Addiction: A Matter of Choice, Not Disease

Addiction is the act of investing too much time and energy into something to the point where it seems excessive. Addiction is never a good thing, as it has its ways of distracting and affecting other aspects of our lives, and it's worth noting that regardless of how great or noble what a person is addicted to is, it's definitely not going to yield good results in other aspects of their life; in fact, it can take a toll on other aspects to the point where it leads to setbacks, denial, failure, and much more, to name but a few. People are often unsure of what to tag addiction as, between it being an element of disease or an element of choice, and in this article I'll be stating my take on what I think addiction is between both.

Once again I'd like to start on the note that addiction is bad regardless of how great what you're addicted to might be, and I've these beliefs based on the various things I've seen in the past. Take for instance a coursemate of mine who was so addicted to religious activities to the point where he neglected what was required for him to excel in his academics, and unfortunately for him, when it was time for the exams, he failed woefully because he hadn't been attending lectures, nor had he been reading. And that's why I said regardless of how good your addiction may seem, it'll ultimately be bad because it'll negatively affect other aspects of your life.

So what, then, are addictions? Are they a disease or an element of choices? While I respect everyone's opinion, I don't agree with the fact that addiction is a disease, and my reasons are not far-fetched. You see, we've many diseases that are irreversible and life-bound, meaning they can't be eradicated regardless of how much you try. But we've overtime come to see that such isn't the case for addiction, because we've seen lots of people who are addicted to one thing or another quit and begin to live moderately ever after, and I believe that's evidence that addictions are a product of our choices.

As an individual, you can always stand up and say no to a particular trend you're used to, and that's because you've the power of choice. To do or not to do, to continue or to take a break, and much more, addiction to something in my opinion is a product of our choices. We can decide, "No, I'm not going to keep doing this thing excessively and let it affect my life negatively," and we can decide to turn a blind eye to how it's affecting other aspects of our lives negatively, just so we can continue doing the things we've become addicted to. Addiction is a choice, and you're the one who chooses to do whatever it is you're doing to the point where it becomes unhealthy.

When you begin to see addiction as a choice rather than a disease, then you're edging closer to overcoming it and quitting whatever it is that has got you addicted. Each human is blessed with the ability to take a stand, and the stand you take goes a long way in either making or marring your life. So make the right choice and decision today and watch your life take a positivity turnaround for good.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.