Addiction: is it a disease or a decision?

This is a debate that I've seen from various social media platforms to news outlets. It's a valid debate especially in states like West Virginia. It's no secret that West Virginia has a horrible opioid and heroin problem. In fact, from 2016-2017 the Mountain State was in the top five states to have the highest deaths by overdose.

I've seen people that I care about dearly struggle with addiction, and I'm very much on the side of it being a disease. The only part of it being a decision that I can side with is that initial dive into the drug world. That person makes the decision to pick up a pill, grab a needle, or snort a line. Maybe they do it because they're friends are doing it, or maybe it's their coping mechanism. Whatever the reason, they decide to take the wrong path once or twice.

But that's where that decision ends.

A less dramatic situation to compare this to is coffee. Let's say you drink coffee every single morning to get you into a good mood and start your day. You love the taste and the caffeine makes you perk up. Well, one morning you wake up after your fifth alarm goes off and you're going to be late for work. You don't get to have that cup of coffee. You're sluggish and cranky, and by 2 o'clock in the afternoon, you would do anything to get your hands on a giant cup of coffee.

Whatever the drug is, it makes them feel good. It gives them a rush that they enjoy. It releases chemicals in their brain and that alters their typical state. All it takes is a google search of 'drug abuse on the brain' to find countless articles and visuals of what exactly that looks like. That one time party decision turns into a lifestyle. That shot of heroin becomes their water. That painkiller becomes just as important as the air they breath. It becomes a part of them. It is their cup of coffee.

The addiction turns them into a completely different person. It's naive to think that after regular use, it's a decision to take 6 shots of vodka by 10 o'clock in the morning. Their body and mind crave it. It's crippling.

As somebody who has witnessed what happens when people you care about are addicted to different substances, it's a rush of different emotions. It's frustration because you know they're better than what they act like. It's anger because they lie, steal, or stumble around high out of their mind. It's sadness because the person in front of you isn't the person that you love and would do anything for. It's a shell of themselves with similar characteristics. There's a lot of helplessness because you want to do something to help them, but it's impossible. You can't change people; only they can change themselves.

Is it possible to recover? Absolutely. Tons of people decide they don't want the life they live and check into rehabilitation facilities. Sometimes it takes more than one try, but they never touch their previous substance of choice again in their life. They move on and they get on the right path again. This time, they make the right decision.

The choices around starting and quitting are a decision. The habitual act itself is not. Oxford Dictionary defines disease as, "A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury." Drugs are not a result of physical injury, and they keep your brain from functioning normally. It's naive to think that taking 6 shot of vodka before 10 o'clock in the morning becomes a choice.