The Difference Between Choice and Addiction - 1996 Words

The Difference between Choice and Addiction By: Michael Chorba Jr. COM 220 June 30, 2010 Nicole Mclnnes Doctors believe that addiction or alcoholism isn’t a choice but believe that it is a disease. The definition of disease is â€Å"A definite pathologic process with a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown† (MDO, 2010). Addiction and alcoholism is more of a disease than a choice. This is because a disease makes people sick and withdrawal will give you symptoms like runny nose, cold sweats, troubles sleeping and nausea just like the flu. Also the human brain can be chemically changed which could cause unstable†¦show more content†¦When a child is in an environment, in which drug abuse or alcoholism takes place he or she has an increased risk of becoming an alcoholic or substance abuser himself or herself. In this type of environment the child may also be forced to use the substances by the addicted abusing parents. The parents who use drugs and alcohol to cope with their lives will teach their children to cope with their lives the same way. This may cause the child to be taken out of a home and put into a foster care, or may be an institution. â€Å"Statistics show that 43 percent of adult Americans have been exposed to alcoholism and drug addiction in their families† (NCA, 2009). However, drug addiction and alcoholism causes physical illnesses but it, also causes mental illnesses. When a child is introduced to this disease in the past it, can cause a psychiatric disorder. When a child is in an environment with a substance abuser he or she will play a certain role in the family who will later affect the child’s mentality. For instance the child can play the role of a scapegoat who takes the blame, the hero who saves the day, the mascot that entertains, the chief enabler, the little parent or the lost child fades away in a family (AWA, 2009). These certain roles that they play as a child can cause a variety o f mental disorders and change of behaviors. If a â€Å"lost child† feels unhappy because he or she gets no attention from the family this can lead toShow MoreRelatedAddiction : An Emergent Consequence Of Elementary Choice Principles Essay1195 Words   |  5 PagesInformation Heyman, Gene M. 2013 Addiction: An Emergent Consequence of Elementary Choice Principles.Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 56 (5):428-445. Abstract The measurement of the research concerning addiction is regarded as a brain disease by researchers, physician, and informed societies; however, the extreme use of narcotics is projected as an individual’s choice. 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