Addiction: Is It a Choice? 

There is a common belief that those who have an addiction, whether it’s to drugs or alcohol, have this addiction because of low morals or a weak character that doesn’t let them say no. However, there are scientific claims that say addiction is not a choice, rather it’s a chronic brain disease and anyone can fall into it. Addiction can come from a genetic predisposition, or environmental factors (especially those from early childhood) 

The ideal thing would be to treat those with addiction with the same compassion and understanding as one would treat a patient with cancer or heart problems, but this is rarely the case. This is because an addicted person can become irresponsible and behave in ways that his/her relationships with family and friends can be affected, and consequently, have a negative effect on their own person.  

Tom Hill, the Vice President of Practice Improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, suggests that when we approach addiction, we should switch our language from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to asking, “What happened to you?”. He says this will help in breaking the cycle of blame, shame, and punishment that comes with addiction.  

I thought this was very interesting, because it makes sense. It’s all about perspective. Once we change the way we perceive addiction and we accept that addiction is no one’s fault, then we’ll be able to help others and promote recovery among our community.  

Written by: Vivian Daher 

Hill, T. (2019, March 25). Is Addiction a Choice? Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2019/03/is-addiction-a-choice/