclined to foster an enthusiasm for herb, but it is just as likely that substance abuse in it's entirety can be overcome much the same way alcoholism, and that is by understanding first and foremost that it is not incurable, because it is not a disease. As long as the providers of substance, support, and treatment perpetuate the misconception that it can never be permanently put away, the epidemic is all but guaranteed to continue.

Learn more about this author, Xavier Grey.
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