--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Addiction is a disease like anything…" description: "\"Addiction is a disease like anything else. It's like cancer, like heart disease, like diabetes.\" — David Sheff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/david-sheff-7087_addiction_addiction-is-a-disease-like-anything-els_2590396.jpg" --- # Addiction is a disease like anything else. It's like… ![“Addiction is a disease like anything else. It's like cancer, like heart disease, like diabetes.” quote by David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/david-sheff-7087_addiction_addiction-is-a-disease-like-anything-els_2590396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/david-sheff-7087_addiction_addiction-is-a-disease-like-anything-els_2590396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/david-sheff-7087_addiction_addiction-is-a-disease-like-anything-els_2590396.jpg) > “Addiction is a disease like anything else. It's like cancer, like heart disease, like diabetes.” [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addiction should be viewed as a medical condition rather than a moral failing, comparable to other chronic illnesses. **In simple terms:** Addiction is a medical disease. Key Takeaway Treat addiction like other illnesses. Themes health stigma recovery Mood empathetic serious Type educational advocacy When to use this quote - clinical treatment - policy reform - family support - education programs Key Concepts medical model chronic disease public health Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing addiction as disease change treatment? - What social supports are needed alongside medical care? A Different Perspective Medical model may overlook personal agency and social factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Diabetes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diabetes/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-disease/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Addiction is a disease, just like diabetes and heart disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leana-s-wen/addiction-is-a-disease-just-like-diabetes-and-heart-disease/) [Leana S. Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leana-s-wen/) > [I have some afflictions, like diabetes 2, but I take care. I sleep well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/i-have-some-afflictions-like-diabetes-2-but-i-take-care-i-sleep-well/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [..Since depression is a genetic biological illness, like diabetes, or low thyroid, it wasn't lack of character, laziness, or something I could "snap out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/since-depression-is-a-genetic-biological-illness-like-diabetes-or-low/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [What I've been telling people is that the doctors are gaining on cancer very rapidly. It's almost become a chronic disease, like diabetes -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/what-i-ve-been-telling-people-is-that-the-doctors-are-gaining-on/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Once you have a disease like cancer, you look at life a bit differently. Some things that were important no longer seem as important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linton-kwesi-johnson/once-you-have-a-disease-like-cancer-you-look-at-life-a-bit/) [Linton Kwesi Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linton-kwesi-johnson/) > [“Don't allow guilt to enter your heart, because it's a disease, like cancer, that'll eat away at you until there's nothing left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-cohen-corasanti/don-t-allow-guilt-to-enter-your-heart-because-it-s-a-disease-like/) [Michelle Cohen Corasanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-cohen-corasanti/) > [If you subscribe to the idea that # addiction is a disease, it is startling to see how many of these children - paranoid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/if-you-subscribe-to-the-idea-that-addiction-is-a-disease-it-is/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Though addiction is a disease - a brain disease that's often progressive - addicts who relapse are often blamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/though-addiction-is-a-disease-a-brain-disease-that-s-often/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“He had black fingernails and drove a hearse. Everything about him cried out, 'Look at me, look at me,' and when you looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/he-had-black-fingernails-and-drove-a-hearse-everything-about-him/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Everybody tells you over and over again that addiction is a disease. But when I read Nic's book I understood not just that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again-that-addiction-is-a-disease/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [We are like dogs, cats, cows, rats ... What separates us from them and from the remaining matches against mammals is negligible. To have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-vallejo/we-are-like-dogs-cats-cows-rats-what-separates-us-from-them-and-from/) [Fernando Vallejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-vallejo/) > [Mental illness is a fact of life, like cancer or heart disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciana-berger/mental-illness-is-a-fact-of-life-like-cancer-or-heart-disease/) [Luciana Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciana-berger/) > [Depression is a treatable medical illness like cancer and heart disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-peacock/depression-is-a-treatable-medical-illness-like-cancer-and-heart/) Judith Peacock > [“One day I told him about the boys of the neighborhood, about their mocking. He said, "That's because they don't understand." "They should understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pinto/one-day-i-told-him-about-the-boys-of-the-neighborhood-about-their/) [Jerry Pinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pinto/) > [“Like diabetes, she referred to it. Diabetics take insulin. In the same way, people with bipolar disorders took lithium, and alcoholics went to AA.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carter/like-diabetes-she-referred-to-it-diabetics-take-insulin-in-the-same/) [Emily Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carter/) ## More by David Sheff > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Elvis Presley's music said, 'Free your body.' The Beatles said, 'Free your mind.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/elvis-presley-s-music-said-free-your-body-the-beatles-said-free-your/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Well, addiction does start with a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/well-addiction-does-start-with-a-choice/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Some parents want to be popular, but that's not their job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/some-parents-want-to-be-popular-but-that-s-not-their-job/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [The war on drugs is a joke. We spend $40 billion a year, and the proof that it's a failure is that any kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/the-war-on-drugs-is-a-joke-we-spend-40-billion-a-year-and-the-proof/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [When I was a child, my parents didn't know anything about drugs. They didn't even drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/when-i-was-a-child-my-parents-didn-t-know-anything-about-drugs-they/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Nick's mother and I were attentive, probably overly attentive - part of the first wave of parents obsessed with our children in a self-conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/nick-s-mother-and-i-were-attentive-probably-overly-attentive-part-of/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Having been hit by drug addiction, knowing how many are hit by it and what a big problem it is in our neighborhoods and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/having-been-hit-by-drug-addiction-knowing-how-many-are-hit-by-it-and/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Here's a note to the parents of addicted children: Choose your music carefully...There are millions of treacherous moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/here-s-a-note-to-the-parents-of-addicted-children-choose-your-music/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [This stigma associated with drug use--the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full-blown addiction are weak, dissolute, and pathetic--has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/this-stigma-associated-with-drug-use-the-belief-that-bad-kids-use/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [It's hard to find someone who did as many drugs for as long and in such dangerous combinations as Nic - spending years going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/it-s-hard-to-find-someone-who-did-as-many-drugs-for-as-long-and-in/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [I chose a rehab center for Nic that was recommended by a friend who had sent her son there. The program lasted 28 days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-chose-a-rehab-center-for-nic-that-was-recommended-by-a-friend-who/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain wrote, "It's better to burn out than to fade away." He was quoting a Neil Young song about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/in-his-suicide-note-kurt-cobain-wrote-it-s-better-to-burn-out-than-to/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Anyone who has lived through it, or those who are now living through it, knows that caring about an addict is as complex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/anyone-who-has-lived-through-it-or-those-who-are-now-living-through/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [If a child had another disease, we'd be open about what we were going through, but addiction is stigmatised and comes with shame and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/if-a-child-had-another-disease-we-d-be-open-about-what-we-were-going/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) [Explore all 95 David Sheff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Addiction is a disease like anything else. 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