Addiction is a Dignity Disorder

Human dignity refers to the value of the human person. By clarifying distinctions within human dignity, we can conclude that, whereas a person's ontological dignity cannot be lost or diminished regardless of circumstance, a person's existential, moral, or social dignity can be impaired. We describe the state of impaired existential, moral, or social dignity as a dignity disorder, which is defined by the criteria of: impaired rationality; impaired will; impaired capacity to love; and impaired body. We further demonstrate how addiction can be characterized as a dignity disorder with the associated benefit of emphasizing a personalist approach to addiction treatment with the principal intent of promoting existential, moral, and social dignity, which entails: restoring agency, self-efficacy, and freedom of choice; reconciling the internal conflict of akrasia; restoring loving, disinterested relationships; and healing the dysfunctional neuroadaptations and medical sequelae of substance use. This nosology reveals that the distinction between addiction as a choice and addiction as a disease is a false dichotomy; rather, addiction represents an impairment in both body and spirit. By incorporating the criteria of love, this nosology also reveals that addiction is an issue of both personal and societal responsibility.