Drug addiction is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. This rate has increased astronomically in recent years and occurs even more than car accidents. It is a condition of dependence on a particular substance, thing or activity. There have been several debates about whether addiction is a disease or a choice. What is the difference between an addiction and a physical dependence? Is it just a habit or is it an addiction? Once you're addicted, are you still addicted? These are the most frequently asked questions when it comes to addiction. The most debatable question of all is: is there a cure for addiction? As you continue reading, I hope I can clarify and answer some of these questions for you. Addiction is not a disease that makes life difficult for people without them understanding why. Many ask: why take that first drink when you know you're not going to stop? It is very difficult for us to understand if we do not have the disease. Personally, my father and my boyfriend have the disease. They both recently got out of rehab and are sober. It took me a long time to understand that they weren't drinking to hurt me, they had this distortion in their brain that made them feel like they had to keep drinking. Even though they didn't have a choice to be addicted, they had a choice to get help for recovery and they both did. Due to addiction, the changes in your brain will last a lifetime, even when you are sober. Throughout an addict's sobriety, they will have certain triggers that can come from environmental factors and they will need to pay attention and be aware of them. As stated earlier, addiction is a disease and we all know that the habit is not. With habits, you can easily change your usual behavior from negative to positive. Addiction, in itself, is naturally known to be negative. You don't need to go to rehab to change the habit of biting your nails or twirling your hair. Addiction eventually affects your daily life, health, relationships, etc. Addicted people use the drug or drink the fifth because they feel better or "normal" afterwards with habits that are not the case. You might have the habit of drinking wine after a bad spell, which could remain just that, a habit, if you drink it in moderation and it doesn't affect your daily life..