10 Assumptions that Distinguish the Life Process Program from the Disease Model

Introduction

For decades, the prevailing view of addiction treatment has been informed by the disease model—the idea that addiction is a biological or inherited ailment requiring medical or 12-step’s so-called spiritual intervention. While the disease model has helped some people understand and address their struggles, it often leaves individuals feeling powerless. They define themselves by their “condition” rather than getting a grasp on and changing it.

The Life Process Program offers a fundamentally different perspective. Rather than seeing addiction as a disease you have, it frames addictive behavior as an habitual response to life’s challenges—one that can be unlearned and replaced with healthier coping strategies.

Below are ten key assumptions that set the Life Process Program apart from the disease model. These differences influence how you understand addiction, how you approach recovery, and the range of tools you can use to create meaningful, lasting change in your life.

Disease Model	Life Process Program
1. Addiction is inbred and biological	1. Addiction is a way of coping with yourself and your world
2. The solution is medical treatment and membership in spiritual groups such as A.A.	2. The solution requires self-awareness, new coping skills, and changing your environment
3. Addiction is all-or-nothing; you are or aren’t an addict	3. Addiction is a continuum; your behavior is more or less addicted
4. Addiction is permanent and you can relapse at any moment	4. Addiction can be outgrown
5. Addicts are “in denial” and must be forced to acknowledge they have a disease	5. You should identify problems and solutions in ways that work for you
6. The recovering addict/alcoholic is the expert on addiction	6. Those without an addiction problem are the best models
7. Addiction is a “primary” disease	7. Addiction stems from other life problems you have
8. Your main associates must be other recovering addicts	8. You should associate with a normal range of people
9. You must accept the disease philosophy to recover	9. Getting better is not a matter of believing a dogma
10. Surrendering to a higher power is the key to recovery	10. You must develop your own power to get better

Lets look at each of these assumptions in more detail:

• 1. Source of Addiction
  Disease Model: Addiction is inbred and biological.
  Life Process Program: Addiction is a way of coping with yourself and your world.Under the disease model, addiction is often viewed as an inescapable genetic fate. The Life Process Program sees addiction as a pattern of behavior developed to deal with stress, pain, or lack of fulfillment. Rather than labeling yourself as diseased, this perspective empowers you to understand the underlying reasons for your addictive habits.

  2. Finding the Solution
  Disease Model: The solution is medical treatment and membership in spiritual groups like AA.
  Life Process Program: The solution requires self-awareness, new coping skills, and changing your environment.Conventional treatment relies heavily on medical or spiritual frameworks. In contrast, the Life Process Program encourages you to understand your triggers, develop healthier ways to respond to life’s challenges, and possibly reshape your environment so that positive change can flourish.

  3. Nature of Addiction
  Disease Model: Addiction is all-or-nothing; you are or you aren’t an addict.
  Life Process Program: Addiction exists on a continuum; your behavior is more or less addicted.Instead of defining yourself as permanently “an addict,” the Life Process Program suggests looking at addiction as existing along a spectrum. This more flexible view acknowledges that people can reduce their addictive behaviors and become progressively less reliant on them, moving toward healthier habits over time.

  4. Permanence of Addiction
  Disease Model: Addiction is permanent, and you can relapse at any moment.
  Life Process Program: Addiction can be outgrown.The idea that addiction is a lifelong label is entrenched in the disease model. The Life Process Program believes that individuals can grow beyond addictive behaviors, ultimately leaving them behind, rather than living in perpetual fear of inevitable relapse.

  5. The Role of “Denial”
  Disease Model: Addicts are “in denial” and must be forced to acknowledge they have a disease.
  Life Process Program: You should identify problems and solutions in ways that work for you.In traditional models, confrontation is often used to break through “denial.” The Life Process Program respects your personal journey, encouraging you to recognize problems in your own way and find strategies that resonate with you, rather than insisting you adopt a predefined identity or belief system.

  6. Who Are the Experts?
  Disease Model: The recovering addict/alcoholic is the expert on addiction.
  Life Process Program: Those without an addiction problem are often the best models.From the Life Process perspective, inspiration and guidance need not come exclusively from those who have struggled with addiction. Non-addicted individuals who demonstrate resilient, balanced ways of handling life’s challenges can serve as powerful role models, offering valuable lessons without the prerequisite of having “been there” themselves.

  7. Underlying Causes
  Disease Model: Addiction is a “primary” disease.
  Life Process Program: Addiction stems from other life problems you have.Rather than viewing addiction as an isolated illness, the Life Process Program suggests it’s often a symptom of deeper, unresolved issues—emotional distress, lack of purpose, inadequate social support, or unaddressed personal challenges. By addressing these core life problems, you naturally undermine the need for addictive behavior.

  8. Social Environment
  Disease Model: Your main associates must be other recovering addicts.
  Life Process Program: You should associate with a normal range of people.While support from others who understand your struggles can be beneficial, limiting yourself primarily to people in recovery can reinforce an addiction-centered identity. The Life Process Program encourages you to engage with diverse social networks, promoting a richer, more balanced life that doesn’t revolve around addiction.

  9. Belief and Recovery
  Disease Model: You must accept the disease philosophy to recover.
  Life Process Program: Getting better is not a matter of believing a dogma.The Life Process Program does not require you to adopt a certain philosophical stance. Recovery does not hinge on believing that you’re diseased; it’s about discovering and implementing strategies that genuinely improve your life, regardless of any particular doctrine.

  10. Power and Self-Determination
  Disease Model:Surrendering to a higher power is the key to recovery.
  Life Process Program: You must develop your own power to get better.Instead of asking you to give up control, the Life Process Program places the power to change firmly in your hands. It’s about recognizing your capacity to reshape your life through your own choices, skills, and determination, rather than relying on an external force.

 

Conclusion
The Life Process Program offers a hopeful, humanistic, and empowering approach to overcoming addiction. We offer an evidence based alternative to traditional treatments approaches such as the AA or NA.

By understanding addiction as a learned behavior, embracing a flexible view of recovery, and encouraging individuals to build on their own strengths, this model frees you from seeing yourself as ill or broken. Instead, it recognizes you as capable of growth, change, and fulfillment.

As you explore these ten assumptions, consider how they resonate with your personal experience. Moving beyond the disease model may open the door to renewed hope, authentic self-awareness, and a life defined not by addiction, but by resilience, purpose, and possibility.