Disease model of addiction

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The disease model of addiction describes addictions as a lifelong disease involving biologic and environmental sources of origin. The traditional medical model of disease requires only that an abnormal condition be present that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the individual afflicted. The medical model also takes into consideration that such disease may be the result of biologic, psychologic, or sociologic entities despite the lack of contemporary knowledge regarding the precise mechanism of any of those entities.

Within the disease model of addiction, a genetic predisposition is believed to be present. An environmental event is also felt likely to be required. These hypotheses would explain the result of adoption and twin studies that have been carried out, indicating that twins separated at birth have a higher likelihood of concordance for addictive disease than would be expected were there not a genetic component, and indicating that these twins have a lower likelihood of concordance for addictive disease than do twins who remain together in identical environments.

Critics of the disease model, particularly those who ascribe to the life-process model of addiction argue that the disease model is not founded on scientific principles and has negative social effects.

This criticism is based on the argument that the disease approach has not discovered any biological mechanisms to identify addictive behavior. They argue that labeling people as addicts keeps them from developing self-control and stigmatizes them.

See also:

• Disease Theory of Alcoholism
• drug abuse
• alcoholism
• addiction
• sexual addiction