Addiction Behavior; Is It a character Flaw?

Sometimes. But in the majority of cases that is simply not the case. Many would argue that addicts have control over their behavior and can control their addiction like a light switch. I would suggest that until an addict is given the proper tools they are no more in control of their addiction or their thinking than any person is of any other illness. Cancer patients can not will their cancer to go away and an addict cannot will their addiction to go away either. People even in the medical profession have not come to grips with the fact that addiction, like any other psychiatric illness, controls the person who has it and not vice versa. Addiction and psychiatric illnesses are real diseases that require real treatment. People want to believe that they can control their minds but that could not be father from the truth. It takes work. It takes counseling and therapy in combination with an individualized medication regimen to give an addict the proper tools to achieve recovery.

Once an addict has been given the proper tools, meaning having controlled their dual diagnosis to achieve clarity of thought and insight, then and only then does the true recovery process start. It is at that moment that an addict can start to take control of their lives. If under those circumstances an addict fails to exhibit clear and rational thinking and continues to choose drug behavior over clean behavior it is at that point that you are dealing with a character flaw. In medical terms a character flaw is really defined as a personality disorder. personality disorders are the most difficult to treat. They require years of intense psychotherapy and a willingness on the patients part to accept change. Thats the difficult part.