Objection:
The strongest objection to the argument that addicts cannot be held morally responsible to get treatment for their addiction is as follows:
A requirement of addiction is that the individual understands that the action that he is addicted to is harmful to him. For example, a WSOP champion is known as just that — a poker champion, whereas a person who regularly gets into huge poker debts and may resort to criminal activities to pay off these debts is a poker addict. So when an addict makes a decision of whether to indulge in his addiction or not, he is fully aware that the addiction is harmful to him — yet he consciously makes the choice to perform this action (or take the substance, whatever the case may be). This means that the addict
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While the former has voluntarily surrendered his moral agency, the latter were never in possession of it in the first place.
If an individual, with full knowledge, surrenders his moral agency, he should be held responsible for his actions which are made without said moral agency. For example, if a person who choses not to buy auto insurance continues to drive and has a road accident, he is fully responsible for the costs involved in fixing the damages to both cars. Voluntarily giving up the duty of moral agency does not allow an individual to sidestep moral responsibility.
From this objection follows the implication that even though addicts do not have moral agency (and hence are irrational), they cannot be free from moral responsibility if the moral agency was voluntarily surrendered.
Conclusion:
Both the argument and objection bring important claims to light. At the first glance, it is difficult to decide a winning argument (or counter-argument). However, with a deeper analysis, I believe that although the objection brings out some problems with the argument, it fails to defeat the argument. The objection makes the following assumptions, which are
Although we are given free will and choice it is the choice to relinquish ourselves to God and His grace. May (1988) argues that addiction attempts to gain control over the behaviors that lead to shame and guilt. This book may be implemented into counseling to help those struggling between release of addiction and increasing spiritual growth. Ultimately, May (1988) argues that there are three simple ways in stopping addictive behavior results in “don’t do it, refuse to do it, and keep refusing to do it” (p. 178). When clients are able to face the truth of addiction, in their abilities, and longing for God they can begin to fall in love with themselves and the desire to love
Sally Satel, author of “Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate? Wrong,” leads us down a harrowing path of the causes and effects that lead people to addiction. It can be a choice, possibly subconscious, or a condition that leads a person left fighting a lifelong battle they did not intend to sign up for. Mental and emotional health/conditions, personality traits, attitudes, values, behaviors, choices, and perceived rewards are just a few of the supposed causes of becoming an addict.
When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state of being that if not treated correctly could result into harmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg suggests that in order to change ones bad habit the “Golden Rule” must be implied. The Golden Rule is a theory of shifting a habit by retaining the old cue and reward, and tries to change only the routine. Duhigg’s answer to the question in the chapter title, “Are we responsible for our habits?” is simply “Yes.” If we have an awareness of our habits, then we are responsible for their consequences. In the case of Angie Bachmann, she should be held accountable for her gambling debts because she was well aware of her own bad habit and did not try to seek for help.
Addiction is something that may seem inevitable but at the end it’s entirely the fault of a person who is addicted. In the article by Charles Duhigg ‘the power of habit’ Angie Bachmann got addicted to gambling, it was because of her fault as she kept accepting the offers from cassino and many other reasons.. Both knew what they were doing but still Angie let herself get into the situation, and the casino encouraged it. She was a well settled housewife, when everybody used to leave the house she was all alone. One fine day, while passing through the street she took a visit to casino just for a change. “She knew gambling could lead to trouble, so she set strict rules for herself. No more than one hour at the blackjack table per trip.” (pg 247,
For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic.
William Rowe has provided some good arguments and examples for his arguments. However, I find one example in particular to be unfitting in consideration to his argument.
