title: Public attitudes in Australia towards the claim that addiction is a (brain) disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the Australian public's understandings of addiction to alcohol and heroin and the factors predicting support for the idea that these types of addiction are 'diseases' and specifically 'brain diseases'.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected as part of the 2012 Queensland Social Survey, a computer-assisted telephone interview of 1263 residents of Queensland, Australia. Participants were presented with scenarios of two addicted persons, one who was addicted to heroin and the other addicted to alcohol. Participants were asked a series of questions about different definitions and causes of addiction for both characters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over half of the respondents thought that addiction is a disease (alcohol: 67%, heroin: 53%), but fewer (alcohol: 34%, heroin: 33%) believed that addiction is a brain disease. Belief that addiction has biological causes predicted agreement that addiction is a disease [alcohol: odds ratio (OR) = 3.05 (2.15-4.31), heroin: OR = 3.99 (2.82-5.65)] and a brain disease [alcohol: OR = 4.97 (3.42-7.22), heroin: OR = 14.12 (9.23-21.61)]. Women were more likely than men to agree that addiction is a disease [alcohol: OR = 1.79 (1.35-2.38), heroin: OR = 1.40 (1.09-1.81)] as were those 35 years of age and older [alcohol: OR = 2.25 (1.50-3.40), heroin: OR = 1.50 (1.01-2.24)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is more public support for the idea that addiction is a 'disease' than for the more specific claim that it is a 'brain disease'. Support for a biological aetiology of addiction predicted higher levels of agreement with both disease concepts.
authors.affiliation: UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meurk
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morphett
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lucke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D011793:Queensland; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol; brain disease model of addiction; heroin; neuroethics; public attitude