--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody tells you over and over again…" description: "\"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 is a disease, but what ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg" --- # Everybody tells you over and over again that addiction is… ![“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 is a disease, but what the disease means.” quote by David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg) > “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 is a disease, but what the disease means.” [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. The quote expands the view of addiction beyond a disease label, emphasizing the deeper implications and lived experience that the disease entails. **In simple terms:** Addiction is a disease with broader personal and social meaning. Key Takeaway Recognize addiction's complex impact beyond diagnosis. Themes addiction health perception stigma Mood empathetic thoughtful Type psychological educational When to use this quote - healthcare - education - support groups - policy advocacy Key Concepts disease model personal meaning social implications Questions to Reflect On - What does “the disease means” for those affected? - How can treatment address meaning? A Different Perspective It may simplify diverse experiences into a single framework. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Oh Senor" said the niece. "Your grace should send them to be burned (books), just like all the rest, because it's very likely that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-senor-said-the-niece-your-grace-should-send-them-to-be-burned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addiction is a disease like anything else. It's like cancer, like heart disease, like diabetes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/addiction-is-a-disease-like-anything-else-it-s-like-cancer-like-heart/) [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Research does reveal a genetic disposition to substance abuse, but those who believe their addiction is a disease show less of an inclination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/research-does-reveal-a-genetic-disposition-to-substance-abuse-but/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Pessimism is mental disease. It means illness in the person who voices it, and in the society which produces that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/pessimism-is-mental-disease-it-means-illness-in-the-person-who-voices/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [It's no fun to have HIV even though it's viewed as a chronic, controllable disease. It means being wedded to the health system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-no-fun-to-have-hiv-even-though-it-s-viewed-as-a-chronic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is time to embrace mental health and substance use/abuse as illnesses. Addiction is a disease.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-kassels/it-is-time-to-embrace-mental-health-and-substance-use-abuse-as/) Steven Kassels > [Addiction is a disease of exposure. Doctors and nurses, for instance, have a high addiction rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/addiction-is-a-disease-of-exposure-doctors-and-nurses-for-instance/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Alcoholism or addiction is a disease because it fits the definition of disease. It is progressive and chronic, and left untreated, it will kill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-tomkinson/alcoholism-or-addiction-is-a-disease-because-it-fits-the-definition/) [Irene Tomkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-tomkinson/) > [Addiction is a symptom of not growing up. I know people think it's a disease... If you have a brain tumor, if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-deville/addiction-is-a-symptom-of-not-growing-up-i-know-people-think-it-s-a/) C.C. DeVille > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## 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": "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 is a disease, but what the disease means.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Sheff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again-that-addiction-is-a-disease/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again-that-addiction-is-a-disease/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad8/david-sheff-7087_addiction_everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again_2126797.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everybody tells you over and over again that addiction is a disease. But when I read Nic's book I understood…” — David Sheff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Sheff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everybody tells you over and over...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again-that-addiction-is-a-disease/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/everybody-tells-you-over-and-over-again-that-addiction-is-a-disease/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```