Jerry Banfield

Would you rather suffer from an addiction, or have cancer? The reason I ask this question is not to single out one group, but show how both are serious illnesses. What exactly is considered an addiction? The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as a "chronic brain disease that causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences. Health, finances,relationships, and careers can be ruined. The abuse of drugs and alcohol is by far the leading cause of preventable illnesses and premature death in our society." People often think of addiction simply as a lack of self-control, however this could not be further from the truth. Addiction is an illness just like cancer and it can also have varying levels mortality, just like cancer. The public perception of both addiction and cancer couldn't be more different. A woman who is part of my support group told me that her son died due to a drug overdose. She said that family and friends had varying degrees of sympathy because many thought he brought it