Is addiction a choice?
Yes.
Side Score: 12
|
 |
No.
Side Score: 13
|
|
|
|
|
Hello CJ, Eric Berne describes the three parts of one’s personality as the adult, the child, and the parent. If the parent or the child are running things, addiction is not a choice. However, if the adult is in charge, addiction is a choice. The moral to this story is put your adult in charge. excon Side: Yes.
Eric Berne describes the three parts of one’s personality as the adult, the child, and the parent. If the parent or the child are running things, addiction is not a choice. However, if the adult is in charge, addiction is a choice. The moral to this story is put your adult in charge. Now Water Boy that is just more proof of you feeding at the Slop Trough of Propaganda Side: No.
1
point
Yes addiction is always someone’s choice. However those who are addicted do not always make the choice of addiction drug. There are groups of people who are seriously, or terminally ill, of these groups some are fortunate enough to have illness symptoms that can be chemically treated in the first place. The addiction in theses type cases is a constant battle for dwindling quality of life. Side: Yes.
1
point
|
Hello Mint, Even though a doctor may have been the catalyst for an addiction, it’s still up to the addicted person whether or not he’s gonna do the next hit. I do agree that over prescribing opioids IS the reason for our problem, But the pharmaceutical/health industry is NOT where a solution will be found. excon Side: Yes.
Not always. From personal experience I was very close to having a problem with some pain meds that a doctor had given me while I was pregnant. It was only through sheer stubborn will, a knowledge that addiction runs in my family, and fear for the my child growing in my belly that made me give my husband the pills to throw away. Now some 3 years later I still have to fight against the urge to find a way to get a "next hit". And that was after only taking them about....oh maybe....8 times? Some people have to rely on opiods (still legal) for pain management. That's probably why I'm such a large supporter for medical marijuana. Side: No.
1
point
Water Boy can you believe that LMMFAO Side: No.
This topic should not be done as a "yes" or "no" debate because the answer is not that straightforward. So even though I put my argument here, it doesn't mean it's an absolute stand. Studies have shown that those who are genetically predisposed to certain addictive behaviours (eg. alcoholism, drugs from parents who have given in to these behaviours) don't necessarily pick it up. A person who tries out drugs or alcohol don't always become an addict. But the person took the first step. So in short, if we see it from this angle, then yes - addiction is a choice. However, those studies also show that addiction in certain people changes the brain activity. Such substances causes a sense of happiness/pleasure that the brain remembers. It causes the brain to keep desiring for the substances in order to replicate the sensation. As they give in, the desire increases and so gradually, it consumes them. This means that addiction is not always a matter of choice. If they were able to hold off when the desire for the substance was weaker, they might have a chance not to become addicted. But it's not always that easy. Let me try and make this more relatable. it has been argued that all of us are addicts to something in some sense of the word. As long as anything creates a desire within us that makes us crave for more, it can be seen as a form of addiction in that sense. Think the gamer who spends an excessive amount of time playing games, spending money, forgoing normal daily activities or responsibilities, or social media, or shopping, or food, or losing weight, etc. Note that I am referring to cases where it becomes debilitating to the daily life. Can the gamer choose not to be addicted? First, in order to choose, one needs to know that they have the choice and that they need to make the choice not to be addicted. Are they even aware that they are addicted? If they don't, they would not need to make another choice since the current activity brings them the desired pleasure they crave. By the time, they get to the point where they know they are in trouble, it usually means that they are in so deep that it is no longer that easy to just cut off from it. By that time, it is no longer a choice; their brains are on autopilot and pretty much demanding for the person to fulfill that desire for pleasure no matter the cost. Some things in life are not really that definite. One needs to be careful when interacting with addicts or handling the issue of addictions. Side: No.
|
