... 11/10/14 Sociology of Addiction Position Paper Is Drug Addiction a Disease/Choice? People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers. Addiction can be defined as a behaviour that creates physical and psychological pleasure. However, this is where the cost to the individual visibly outweighs the benefits. Only psychoactive drugs that affect the brains pleasure zones will resort to dependence of substances. These substances include anything from alcohol and nicotine, to a variety of legal and illegal drugs. Even though there is a large amount of information on substance use for individuals there is not one individual theory that is singled out in regards to addiction. The definition from the dictionary describes addiction as a condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with, or involved in something. Addiction itself can be defined as unmanageable, compulsive and an act that is carried out even when it threatens the individuals health and wellbeing or the potential harmful social consequences it could pose. The biggest argument is that addiction is a choice not a disease. For those on the other side of the argument...
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...view addiction as a disease? Drug addiction is a significant problem in today’s society yet it also seems to be debatable as to whether society should view drug addiction as a disease or choice. Drug addiction continues to grow and affects a diverse population which includes much younger age groups. It must be noted that drug addiction is a voluntary choice; whereas disease is not, despite whether a disease is deemed mental and/or physical in nature. Frankly, whether society views addiction as a disease or choice, it is a problem and a controversial issue. The definition of drug addiction, according the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is: “the quality or state of being addicted <addiction to reading>, compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.”(“Addiction” n.d.) Numerous government and other science researchers continue to study drug addiction while addressing whether addiction is a choice or a disease. There is significantly more information that states addiction is a choice. Drug addiction may be the underlying cause of a disease. However, despite whether addiction may result in disease, addiction is a choice and it is a subject of major study and may reflect how addiction is viewed. “Scientifically, the contention that addiction is a disease is...
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...Disease of Addiction Harley E. Lang Argosy University English 101 Module 4, Assignment 2 3-28-2015 There has been a war of two sides about substance abuse and addiction; scientific research has proven time and time again that addiction is a disease. The opposition side says that substance abuse and addiction is a choice of behavior. In an article published by Psychiatric Times, Jeffrey A. Schaler, author of Addiction Is a Choice, stated “Addiction is a behavior and thus clearly intended by the individual person.” He goes on in this article talking about how the addict monitors their use and the amount they use, so they are aware of what they are doing which makes it a choice to use. However scientific research proves that the use of drugs and alcohol changes brain patterns and the release of hormones in the brain which actually causes addiction, a disease after the choice to use is in the past. If addiction is a choice then so would be choosing to live an empty life full of pain, health issues, loss, and jail time. Who in their right mind would choose to lead a life like that? Drug and alcohol addiction only begins as a choice which creates a disease developed when the brain is subjected to substance abuse over a period of time, once the brain patterns change, it’s not about choice anymore. The disease of addiction should not be judged by people who have no personal experience and are not willing to face scientific facts. Studies have proven how the brain goes...
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...Addiction, what is it? Is it something that we feel or is it really a choice? For years in my personal life I have seen addiction take over my whole family through drugs and alcohol. It has destroyed many of people and it has helped many of people at the same time. When the word “addiction” is said it is manly used in a negative way, but it can also be positive as well. So is it or is it not a choice? In the beginning of any addiction it always starts off as choice or “something you want to do”. You want to drink, you want to do drugs, you want to have sex, etc. As time goes on though those so called “choices” that you once had start to become more addictive and more addictive until you are at a point where you don’t feel like or want to do something for your own pleasure, but you need it, you need to drink, you need to smoke, you need to have sex, etc. That once choice of addiction you had now becomes a disease, a uncontrollable need physically and mentally. So what now? Should you keep on believing that this once called “choice” that you had can be controlled or is it indeed an actual disease that is uncontrollable and that you may need help for (that’s even if you want the help)? The cure for addiction is totally up to the addict, but it is in fact that through time the addictions that a person once wanted are now addictions that a person needs every day, every minute, and every second and that is why addiction is not choice. In Alice M. Young’s research paper Addictive...
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...Addiction: Disease, or Self-Inflicted Destruction? Drug addiction is a large problem in today’s society. There’s an ongoing debate on whether drug addiction is a choice or if it is truly a disease. Addiction is a sickness because it is common among people who suffer from mental illness, it is an actual brain disease due to the lack of dopamine in certain individuals and, it is damaging the body without the abuser even knowing. however, most people believe it is a choice because the first time somebody agrees to just try it once they are hooked for life. People who suffer from drug addictions brains are severely affected. Drug “ addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use” (Is...
