Is drug and alcohol addiction just a bad habit? Or is it a disease?

@jenatsky
The 'entry' point in this "cycle...." is:
1. Binge/Intoxication Stage: REWARD, incentive salience, and pathological habits.

So obviously the obvious question is: WHAT is it you are trying to ESCAPE from?
We all have times when circumstances can be rough (I had very hard times FINDING employment for reasons mostly External, outside My control. This too is part of life everywhere, all times. I'd end up doing minimum wage works after I'd tried looking for work each day in my field. It helped pay for basic needs. But little else except a 'treat' with MacDonald coffee. There was no way to treat with something like beer. Now that I am retired I do treat with beer that most often is one can a Week. Why I never drink More is because the worries that I have today need me to be in good health and shape to deal with...and these require I feed myself with Tasty and nourishing food, treat myself with Enjoyable exertion, resulting in good sleep.
In other words, the need for "REWARD" as in the first step of the cycle in niaaa site above has diminished from the rewards of enjoyable foods and physical activity (and mental workouts). I've thus reduced space for my worries with more simple joys. This I believe has worked for me all my life of over eight decades.

My insight: More simple sublime pleasures equal less need for rewards with alcohol or other addictive habits,

Hi Joey,

I've been sober for 14 plus years now. Calling alcoholism a "disease", something the AMA agrees with, walks a fine line.

I prefer to think of it as an incurable condition that can be put into remission. Alcoholism is certainly life threatening.

Joe

Alcoholism is a well known mental disease that takes over your control of drinking. I started many years ago because it felt good drinking and I later found out that I was general anxiety disorder GAD. I decided 30 years ago that I was not going to let drinking control my life and quit.

That is a good question. I am also in recovery for a good amount of time. I know that I have battled this from the age of 14, so about 41 years now. I believe it to be a dis-ease but I also know that my physiology reacts differently to mood altering substances...the "phenomenon of craving" is very real. Also, my tolerance to substances grew and grew. The amounts of alcohol that I consumed would probably land others in the hospital or possibly kill them. I lost my partner of 28 years to alcoholism. He literally drank himself to death, so I do believe it is a disease in the sense that he and many others are not able to stop themselves. I guess the question is is addiction a disease of the body or the mind? Depends on one's definition of disease.

For me it is a disease. My first sponsor in AA was a retired physician and my first sponsee was a practicing physician. We spent much time discussing the disease concept. My sponsee had a hard time grasping it because he said "I'm not cured of cancer if I say 'Hi, my name is John and I have cancer'" so why should saying "Hi, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic" cure me of alcoholism the disease?

My wife is a breast cancer survivor and she has to do a lot to keep her cancer in remission. I have come to realize the things I do to stay sober are actually keeping my alcoholism in remission. Recovered, recovery, recovering, or remission.

Thanks for the honesty DD.

I'm so very sorry you lost your partner to this terrible disease. It doesn't matter that much what we call alcoholism, we all know the symptoms, and the outcomes. It's a matter of picking a path.

I battled alcoholism since age 16. Well, that was the first time I recall getting lit up - drank a dixie cup full of brandy (I grew up in WI where brandy is like mother's milk.......). I still remember how wonderful I felt, warm and confident. But in all the years since, and all the drinking, I never found a high as good as the first one. Sad story.

And I have to be careful. I also got addicted to opiates that were prescribed for pain (it was a time when it was much easier to get a Dr to write an Rx, with refills). At least I never bought pills on the street, but got addicted nonetheless. But I stopped that too, with the help of AA.

Thanks again, and I wish you all the best!

Joe