Benjamin Rust

9/11/2014
English 112_78
Connie Douglas

What Choice do You Have When it Comes to An Addiction?

How does a person know when they are addicted to a substance? When a person
repeatedly makes a choice to constantly partake in an act over and over again that is not
beneficial to himself nor the people around him, this is categorized as an addiction. In Article 1
Addiction is a Disease, Not a Choice, the author; Kevin McCauley, states that an addiction is a
disease that requires a cure, however in Article 2 Addiction is a Choice, Not a Disease, Dale
Netherton disagrees and believes addiction is a choice that one makes. These authors are
addressing to all audiences because addiction plays a huge role in society today. How it should
be categorized is a debatable topic. Dale states addiction is a choice. He believes if a person
chooses to start something he should be able to quit anytime; while Kevin tries to prove that an
addiction is more than just a person choosing. It is a defect in the brain.
In the article Addiction Is a Disease, Not a Choice Kevin addresses the issues that the
brain can be triggered by a mind altering substance like drugs or alcohol, and thus it can make
the body react in such a way as to make a person continue to do so said act. Kevin states,
Punishment will not work to coerce addicts into making the right choice because the drug is
tagged at the level of survival. Nothing is higher than survival. This statement seemed
significant to me because the author related having an addiction to trying to survive. Because
the body and mind are affected, an addict eventually has to adapt to his surroundings to stay
alive. The article explains the main medical issues involved in addiction as ...the disease model
says that you have an organ that gets a physical, cellular defect, and as a result you see

Benjamin Rust
9/11/2014
English 112_78
Connie Douglas

symptoms. You see the same symptoms in all patients with that defect in the organ, differing
only by severity or stage of illness. Thus categorizing addiction as a disease using this disease
model and what it takes to get into the disease club.
The second article Addiction Is a Choice, Not a Disease focuses more on a persons
behavior and choices. Dale states that it is just as easy to make a decision to quit using a
substance as it was to make the decision to start. I do not agree with this view point because
being a former cigarette smoker, I had and am still having trouble quitting for good. The urge
and satisfaction I get during and after smoking a cigarette is what allures me to their
temptations. Even though I may not agree with this article, it does make decent points by
saying, Addiction is a crutch word that makes it easy for humans to dismiss their personal
responsibility for choices. I agree in this respect in that many people may say they are addicted
to something which may not be the case. They simply may be using the word addiction as an
escape from reality so they do not have to deal with their problems.
In conclusion, Both Authors, Kevin and Dale make valid points in explaining what an
addiction is and how it should be categorized. Kevins article supports doctors facts by saying it
is a disease in a persons brain. While Dale tries to dispute Kevin by saying a person can choose
for himself whether he is addicted or not. To beat an addiction a person has to believe he is
capable of overcoming tendencies and do what is right not only for him but for the people
around him also.

Benjamin Rust
9/11/2014
English 112_78
Connie Douglas

Works Cited
1. Netherton, Dale. "Addiction Is a Choice, Not a Disease." Addiction. Ed. Christina Fisanick.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "It's Not Addiction,
It's Choice." American Chronicle. 2007. 1-4. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18
Sept. 2014.
Document URL
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOver
Type=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&dviSelectedPage=&limiter=&currPag
e=&disableHighlighting=&displayGroups=&sortBy=&zid=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC
&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010103272&source=
Bookmark&u=centralp&jsid=556eeb6d73ff5d53cd3c55e9cdf9832b
2. McCauley, Kevin T. "Addiction Is a Disease, Not a Choice." Addiction. Ed. Christina
Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Is Addiction
Really a Disease?" Texas Bar Journal (July 2004). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
18 Sept. 2014.
Document URL
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOver
Type=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&currPage=&zid=&ac

Benjamin Rust
9/11/2014
English 112_78
Connie Douglas

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&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010103273&source=Bookmark&u=centralp&jsid=b99a0001509f
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