---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a…"
description: "\"“Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg"
---

#  Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the…

![“Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error in judgment. When a bunch of people begin to do it, it is a social error, a life-style. In this particular lifestyle the motto is “Be happy now…” quote by Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg)

> ““Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error in judgment. When a bunch of people begin to do it, it is a social error, a life-style. In this particular lifestyle the motto is “Be happy now because tomorrow you are dying,” but the dying begins almost at once, and the happiness is a memory.””

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Misuse of drugs is portrayed as a conscious, harmful choice rather than a medical condition, likened to reckless actions that endanger life.

**In simple terms:** Drug misuse is a harmful choice, not a disease.

Key Takeaway

Recognize personal responsibility in health choices.

Themes

responsibility health choice

Mood

critical reflective

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal health decisions
- public health campaigns
- addiction counseling
- policy making

Key Concepts

addiction social influence risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- How do societal attitudes shape our view of addiction?
- What role should medical treatment play in drug misuse?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplifies complex neurobiological factors behind addiction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Life style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-style/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motto/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/)

## Related quotes

> [Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-decision-like-the-decision-to/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [I think you gotta have balls to be an Avenged fan sometimes. A lot of our fans get hated on just as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-shadows/i-think-you-gotta-have-balls-to-be-an-avenged-fan-sometimes-a-lot-of/)

[M. Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-shadows/)

> [I was putting too much stress on my body and not living a healthy life style, I wasn't taking care of myself. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/i-was-putting-too-much-stress-on-my-body-and-not-living-a-healthy/)

[John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/)

> [We cannot force our self to stay longer with something,situation or with the person who we don't really like . The best decision is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepa-mehta/we-cannot-force-our-self-to-stay-longer-with-something-situation-or/)

[Deepa Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepa-mehta/)

> [It's important that public funds be spent in research directions that are pushing market frontiers rather than working in existing areas. This means funding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/it-s-important-that-public-funds-be-spent-in-research-directions-that/)

[Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/)

> [“The most important thing in life is style. That is the style of one s existence the characteristic mode of one s actions is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-most-important-thing-in-life-is-style-that-is-the-style-of-one-s/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [I know black women in Tennessee who have worked all their lives, from the time they were twelve years old to the day they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-rudolph/i-know-black-women-in-tennessee-who-have-worked-all-their-lives-from/)

[Wilma Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-rudolph/)

> [Therapeutic fasting is not a mystical or magical cure. It works because the body has within it the capacity to heal when the obstacles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/therapeutic-fasting-is-not-a-mystical-or-magical-cure-it-works/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [Californians invented the concept of life-style. This alone warrants their doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/californians-invented-the-concept-of-life-style-this-alone-warrants/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Rejoice in the prosperity of others. When you feel contemptuous, or even a twinge of jealousy, toward the accomplishments or life-styles of others, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/rejoice-in-the-prosperity-of-others-when-you-feel-contemptuous-or/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Futurists and common sense concur that a substantial change, worldwide, in life style and moral guidelines will soon become an absolute necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/futurists-and-common-sense-concur-that-a-substantial-change-worldwide/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [“I kept my whole life in suitcase, Never really stayed in one place, Maybe that's the way it should be, You know I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinedown/i-kept-my-whole-life-in-suitcase-never-really-stayed-in-one-place/)

[Shinedown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinedown/)

> [Watching movies, making quotes, cooking,and singing is my hobbies.how about yours? enjoy life and make your life style very enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-alapan/watching-movies-making-quotes-cooking-and-singing-is-my-hobbies-how/)

[Mitch Alapan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-alapan/)

> [People think that we're crazy because we do six nights a week. I would physically not be able to take it, especially when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/people-think-that-we-re-crazy-because-we-do-six-nights-a-week-i-would/)

[Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/)

> [I promised to finish school, so I'll figure it out I guess. Besides, I'm on a special school for musicians and artists, so I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-garrix/i-promised-to-finish-school-so-i-ll-figure-it-out-i-guess-besides-i-m/)

[Martin Garrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-garrix/)

