Drug addicts have often used the excuse that they can not stop taking drugs as it is an illness or disease. A disease according to the Oxford dictionary is a disorder in a human, animal or plant, caused by an infection, diet, or by faulty functioning of a process. This for me does not in any way include drug abuse as it is not caused by either an infection or diet and it is it that causes a faulty functioning of a process and not the other way round.
The problem starts way before the drug abuser is addicted.The first time a drug abuser makes the choice to take drugs he usually knows what society's if not the medical views on the drug is. He, however still decides to go ahead with this activity. The next time he or she feels the urge to take this drug again, there is also a choice of deciding that wanting it again might be the first sign of an addiction and deciding to leave it be. However, they take the road of having that drug again. This in my mind removes any chance that this might be an illness.
I understand the medical belief that people might be born with the genetic disposition towards drug abuse. That simple means that if you know your parents had a drug dependency you take steps to stay away from it. If one's family is predisposed to getting high blood pressure, you change your diet and take steps to prevent it.
Drug taking should be treated as a choice and not as an illness as I believe this not only hinders the drug abuser's ascent out of the abyss but takes away his social responsibility for his actions.
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