Lusting Poisons

There is a dangerous increase in drug and alcohol abuse in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 2.1 million hospital Emergency Department visits in 2009 were the result of drug abuse. In “Addicts, Mythmakers, and Philosophers,” Dr. Alan Brody tackles Plato and Socrates’ understanding of habitually bad behavior. Upon reading the title, one wonder how the three interlock. However, Brody does so excellently by proclaiming the difficulty in addiction, the myths surrounding it, and the philosophers spin on self-regulation.

The article starts by Brody giving an anecdote of his encounter with an alcoholic. Further on under other subheads, he talks hypothetically about addiction, analogizes about religion, and brings Enlightenment to addiction. The author never attacks addicts, his tone in the article is nonjudgmental and helpful. I feel the author wants to aid in the end of addictions and I am in total agreeance. So yet again, here is another successful article because it applies similar paradigms within Gerald Graff’s They Say, I Say. The noted paradigms used within the article are metacommentary, saying why it matters, mixing academic and colloquial styles, and anticipating objections.

The first noted paradigm in Brody’s article is metacommentary. Metacommentary is an explanation of the main text. (130) A supreme example is, “…we concluded that Thad was suffering from alcoholism…  I explained how a compulsive condition such as alcoholism can change how one evaluates what to do, so that someone who previously decided not to drink can come to temporarily think it is okay to do so. After I explained how this kind of change of thought could produce a motive for drinking, Thad saw how his ability to endure suffering couldn’t be counted on to guarantee abstinence.” (Brody) Though many know that alcohol is addicting and that many people are not as casual as a drinker as they say, alcoholism is graver than many think. Alcoholism is actually a disease and can be fatal. It is not as simple as going cold turkey, not only does one mentally reason with themselves, they do so physically because their body has become dependent on the substance they abuse. (130)

Another important paradigm is saying why it matters. In other words, stating who the audience is and why they should care about the matter (93-97). By acknowledging who cares, you name specific communities or groups who have a stake in your claims. By making the final paragraph about addicts and non-addicts alike, the audience is established. Those that should care are those with addictions, those without addictions, those that know people with addictions, and those that want to help people with addictions. (95)  “When thinking how misfortune has deprived someone of what is needed for doing better, we sometimes respond compassionately by communicating that the person would have done better at controlling their over-eating/smoking/alcoholism/other temptations if they could have. When we realize that luck is required to put into place what was needed in order to have what would have enabled us to have done better, more compassion might arise towards ourselves and others, as we see how the trouble we bring about is also what fortune sets up for us.” (Brody) By placing addiction a wider scale, it is not only for the fatal habits, but for those that are religiously acted upon and impossible to quit on our own. (96-97)

Now knowing the meaning of the author’s words, the intended audience, and the pertinence of the cause, the linguistics come into play. Though the author may explain and define their work, their use of academic or colloquial vocabulary effects our understanding and their authority (121). A prime example is used in, “Thad and other patient names are pseudonyms.” (Brody) We know that Thad was a patient because he had visited and resided at Dr. Brody’s rehabilitation facility. However when we encounter the word pseudonym, we are not sure how Dr. Brody is categorizing his patients. So we may start to break the word down into pieces and look at places of origin to better understand the word. For instance, pseudo is Greek meaning falsehood. When looking upon the ending of the word –nym, we think of other words with the same ending, synonym and antonym. If these words mean to have similar or opposing names, then pseudonym means to have a fictitious name. By adding words as such, the article gains more prestige and is not seen as solely casual. (122-123)

The final noted paradigm is planting naysayers. Graff’s novel talks about skeptics objecting the work of the author’s they read. However, one can avoid falling prey to these objections by anticipating them and placing them in your argument. They not only aid your claim but tempt others to follow your claim as well. “Addiction is not just a condition made up of a bunch of weak-willed acts. Addiction undermines the person’s self-regulation, true. But it also undermines their ability to accurately assess their problem’s seriousness as it repetitively generates a willingness or motivation for acting in violation of their most important preferences, even knowingly. Moreover, those who follow addiction’s callings do not simply act from their own sanctioned desires; they have become the enchanted followers of yearnings arising from a metastasized love.” (Brody) By giving way to the common objections within addictions, Brody produced amazing rebuttal. Many will argue that those with addictions are hopeless and will never change. They believe that addictions cannot be beat or that one will always revert to their previous habit. But addiction is not always about will power, there has to be a drive within the addict or a support system pushing them to a healthier lifestyle. When pondering the cogs and gears that move within addiction, one has to place themselves in that position. Though many do not abuse substances or alcohol, think of your deepest desires or the people that you love. The difficulty of quitting a favorite hobby/past-time or losing a loved one is in equilibrium with quitting an addiction. (79-87)

After reading the article, I too can attest to the difficulty in addiction. Though mine is not to alcohol or drugs, anytime one feels compelled to act and cannot regulate their behavior, it is still an addiction. I agree with the Brody, I believe an end must be and can be met in the addiction and procrastination. Though some may feel hopeless, the same emotions are not felt for all. Some genuinely want to end their addiction and need the correct help physically and psychologically in order to be rid of it. Moreover, blame should not be placed on the victims, not all are at fault to what has succumbed them. By providing resources and an open door for addicts they can reenter society prepared and emotionally, physically, and spiritually stable.

Brody, Alan, Dr. "Addicts, Mythmakers and Philosophers." Addicts, Mythmakers and Philosophers. Philosophy Now, Oct.-Nov. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015. <https://philosophynow.org/issues/90/Addicts_Mythmakers_and_Philosophers>.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.