What The Internet Is Missing In The 'Is Addiction A Disease Or Choice' Debate | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

What The Internet Is Missing In The 'Is Addiction A Disease Or Choice' Debate

The internet is all about debating this topic, however there's one thing they never talk about.

440
What The Internet Is Missing In The 'Is Addiction A Disease Or Choice' Debate

Every single time that I open up my Facebook, I see posts surrounding the debate around addiction. Is it a choice? Is it a disease?

The one thing I don't see anyone talking about is how shitty addiction is, and how we can educate people against it,

Being an addict of self-harm for five years, I'm definitely not able to compare myself to people addicted to narcotics, amphetamines, opioids, or even nicotine.

However, I can say that I have been addicted to something and that I have experienced the thought process and the struggles of quitting the bad habit.

Addiction is all around the world. According to American Addiction Centers, over 7 million Americans in 2014 battled a drug use disorder. Touching back onto the base with self-harm, approximately two million cases of self-harm are reported annually in the U.S., according to HealthyPlace.

The internet is completely oblivious right now as to how much addiction sucks. I never see anyone speaking out about how addiction is ruining the world or how we can stop it. All I see are people arguing about how it's a choice or a disease, no matter the circumstances.

Instead of debating about how we view addiction and slewing out insults over someone's opinions, how about we review the facts on how addiction tears apart people and their families?

A research was done by CASAColumbia in April of 2004 surrounding addiction and how it affects families. According to the information recorded, parents who used tobacco or illegal drugs or abused alcohol put more than 35 million children at greater risk of substance abuse and other physical and mental illnesses. It also examined that children of parents who abused alcohol and other drugs were at increased risk of accidents, injuries, and academic failure. Such children were more likely to suffer conduct disorders, depression or anxiety, which are all conditions that increased the risk children will smoke, drink and use other drugs.

Therefore, addictive behaviors can also be inherited.

Addiction is also one of the most leading causes of celebrity deaths. According to Wikipedia, between 2000 and 2014, fatal overdoses from celebrities rose 137% in the United States, causing nearly half a million deaths in that time period.

You've seen the headlines, Demi Lovato is hospitalized from overdosing, a rapper named Lil Peep passed away due to overdose. It's almost as if every single time we open our phones or computers, we see that someone has passed from addiction.

I don't care about your opinion on addiction. I care about how it affects us as people, families, friends, etc. Addiction shouldn't be just a debate on the internet: It should be a way to educate people on how to stop addiction from happening, and how we could potentially end it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
man wearing white top using MacBook
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

College is super hard. Between working, studying, and having a social life, it feels like a struggle to just keep afloat.

I understand. When you feel like your drowning and there's no way to stay afloat I understand that it feels like everyone else is doing just fine. I understand all the frustration, long nights in the library, and that feeling that you want to just throw in the towel. I understand that sometimes it's too hard to get out of bed because your brain is already filled with too much information to remember. I understand because I am also feeling pretty burnt out.

Keep Reading...Show less
No Matter How Challenging School Gets, You Have To Put Your Health First — A Degree Won't Mean Anything If You're Dead
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Some of the best advice I've ever received was from my social studies teacher in sophomore year of high school. He stated, "If you don't know it at midnight, you're not going to know it for the 8 a.m. exam, so get some sleep."

It's such a simple piece of advice, but it holds so much accuracy and it's something that the majority of college students need to hear and listen to. "All-nighters" are a commonality on college campuses in order to cram in studying for an exam that is typically the next day.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Warnings About College To Incoming Freshmen As Told By Gifs

College is hard, but you will make it through.

481
college just ahead sign
Wordpress

1. You will have that special "college" look to you.

2. You will feel like an adult but also feeling like a child.

3. You will have classes that are just the professor reading from their lecture slides for an hour.

4. You will need to study but also want to hang out with your friends.

5. Coffee is your best friend.

6. You don't know what you're doing 99% of the time.

7. You will procrastinate and write a paper the night before it is due.

8. Money is a mythical object.

9. It is nearly impossible to motivate yourself to go to classes during spring.

10. The food pyramid goes out the window.

11. You will have at least one stress induced breakdown a semester.

12. Most lecture classes will bore you to tears.

13. You will not like all of your professors.

14. You will try to go to the gym... but you will get too lazy at some point.

15. When you see high school students taking tours:

16. You will try to convince yourself that you can handle everything.

17. Finals week will try to kill you.

18. You won't like everyone, but you will find your best friends sooner or later.

19. You actually have to go to class.

20. Enjoy it, because you will be sad when it is all over.

Obsessive Thoughts Keep My Brain Stuck On A Loop And Me Stuck On My Couch
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Sometimes my brain just starts turning on an idea and it doesn't want to stop.

I don't know if it is related to my anxiety, perfectionism or depression. I don't know why it happens. It's frustrating, it's painful and it stops me from functioning.

Keep Reading...Show less
girl with a hat

This is for the girls who have dealt with an emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abusive father.

The ones who have grown up with a false lens of what love is and how relationships should be. The ones who have cried themselves to sleep wondering why he hurts you and your family so much. This is for all the girls who fall in love with broken boys that carry baggage bigger than their own, thinking it's their job to heal them because you watched your mother do the same.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments