What is The Disease Model of Addiction

Posted by Marlon M on July 19th, 2021

When it comes to understanding what is the disease model of addiction the definition will differ dramatically between different schools of thought. There are those who believe that addiction is a brain disease like any other and that it is treatable. This is the view of most physicians and therapists who treat addictions. There are also those who discount the disease model as overrated and believe that addiction is not really a disease but more a personal choice.

For those in the former group, what is the disease model of addiction can be viewed as a scientific fact. The disease model of alcoholism describes an addiction just as any other, such as drug addiction, dependence, gambling addiction, etc. The physical aspect of alcoholism is characterized by tolerance, physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms, physical health issues, and so on. The psychological aspect of the disease is more related to how the individual came to be addicted to alcohol in the first place. It can include such things as genetics, childhood experience, environmental stressors, personality factors, and so on.

For those in the latter group, what is the disease model of addiction is viewed less as a scientific fact than a personal choice or a symptom of poor impulse control. Addictions are not really diseases, but coping mechanisms. The person suffering from alcoholism has gone through a series of events that have led up to this current state. These events may have been caused by childhood abuse, poverty, school accidents, stress, loneliness, depression, or a myriad of other factors. The result is that this person now has what is known as an addictive personality disorder which often includes traits like perfectionism, compulsions, gambling tendencies, and so forth.

One could make the argument that alcoholism is simply a genetic predisposition that can be passed down through generations. This would make sense given the fact that alcoholism has been shown to be more common in families with members who smoke, drink, use drugs, or have some form of chronic pain. However, there is more to it than this. What is known as the disease model is that certain environmental factors may lead to more serious or addictive behavior. They may actually cause a person to develop an addiction, but the actual cause is much more complex than that.

What is the disease model for treating addiction, then, is a combination of the environmental factors that contribute to addiction and the genetic predisposition of some people to addiction. At a recent news conference, the director of a major addiction treatment center spoke about the disease model, saying that it was important to consider the possibility that certain environments can actually cause addicts to develop addictions. These are the things that have been discussed at the addiction recovery center.

One would think that with all of the scientific knowledge that we have about addiction, there should be some kind of standard for diagnosing alcoholism. But there is not. For the time being, it is left up to experts to decide what the best approach will be in each particular case. And they must take into account all of the possible influences on an individual's personal path towards addiction.