## More by Philip K. Dick

> [So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/so-we-and-our-elaborately-evolving-computers-may-meet-each-other/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [Even if all life on our planet is destroyed, there must be other life somewhere which we know nothing of. It is impossible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/even-if-all-life-on-our-planet-is-destroyed-there-must-be-other-life/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“That is not how you do it; you do not solve one problem with another, greater problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/that-is-not-how-you-do-it-you-do-not-solve-one-problem-with-another/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [For each person there is a sentence—a series of words—which has the power to destroy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/for-each-person-there-is-a-sentence-a-series-of-words-which-has-the/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-want-to-write-about-people-i-love-and-put-them-into-a-fictional/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [Why does a man cry? he wondered. Not like a woman; not for that. Not for sentiment. A man cries over the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/why-does-a-man-cry-he-wondered-not-like-a-woman-not-for-that-not-for/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [The day came. The wrath descended. Sin, guilt, and retribution? The manic psychoses of those entities we referred to as states, institutions, systems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-day-came-the-wrath-descended-sin-guilt-and-retribution-the-manic/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [The church of my choice is the free, open world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-church-of-my-choice-is-the-free-open-world/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“I see,' Rick said. He felt numb. Completely. Throughout his entire body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-see-rick-said-he-felt-numb-completely-throughout-his-entire-body/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“What is identity? he asked himself. Where does the act end? Nobody knows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-is-identity-he-asked-himself-where-does-the-act-end-nobody-knows/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [You're killing yourself with cynicism. Your idols got taken away from you one by one and now you have nothing to give your love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-re-killing-yourself-with-cynicism-your-idols-got-taken-away-from/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [What scared me the most was when my father would put on the gasmask. His face would disappear... This was not a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-scared-me-the-most-was-when-my-father-would-put-on-the-gasmask/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/a-man-is-an-angel-that-has-become-deranged-joe-fernwright-thought/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [“When do I see a photograph, when a reflection?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/when-do-i-see-a-photograph-when-a-reflection/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/my-major-preoccupation-is-the-question-what-is-reality/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

[Explore all 489 Philip K. Dick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

## More Bunch quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In summer, my Sundays are often taken up with cricket. I play with a bunch of other over-competitive and overenthusiastic guys who I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/in-summer-my-sundays-are-often-taken-up-with-cricket-i-play-with-a/)

[Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/)

> [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/)

[Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/)

> [Do you know what it is sir? Do you know what the Dance Dance Revolution is? It's not an actual revolution, so you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/do-you-know-what-it-is-sir-do-you-know-what-the-dance-dance/)

[Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/)

> [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/)

[Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/)

> [Rita folded her arms around herself and peered up at me. “If you’d asked me three months ago I’d have said you were hitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-murphy/rita-folded-her-arms-around-herself-and-peered-up-at-me-if-you-d/)

[C.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-murphy/)

> [I always wanted to be in a band with a bunch of dudes who loved Green Day and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-irwin/i-always-wanted-to-be-in-a-band-with-a-bunch-of-dudes-who-loved-green/)

[Ashton Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-irwin/)

> [No one has it all figured out, especially not the people who are acting like they do and judging you because of it. Pretending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/no-one-has-it-all-figured-out-especially-not-the-people-who-are/)

[Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/)

> [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/)

[Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/)

> [Through the music I hope to give it an arc that gives it a greater sense of a journey through the set rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/through-the-music-i-hope-to-give-it-an-arc-that-gives-it-a-greater/)

[Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/)

> [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

Browse all 2,008 Bunch quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error in judgment. When a bunch of people begin to do it, it is a social error, a life-style. In this particular lifestyle the motto is “Be happy now because tomorrow you are dying,” but the dying begins almost at once, and the happiness is a memory.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip K. Dick"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-decision-like-the-decision-to-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bunch"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-decision-like-the-decision-to-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/philip-k-dick-502_bunch_drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-dec_1309929.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You…” — Philip K. Dick",
                "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": "Philip K. Dick",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Drug misuse is not a disease,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-decision-like-the-decision-to-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/drug-misuse-is-not-a-disease-it-is-a-decision-like-the-decision-to-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
