'Substance abuser' label increases culpability, judgment

Pollen is correct. No one is forced to do alcohol or other drugs. It is a personal choice. But you must consider that millions of Americans use alcohol without consequence, and they certainly don't plan on becoming alcoholic. Yet in the end, around 15% of people who make the choice to drink, end up with a diagnosable "substance use disorder". Why them and not everyone? There is no singular causative factor, but certainly genetics and neurobiology play a significant factor asdo sociological and environmental factors.

Bottom line, while everyone chooses to use their substance of choice, no one plans on becoming addicted, and not every does.

Were the mental health professionals who were the participants in this study willfully engaging in the behavior that was the data for the study?

Yea you're both right, shit - why argue?

People with neuro-behavioural disorders have no one to blame but themselves. In fact, it's about time we stop catering to all these weak-willed individuals. Depression suffers really rile me up, for not having the personal responsibility to get over their illness. I wish those war veterans would stop complaining about all their "terrible" memories and their overblown anxieties. You were abused as a child, witnessed your parents die in an awful fire - fine, we get it, move on already. All these weak insecure girls who wilfully force themselves to puke, and the ones who starve themselves - if only somebody slapped some sense into them.

Personal responsibility folks, without a strong character you'll eventually succumb to depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, bulimia, anorexia, agoraphobia, and addictions ranging from gambling to sex, from food to drugs.

Stay strong everyone, and remember - say NO to mental disorders!

if i were able to force you to do drugs i can assure you i would. there is a term known as stigma in todays society. stigma is related to stereotype. youre overgeneralizing and making yourself sound like an arrogant asshole.

I'm with Pollen on this one, drug users have nobody to blame but themselves. Without personal responsibility we have nothing.

"Willful" by definition, implies an intentional act - that an individually freely chose to behave in a certain way. Their decision was a voluntary act of free choice.

[In my opinion] While your argument may reflect some accuracy in substance use or abuse, it really has no basis in the consideration of substance dependence - characterized by strong biological changes in the body. Substance dependence causes negative physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms which often cause relapse. It's no longer a "free" choice. It is not as simple as saying "should I do this drug today, or not?", it may be more like, "should i continue feeling like absolute shit? or make myself feel better?". Often coupled with this are strained social/economic/living factors which can contribute to an individual being more prone or "at-risk" for relapse. Certain population groups may be more vulnerable than others. This is of course highly simplified, it is extremely hard to label what "addiction", substance use, abuse, dependence are, the criteria for each, the physical and psychological aspects, the roots and causes, etc. There is still much debate between medical professionals over it's nature. There is no rubric to explain the complexity of each individual on a case-by-case basis. I think it would be frivolous to reduce the causes of abuse and dependence to a simple "black-and-white" free choice argument.

Do people exist who aren't "willfully engaging in the behavior"? Who's being forced to do drugs?