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...Models/Theories of Addiction Moral Model of Addiction: It is one of the oldest theories of addiction. Under this theory, addiction is the result of an individual's poor choices made from having a lack of will power or moral strength. It does not recognize biological or genetic factors to addiction, ignores all the scientific evidence including genetics, neurobiology/pharmacology and twin studies and offers no sympathy for addicts. It believes that addiction can be cured by simply choosing not to use alcohol or drugs. Although not commonly used anymore, there are still many who feel addiction is still the result of moral failure. Addictive Disease Model of Addiction: Defines addiction to alcohol or other drugs as being an incurable and irreversible progressive disease. There is no cure for the addiction but it can be controlled by lifelong abstinence and group support. It believes addicts cannot control their need for alcohol or other drugs and will ignore negative outcomes to use. This dependency is a result of pre-existing genetic chemical alterations in the brain which are activated by the substance abuse. Progression of the disease is measured by the amount, frequency, and the circumstances of an individual's substance use. Treatment starts with the individual acknowledging and admitting their problem, followed by addiction recovery treatment, and then maintaining sobriety with lifelong recovery through abstinence and support groups like AA or NA. Behavioral/Environmental...
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...Addiction: The Disease HS 101: Addiction Pharmacology & Physiology Instructor: Wanda Urban November 23, 2013 I have often wondered why I turned out the way I did, an addict. I wonder if circumstances in my life influenced or contributed to that first time I decided to alter my state with a drug. Honestly, I don’t think it did. I had a normal childhood, in a loving family. We did not have a lot of money, but we had enough. We ate dinner together every night, we went camping in the summer, and took frequent family vacations. Even though there were no traumatic events to blame, I became an addict. But, I am not alone. A quick Google search will tell you that in 2002 there were an estimated 22 million Americans dependent on or abusing drugs, alcohol or both. That was a staggering number then, and is likely much higher now. Every day the news is full of the ramifications of addiction like drug overdoses, alcohol related accidents, and even death. I wonder how many of the people involved in these situations became addicts because of choice or if they were predisposed to the disease of addiction? There is much debate on whether addiction is a choice or a disease. Hundreds of books, journals and articles have been written on the topic and yet, the verdict is still out. Even in my own family there are conflicting points of view. At the dinner table one person argues it is definitely a choice, another says it is a disease, and yet another says it may very well be a disease...
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...Addiction is a disease of choice as a disorder in the Brain’s Reward (Hedonic) System Dr. McCauley was motivated to analyze the term ‘Disease of Addiction’. The foremost question faced in addictionology, “Is addition really a disease?” It is actually is much more than a disease. Drug addiction deprives brain from the dopamine neurons. Frontal cortex to the midbrain changes and creates the dwindling of the mind with the continued use of drugs. The choice argument states an addict says he cannot stop. Dr. McCauley shows that an addict can stop, by helping them to make the correct choices or making the choice for the addict. The simple experiment cracks me up (normal reaction for an addicted person due to relating to the situation), flooring...
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...Addiction, Emotional Problem or Disease? Tom Warnick Colorado Mountain College Abstract My topic of research for this paper was the nature of addiction, the controversy of labeling addiction a disease, and the difference between a disease and behavioral problems. I learned about the sociological stigma of the “sick role” that is to be assumed by anyone with a debilitating medical condition or disease, and argued my point that addiction should not be considered a disease, but rather a behavioral problem. Assuming the “sick role” offers rights and social exemptions that I do not feel addicts deserve, as well as demanding obligations that addicts are not interested in adhering to. In the following pages, I explain my position that society enables addict by labeling addiction as a disease, thus exempting them from any responsibility for that which they are entirely responsible for.when, on, the economy could collapse An addiction forms into a habit only after the choice has been made to consume a addictive substance in the first place; Addiction is a physical or mental habit; you could have an addiction as simple as biting your nails or as pervasive as smoking methamphetamine. However, while addiction is a very complex and serious problem for many people, others are able to use equal proportions of substances and are unaffected by the grasp of addiction. Although certain people may have more self-control/willpower than others, this does not make them immune to the...
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...Addiction choice or disease This essay will look to outline the different arguments in that; addiction to a substance is a choice of one’s free will, or is it a disease element in our bio chemical or physical make up? It will consider, if addiction extends from genes inherited from parents or forefathers, or if it is a learned behaviour through day to day lifestyles, and changes through growth from tots to teens, to youths, then to adults. It will also seek to analyse how different approaches and points in this relevant argument can be debated in the academic and medical world, with the views and discussion of recognised professionals in the study of addiction. The definition of addiction ad-dic-tion (noun) is ‘the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physical habit forming to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma (Dictonary .com, 2012) One valid stance is that addiction is a chemical imbalance in Deoxyribonucleic Acid (D.N.A) (Wachuku, 2003, p. 199); any toxin or chemical artificially entered into the bloodstream may have a more serious effect on certain human beings than others. It could be argued that some are able to tolerate these toxins or chemicals without becoming addicted, whilst others quite easily fall into addiction, whether it is to alcohol, prescribed drugs, illegal solvents, stimulants, hallucinogenic or anti-depressants. Dr Robert West Professor of Health Psychology University College London...
