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  • Essay / Is Addiction a Disease or a Choice: An Analysis of Assumptions

    Researchers, doctors, educators, and members of society at large all have varying assumptions about addiction. These assumptions include moral, political, and scientific ideas. A common assumption or question is that addiction is a disease or a choice. In this essay we will take a closer look at this hypothesis and what arguments can be for or against it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Many people believe that addiction is a matter of morality and self-control that can be solved through punishment. Opposition process theory states that individuals use drugs for pleasure and continue to use them to avoid withdrawal systems. Getting sick becomes a punishment and drugs a reward. This implies that drugs are the only component of this problem. Although it does, because it is often considered too simplistic. Many people believe that simply stopping drug use does not solve all the problems or consequences. They believe that individuals suffer from a neurological disease caused by genetic abnormalities in the brain and that it is not entirely within their control. According to the disease model, addiction is a disease characterized by abnormalities in brain structure and function. This causes people with these abnormalities to become dependent on a substance once they are exposed to it. An important question is whether medications or the individual's sensitivity, history, perception, and genes have a greater impact on these negative outcomes. Assuming that some individuals have a predisposition to addiction is to assume that the negative consequences depend more on that individual than on the use of the drug itself. These assumptions have huge implications for how we view addicted people and how to manage addiction through policy. Another set of competing hypotheses is that drugs immediately increase victims. This hypothesis implies that limiting people's exposure to drugs will limit their chances of becoming addicted. On the other hand, it is often considered that people with significant problems are more likely to resort to self-medication. There is no doubt that drugs play a role in addiction, but perhaps personal characteristics play a greater role than just exposure to a particular substance in whether an individual becomes addicted. Some people believe that drugs change individuals and cause them to become obsessed with a certain drug, while others believe that people with problems will be more likely to seek out drugs. Drugs are often thought to be inherently dangerous. Drugs cause overdoses, illnesses and dangerous behaviors. Other people believe that many factors influence the dangers of drugs. Certain ways of taking drugs and the circumstances surrounding them are what make them dangerous. There is a widespread assumption that the war on drugs leads to more dangerous methods of drug delivery and makes it more difficult to obtain clean medications, resources, and medical care when needed. The “iron law of prohibition” states that prohibition leads to higher dosage levels and more dangerous means of administration. It's reminiscent of the alcohol prohibition that transformed Americans..