Addiction is something I feel no one truly understands until they find themselves struggling with it; then they realize just how serious and dangerous it is. And personally, I feel that what's even scarier about addiction is that it doesn't get attached to just one thing.
What I mean by that is that if we could only get addicted to one thing, let's say gambling, then it probably wouldn't be that much of a problem than it is currently. But the fact that we could get addicted to anything at all makes it very scary to me.
Because now it feels like we all have to be careful and watchful of any and everything we do, and the moment we start noticing a pattern, almost like we're getting to that stage where we can't let go or do without something, we have to back off and let go.
Unfortunately, a lot of people in this modern world are addicted to a lot of things, from gambling to alcohol to drugs and the like, and most of them don't even know they're addicted, or they just don't see it as a concern yet, especially those who can't do without getting high at least once a day.
And it's a very bad thing because the first step to solving a problem is first admitting that there is a problem. Also, another sad part of getting addicted, especially in a third-world country, is that you guys lack the services and equipment that could help you get better, like places like a rehabilitation center.
This is why I always look at people differently when they get addicted to something and still find a way to come out of it, because you know they did it all by themselves without anyone else helping them. They made the decision to stop doing that thing, and they stuck to that decision.
One of my neighbors here is one of those people. He used to be among the guys who smoked when he first moved in here but suddenly decided to stop and never went back to it. He never hesitates to talk about how he was able to quit smoking whenever he has the chance, and we never stop him, probably because deep down we all are proud of him and would rather hear him brag about how he was able to quit than see him go back to doing it.
But sadly, not everyone out there has the strong will to make a decision like that and stick to it. I used to know a guy who smoked almost every day to the extent where it feels like he doesn't even get high anymore due to how much he has abused the substance. But that isn't even the craziest part, because I've seen him take a different kind of highness to step down the previous highness in his system.
Apparently, when he smokes and it's starting to feel like he's getting affected by it, his method of stepping it down and reducing the effect is by either smoking something different or taking a sip of alcohol, and it works for him. It's crazy.
Anyway, to answer the question asked in the contest, I think addiction is a bit of our choice and a disease. And the reason I say it's both is that at first, it begins with us making the choice to want to do that thing, although sometimes our ignorance play a part in it because we have no idea how addictive that thing might be, but then as time goes on and we discover how bad it is and try to stop but we can't, that's when it becomes a disease.
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I did not really know I was completely addicted to my smartphone thinking I was in control until it was stolen. It was at that point I realized a tiny device was dictating my own life. Thank God I got over that phase and moved on with physical interactions with my environment