Summary Of Addiction: Choice Or Compulsion?

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Addiction: Choice or Compulsion? Introduction A summary of the article “Addiction: Choice or Compulsion” will explain the theories and models of addictive behavior. The moral model shows addiction as a voluntary act, which the addict can control. The medical model portrays addiction as a disease and compulsive behavior that the addict has no control over. The introduction of the third model will suggest that it is neither compulsive nor voluntary (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg, 2013). Addiction and Irresistible Desires Compulsive behaviors are often thought to involve free will. It also is contrasted to be the same as compelled behavior, where the person is under the influence that they are behaving some way under their own accord. If someone resists an impulse it become increasingly difficult to be successful over time. By resisting these impulses, they experience excruciating levels of psychological pain; making it feel literally impossible to resist urges. Compulsive people have not lost the amount of self-control they have, rather that they are over whelmed by the psychological influence of the addictive behavior. These behaviors are not necessarily caused by the irresistible desires, rather habitual repetitive patterns (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg, 2013). …show more content…

Drug users rationalize that they would be unhappier if they were kept from addictive substance, therefore they increase drug use. Increased drug consumption displays what is labeled as addiction in this theory. A situation is created where high drug use becomes a daily problem. Harmful addictions have two properties: reduced welfare and increased need for the good (Henden, Melberg, & Rogeberg,

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