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...Webster defines addiction as a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful. And one of the most menacing addictions to ruin the lives of countless people would have to be drug addiction. But is it really a disease? Addiction in my opinion is not a disease, but a choice in lifestyle. If drugs and even alcohol were to be called a disease than we must completely redefine the term “disease”. In a true disease, some part of the body is in a state of abnormal functioning, and this causes the undesirable symptoms. Like cancer for instance, it is caused by mutated cells which we point to as evidence of an abnormality. The theory of drugs being a disease is simply to soften the blow of being a drug addict or alcoholic, also the person would have no control whatsoever. Many feel that the calling drug addiction a disease weakens the drug addict and almost allows him to feel pity for himself, pity that would leads the addict to justify his addition. According to Gene Heyman, a lecturer in psychology at the Harvard Medical School addiction is not an involuntary disease but is created by personal choices. Heyman looked at different factors that can influence an addict to stop using, and pointed out there are thousands of ex-addicts who have beat their addiction. We should all...
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...Addiction can be defined as an uncontrollable need for or use of a habit-forming substance (“Merriam-Webster”). Addiction is impacted by one’s tolerance and the physiological symptoms that follow when suffering from withdrawal of a substance (“Merriam-Webster”). In our society today, we spend more than $740 billion in relation to crime, lost work productivity, and health care for those who use substances harmfully (“National Institute”). As addiction continues to be a serious problem for many individuals in the US, there continues to be a question: is addiction a disease or a choice made by the own individual (Russell, Davies, & Hunter, 2011)? Disease vs. Choice Addiction as a disease or choice are the most commonly known perspectives to...
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...States addicted to alcohol or drugs (“Abuse, National Institute on Drug”). However, only about eleven percent of these people will seek treatment; the remaining eight-nine percent of people continue their lives with this incurable disease. There are various reasons why they are not being treated, some are unable to afford the cost, some lack the support and family and friends and others are still in the state of denial. In the book Clean by Amy Read, the Documentary, Russell Brand from Addiction to Recovery and the short story, “A Counselor’s Personal Narrative on Drug Addiction,” by Lauren Armstrong express that until society accepts that addiction is a serious disease, the...
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...Pleasure Unwoven: The Facets of Addiction When answering the question at hand, “Addiction is a disorder of the what?” One must ponder on the question and choose an answer based on a true belief or scientific facts. McCauley (2009) pointed out in his video “Pleasure Unwoven: A personal journey about addiction” that addiction is a disorder of the brain, “the very part of the brain we need to make proper decisions.” When a person is addicted to, say, alcohol, a certain part of the brain may malfunction and negative choices may occur. With the choice argument, McCauley (2009) explained that free will allows a person to make either good choices (drinking recommended amounts of water daily) or bad choices (consuming drugs or alcohol), however, a person has the right to make choices; which constitutes a behavior. With a bad choice, the person consumes drugs or alcohol to a point that the body craves it and the urge becomes so strong, that it turns into an addiction. Nevertheless, McCauley (2009) shared that if a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol is put into a position of life or death based on a particular choice (alcohol, drugs, or life), life wins and the person may choose not to take a drink or use drugs, as viewed on the video. McCauley (2009) concluded with information from new research expressing...
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...Professor Barry Berger Drugs, Society, and Behavior December 12, 2013 Is there an addictive personality? Is there such thing as an addictive personality, and if so, why are some people more prone to becoming “addicts” while others are not? This question was something that interested me when I saw that the topic was available to talk about. Being an addict or becoming an addict to something, for instance, drugs can consume someone’s life. This subject is very puzzling in the medical world. Being an addict means that a person is “reliant on a substance or behavior that the individual has little power to resist (NIDA).” If a person has an already predisposed personality to becoming addicted to something, then that addiction can consume the person’s actions and every thought. An addictive personality is referred to as a particular set of personality traits that can make an individual predisposed to addictions. Two types of addictions are substance-abuse addictions and behavioral-based addictions. In substance abuse addictions, dopamine is released in the brain due to the usage of the drug. This causes a range of sensations to happen, producing a euphoric event, making the addict to feel this sensation again, leading to drug abuse. It creates a compulsive need for the drug and craving the drug badly that when the drug isn’t administered could lead to withdrawals. On the other hand, the behavioral addictions are similar to the substance abuse addictions, expect that the individual...
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