Music, Addiction, And Imaginary Diseases

If we are to believe the argument that addiction is a disease, then we should also believe that the ability to play improvised jazz, conduct an orchestra, or freestyle rap is a disease. Indeed, if mere measurements of brain activity are sufficient proof of disease, then anything and everything we do is caused by disease – the term loses all relevance, and our society gets further and further away from real solutions to behavioral problems. Being an expert musician is not a diseased state – nor is being an expert drug user.