It is definitely a choice. People choose to do it. It might become a disease later on but it starts out with the choice to do it.

i think its mostly a disease but i also think that a teensy tiny bit is partly because of choice

it is NOT a choice. i have been a recovering addict sober 20 years almost. if i could have stopped on my own i would. yes i chose the first hit the first drink but after that is was out of my control

I beileve it is a disease because I am a recovering durg addict & the disease take over your life & it has to be treated just like any other disease. An example is when someone has cancer it continuously has to be treated & so does the disease of addiction. The disease of addiction will have to be treated for the rest of an addicts life in some form or another.

People drink and do drugs to num whatever pain they are going through.I believe it is a choice but they turn to these things so they don't have to feel anything they need intervention but to get it somebody needs to get involved britney is a prime example she needed help bad and she got intervention but only after she lost her kids now she is doing so much better and if more people realized this is a disease maybe they would do more for the people who can't seem to do it for themselves i have a relative that was a drug addict but it was because of what he had to deal with and he turned to the drugs to forget what happen and to keep the pain away he is doing great now but he was self destructing he was hurting no one but himself.Yes it is a choice but sometimes life is to much for someone and that is why we have all these addictions just like cigs or coffee or even soda putting them in jail does not work why not try doing what they did to my brother put him in rehab although he didn't want to be there and now he can manage his own life without the drugs.

Well I believe it's both, because in the beginning it's the choice one makes to drink or do drugs then after they've "participated" for awhile then it becomes an addiction which is a disease.

I believe its also a choice, you choose to start. I also believe that it is addicting and for those who do drink your body gets used to it and if your body doesnt have it, it complains, it hurts.
Just like coffee though, if you drink caffinated coffee everyday and then stop you get the withdrawls from the caffine, your body is used to the caffine and so to stop it you say "Oh man I need to get some caffine in me" and you go out and grab a soda or a coffee.
I think people use the word disease as an excuse for their bad habits, its like saying oh well I have a disease so its okay. Its not though.

Unless someone put a gun to your head and forced you to start, it's a choice. Plain and simple.

I think that it starts out as a choice, but some ppl become more dependant on it and it becomes like a disease to them. It takes some ppl over. I think we all make choices, but when you put something your body thinks it need in front of you, you can't help it.

for me addiction is a choice.More if you know the consecuenses and you see every day homes destroyed.You know whats right and wrong so why get into it.