The main
argument of the article “Addicts, Mythmakers, and Philosophers” is that
addiction is a more complex issue than people may make it out to be – the
article argues that it is “a condition arising from a compulsion which
undermines the ability to self-regulate” (Brody). The section that interests me
most is about addiction as a disorder.
As stated
by Alan Brody in the article, I agree
that addiction is a disease (Graff 2). Without going into too much detail,
I have enough experience with addiction to know that it isn’t “just a condition
made up of a bunch of weak-willed acts” (Brody). In other words, someone who is addicted doesn’t just give in to
their addiction because they’re bored or because they just feel like it (Graff
135). Weighing the consequences is a huge part of addiction, and those with an
addiction may not always have clear judgment about what those consequences are
and if the decision they’re making is necessarily the best one.
Another
point that Brody makes is that addiction can cause someone to not see his or
her situation clearly. Brody himself
writes, “Addiction undermines the person’s self-regulation, true. But it
also undermines their ability to accurately assess their problem’s seriousness”
(Graff 46, Brody). For example, someone can be drinking all the time and still
think they are a “functioning alcoholic” or not an alcoholic at all because
nothing serious has happened yet, when in reality they have a major problem.
Brody writes, “The ability to recover often has to develop as a result of
experiencing addiction’s deep hardships,” (Brody). On the one hand, I agree with Brody that some addicts may have a
deciding moment where they realize that they need to break their addiction,
because it’s not what’s best for them. But
on the other hand, I still insist that addiction is a disorder, and even the worst situations won’t change an addict’s
thought process (Graff 89). An alcoholic can have lost the respect of his or
her children and be vomiting their own blood because of late-stage liver
failure, but may still continue to
drink, because their judgment is not clear about the seriousness of their
situation.
In
conclusion, I have to say that I agree with Brody, up to an extent. Addiction
is a disease and an addict does not always see their situation clearly and
understand the consequences behind the decisions they are making. Therefore,
addicts cannot just decide one day to simply “give up” their addiction, like
Thad’s story in the beginning of the article, because they may not always be able
to help themselves get out of their own minds and assess what has happened to
their life.
Brody, Alan. "Addicts, Mythmakers
and Philosophers." Philosophy Now.
Philosophy Now,
2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2015. <https://philosophynow.org/issues/90/Addicts_Mythmakers_and_Philosophers>.
Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst.
They Say / I Say. 3rd ed. New York:
W.W. Norton, 2015. Print.
I liked the section you chose to focus on. I agree with the point you talk about regarding addiction as a disease, but I also feel like it was an initial choice that was made that could have possibly been an uneducated decision. good work
ReplyDeleteI think the last part of the second should be somewhere else because the paragraph is about agreeing with graph, but the statements fit more into the paradigm he is arguing against.
ReplyDeleteI like how you bring your personal voice and experience into the post. It helps make me as a reader more sympathetic, and willing to keep reading. You said that you agree with Brody up to an extent, but where is it that you don't agree with him?
ReplyDeleteYou employed Graff's templates well to expand your points, explain them, and provide metacommentary. Your personal comments also make it clear that this is a very important topic to you. To me, it seemed like Brody would agree that addiction is a disorder. Where do you think he disagrees with that?
ReplyDelete