@eryka616, it totally is a choice. But it's still a disease ;) good for you for making healthy choices for yourself. Those that choose not to seek help or that abuse the system or that choose drugs over their kids gives everyone else suffering a bad name. But that's how it goes with everything in life. I guess my point is, don't generalize and stereotype when you may not know the details.. just because someone's an addict doesn't make them a low life. And if the classification "disease" is what bothers you, my question is why? Live and let live girls. I'm sure we all have bigger things to focus on. Like those beautiful babies. Truly, the opposite of addiction is connection, anyways. The world needs more love and less haters 😘

@eryka616, yes preach momma preach but I am proud of you!

@megsandbabes, I have the addiction gene as it is genetic and both my parents and a few of my siblings are too. But unlike my dumb siblings who did drugs knowing we have the gene I stay away from any drugs. I have a caffeine addiction, but I made the choice to start drinking caffeine just as they made the choice to do drugs. The same way my mom decided to do drugs instead of take care of her kids so I 100% believe that drugs are a choice.

No no not hating by any means BUT again I think we all HAVE to go outside and all have gotten sun burn at some point, so there fore yes some of us can get skin cancer but we did not go out here and stick the sun in our veins to get skin cancer, unlike an addict who makes he choice to stick heroin in their veins, it's not a disease, it's a poor choice and shows no self control nor back bone when you decide to do it that very first time

And i say, if for no other reason than the fact that it takes some of the shame out of it and allows those that are using to come forward and get help, then that's worth it right? It doesn't hurt you for it to be called one thing, but it could help them. So why hate? ❤️

It's classified as a disease because people with addictions brains are actually wired differently than someone without. They are born with an extra chromosome and the way that their brain is wired reacts differently to intoxicants. Usually it starts out innocently enough and snowballs.. you could say someone with diabetes has a choice, and they exacerbate their disease by not watching their diet. Or someone with cancer (say skin cancer) they choose to expose themselves to whatever the toxin is in their environment. They probably had no idea that what they were doing would somehow eventually do irreparable damage.
Have you ever had a beer at a BBQ? If you were born with the markers to be an addict, then you just opened the gate to hell. Not to be controversial, but sometimes you don't realize what it's like to walk in another's moccasins. By classifying addiction as a disease it allows people that suffer from it to receive help to be rehabilitated, and to once again become contributing members of society thru services such as counseling, medical detox, treatment, etc. the majority of people dealing with addiction are actually trying to "self medicate" an underlying condition (such as depression/anxiety/PTSD/and many neurological disorders) that ARE NOW classified as diseases, but were not so long ago just as controversial as classifying addiction as a disease.

Preach!!

@eryka616, 🙌🏼 exactly it's not a disease by any means I'm not saying it isn't hard or they meant to end up in that situation but don't try to play it like its something that you got sick with and can't beat they literally made the first move to do it knowing the consequences.

Yes it is a choice and they choose to keep doing the drug every single day. I know it's an addiction, but if they wanted to stop they would.