Addicts, Mythmakers, and Philosophers

The main point in this article is to have a better understanding to why people cannot give up their addictions. It starts by describing a man who it seems can take any pain and suffering, but cannot give up his alcohol addiction.  The man described has every intent to quit and simply could not. In the article. it is said that, “When he came in for his next appointment he looked pained, shocked and confused. He told me that in spite of his decision to remain abstinent, he drank” (Brody). This story’s purpose was to provide an understanding of just how addicted people get and how quitting seems almost out of their control. 

One point I found interesting is the fact that most people that are addicted to something don’t want to do it anymore, but they can’t stop. I agree with most of what the article says. The article’s point is that that when people get addicted to things, it sometimes gets to the point where they literally cannot stop (47).

A statement in the article I agreed with was, “It’s possible that an addict is able, at times, to control the urge to use; but the addict also might not be able to prevent an urge to use from spontaneously arising and motivating” (Brody). I have witnessed people, such as distant family members, who have gone through an addiction. It is easy to agree with this from what I know about people I know. Another point I found very agreeable was, “It’s common to change one’s mind when faced with temptation.” (Brody). I think this sums up the reason why it is so hard for people to quit. People have every intention to stop and the slightest temptation can change their mind temporarily. It seems to relate to a mental illness in a way, people’s desires seem out of their control in certain moments.

I found it interesting that the article used Socrates’ words to help understand addiction. Socrates explains that we always do what we believe is good. The essence of Socrates argument is that, “When we know the good we will choose to do it; temptation is a power to distort what we think is good” (Brody) (47). In other words, Socrates believes we don’t always do what is good, but we do what we believe is good in that moment (47). I believe it is accurate to call temptation a power that can distort what we think is good, but I believe that may only be a temporary effect and that temptation does not affect someone’s desires and beliefs permanently. 

Overall, I think everything said in the article was accurate, for the most part. It seems to sum up certain things about addiction that people may not know unless they have been addicted to something themselves. Though I concede that people sometimes don’t have control over their addiction, I still insist that with the right amount of effort, anyone can quit doing what they are addicted to (65).

Brody, Alan. "Addicts, Mythmakers and Philosophers." Philosophy Now. 1 Nov. 2015. 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.