Several American mental health institutes, organizations, and governing agencies — such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — classify substance addiction as a disease. It is a long-term and recurring condition of individuals compulsively yearning for drugs.
As a disease, it acts in a way that an individual’s body responds to other life-threatening illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease. Similarly, it disrupts the regular function of an organ in the body — in this case, the brain. It increases a patient’s risk of premature death and can still be treatable to avoid more extensive damage. It resembles other lifelong diseases like hypertension and type-2 diabetes, which require continuous supervision.
However, the classification is not entirely universal. Others might argue otherwise because it is not contagious, autoimmune, hereditary, or degenerative — and it is self-acquired. While views differ, anyone who suffers from addiction must seek professional help to recover.
