You know, I'm actually going to post something here, I usually just lurk around lemmy.

Because I agree with you.

Fundamentally, people can have opinions about "facts" including that those facts are incorrect.

Science has become a religion. That's my unpopular opinion. And the scientific method is grossly misunderstood these days.

You don't get to just say, "it's a scientific fact" and walk away from a discussion the defacto winner.

Scientific concensus just means that a large number of people within a given field with a certain level of expertise agree on the same conclusions to any sets of data. It does not make it an absolute reality, all binding and unchallengable.

Science works best when these conclusions are continually challenged by laymen and experts alike.

Addiction in particular is not simple. And the labeling of it as a disease can be detrimental to recovery as it offers an easy out that can allow for interpretations that remove responsibility and free will.

Is that always the case? No. But I have witness to it. That's anecdotal, sure, but that's irrelevant to my personal experiences that form my OPINION on the subject.

It's ridiculous to think that an approach to addiction treatment that places a burden on the choice that is involved in it is flawed and incapable of helping people.

My favorite quote on the subject came from Kurt Cobain, who once said, and I'm paraphrasing,

"Addiction is saying 'fuck it'".

You don't get to choose to not say "fuck it" and cure your cancer. And while it's certainly not easy, no one has recovered from addiction without the acknowledgement of their choice in the condition.

Maybe addiction is a disease. I don't presume to know with certainy, but I do know that labeling it as such has hurt people in the throws of it, as much as I know it has helped some.

Anyway, I just thought you should know that you're not alone in your position in this, even if what I've said isn't in line with your point of view on the subject.

To the point of the OP, what's the point of this sub if discussion on a particular topic is shut down with statements like "that's not an opinion, it's stupidity"?

Opinions can and are held upon all kinds of supposed facts. Let's discuss them.

At least you contributed with some real effort.

I've awalys liked the requirement of a submission statement on all posts. It severs as a summery of the posted topic, encourages the poster to explain the relevance to the community, and provides a good jumping off point that often will spark and foster more discussion.

Not sure if others feel the same, but that's a rule I personally think could be added that might be beneficial.