A disease is what happens in the body as a result of those choices. As has been noted, many people do believe addiction is a sign of weakness. While the first time may be by choice, once the brain has been changed and affected by addiction. Over time the addict loses substantial control over his or her initially voluntary behavior, and it becomes compulsive (Leshner.) In Marc Branch’s “Drug Addiction. Is It a Disease or Is It Based on Choice? A Review of Gene Heyman’s Addiction: A Disorder of Choice” he discusses and explains Gene Heyman’s opinions on rather addiction is a disease or not. Heyman argues that people do not choose to be drug addicts, rather they make choices that lead to their habit of addiction. Heyman however does not believe addiction is an actual disease. Many others argue that addiction is not an actual disease because people can overcome the addiction without help or treatment. On the other hand, in Alan Leshner’s “Addiction Is a Brain Disease” he declares that addiction is an actual disease and explains “using drugs repeatedly over time changes brain structure and function in fundamental and long-lasting ways that can persist long after the individual stops using them”
It doesn’t recognize biological or genetic components to addiction and offers little sympathy for those who display addictive behaviors. The implication is that addiction is the result of poor choices, which addicts make because of a lack of willpower or moral strength”. This can be applied to Jim, because he loved playing basketball and wanted to one day be recruited into the major leagues but instead of looking for another outlet he choose to use drugs. He and his friends have the mind frame that this is one life and that they have to live it to the
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
Either our choices are causally determined, or they are accidental, both deny moral responsibility. If one acts through an accident, then it is merely due to chance that one did not choose the alternative, and so it is irrational to be held responsible. If it is not due to chance, there must be a causally determined explanation for the behaviour. A moralist will object, as to them, choice is dependent on character. We are free in the sense that we are responsible for ourselves, but only through the connection of our past and what we do now.
People who are addicted do not have control over what they are doing, taking or using. Their addiction may reach a point at which it is harmful. Addictions do not only include physical things, also include virtually anything. For instance, gambling, alcohol and junk food.
middle of paper ... ... ral. When a person persists in the taking of drugs to the extent that the person becomes dependent on them, that is, addicted, it is extremely difficult to "just say no" to using the substance, since several factors are involved tending to perpetuate its continued use. Once addicted, regardless of the reason, a person has little control over his or her behavior. Punishment, therefore, does not work as a deterrent to a person who has a serious chemical dependency problem.
Drug abuse and addiction are issues that affect people everywhere. However, these issues are usually treated as criminal activity rather than issues of public health. There is a conflict over whether addiction related to drug abuse is a disease or a choice. Addiction as a choice suggests that drug abusers are completely responsible for their actions, while addiction as a disease suggests that drug abusers need help in order to break their cycle of addiction. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that addiction is a disease, and should be treated rather than punished. Drug addiction is a disease because: some people are more likely to suffer from addiction due to their genes, drug abuse brought on by addictive behavior changes the brain and worsens the addiction, and the environment a person lives in can cause the person to relapse because addiction can so strongly affect a person.
Individuals become addicted when they surrender to a substance or activity, gradually takes over their lives with the potential to destroy it if they do not choose recovery. Addiction is characterised by compulsion, impulse and dependence ( Hardiman
There are many addictions in the world, and drug addiction is the biggest. People may experiment with the drug for many reasons. “If your drug use is causing problems in your life, then you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem”.(Lawrence Robinson pg.1) Many people start out using drugs by peer pressure or out of their own curiosity. Stress, anxiety, lows self-esteem and depression could be another factor to start using drugs. The drug takes over your body and gives you a good feeling that many people tend to enjoy. The urge to use the drug can keep increasing rapidly after the first use. The urge can become so severe that your mind can find many other ways to deny the factor of addiction. Very few drug addicts can feel and realize when they have crossed the line with drugs. A drug addicts mind can build up a very large tolerance for the drug that they start to abandon the activities they used to do on a daily basis like showering, hobbies, socializing and even being associated with family members. The person with the addiction will continue to use the drug knowing that it is harming there body, but they don’t have any remorse. A drug addict will often try to hide their problem, so they can continue to use without anyone’s input. Family and friends may try to use preaching methods or tell the user that they need to stop using the drug. This method is not ...