“This Neuroscientist Argues That Addiction Is Not a Disease and Rehab Is Bullshit” written by Neil Sharma. Marc Lewis argues how addiction is not a disease and rehab is ineffective. Sharma Interviews Marc Lewis a scientific author, A University of Toronto Professor, faculty member at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and one who has traveled the road of recovery. The article was written in Vice, a magazine, and website that covers a broad spectrum of controversial issues. Marc Lewis uses Logos, Ethos, and Pathos to argue that addiction isn’t a disease and rehabs' are ineffective. He does this by using facts, stating comparisons to human behavior and emotion. When asked why he criticizes rehab Lewis responded “It depends on where …show more content…
The other reason he criticizes rehab is the state-run facilities that are affordable have wait lists that can sometimes be out of the time frame to help a patient. “A lot of people running rehabs are under-skilled, recovered addicts who got a crash course. They're unregulated and unsupervised. “It's a big mess. If you don't pay a large amount, there are state-run rehabs, but often there are waiting lists and other compromises that you need to go through. The waiting period itself could be a real problem because people are often willing to (get sober) within a small …show more content…
He has a counter argument which backs up his logic by stating that physical dependency is another issue on top of addiction Lewis appeals to pathos when he argues that calling addiction a chronic brain disease combats stigma. He says “If you have a disease and it's not your fault, you're not a lazy, decadent, self-centered, weak-willed whatever... it's that you have a disease, so you shouldn't feel so ashamed or guilty.” The words he uses convey a sense that society makes you feel if you’re an addict such as weak-willed whatever. Lewis uses ethos by quoting Gene M. Heyman, a research psychologist at McLean Hospital and a Lecturer in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Who writes about how age plays a role in overcoming addiction due to internal and external influences. The first influence is the internal aspect which each drug has x number years each person usually takes to quit. The second aspect is developmental age around the age of twenty the brain is developing to start using executive control. The third aspect is external factors such as
Although I have been given the knowledge I gained awareness that addiction truly is an illness. My thoughts and feelings will definitely be more tolerant and caring, all while showing concern to those that I may be blessed to be a part of their care in the future. Fortinash, K. M., & Holoday Worret, P. A. Eds. of the book. a. The adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of the adage of Substance-related disorders and addictive behaviors.
He personally has been to the addiction center and experienced what he is going to talk about. He then states “Internet addiction is the reason my thirty-six year old brother has been homeless for most of his adult life. (1)” which again shows that he has experience with what he is
This book really opened up my eyes to the world of addiction. I really like the examples that they book gives us. The book understands that it is difficult for most people and family members to understand that addiction is a disease. It could because addicts and alcoholics have done some pretty bad things, because addict’s behaviors can be intolerable and living with one can bring a family member to brink of insanity. It is easy for a person to think that someone can just give up using drugs and alcohol, but I have learn...
In the reality of the postmodern world, where nature is gone and has been replaced by technology, where the world and humankind have become fused with the machine, and the existence of morality and reality are uncertain, it is difficult to find hope for a better existence or motivation to attempt to change one's existence. Addiction then becomes a logical avenue of escape from these bleak circumstances--not affecting reality, but transforming it into something bearable. The addictions that Case turns to allow him to escape from the hard reality of his life th...
In the book, Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions, May explores how addiction develops and can be treated from a psychological, physiological, and spiritual standpoint. This theme is clearly shown throughout the text as it shows addiction from a whole person's perspective. The book covers the development of addiction from desire through the experience of addiction. The key focus is on looking at the matter of addiction from multiple stand points then broken down by explaining how addiction is an issue psychologically, physiologically, and spiritually. By focusing on these three areas, the author is able to present the reader with a clear understanding of addiction from all sides of the problem.
According to a source on the Internet entitled Alcohol and Drug Treatment: The Disease Concept Of Substance Abuse and Addiction, the idea of drugs and alcohol being a disease is a “very controversial and debated topic. ” For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that drug addiction is a choice. People get high and drink because they want to and if they are not careful they can become an addict. The research I found on this particular topic seemed to have the most support and facts to dismiss the idea that addiction is a disease. I also beeivle if there was enough evidence to support the idea of addiction being a disease it would not be such a controversial topic.
A disease is what happens in the body as a result of those choices. As has been noted, many people do believe addiction is a sign of weakness. While the first time may be by choice, once the brain has been changed and affected by addiction. Over time the addict loses substantial control over his or her initially voluntary behavior, and it becomes compulsive (Leshner.) In Marc Branch’s “Drug Addiction. Is It a Disease or Is It Based on Choice? A Review of Gene Heyman’s Addiction: A Disorder of Choice” he discusses and explains Gene Heyman’s opinions on rather addiction is a disease or not. Heyman argues that people do not choose to be drug addicts, rather they make choices that lead to their habit of addiction. Heyman however does not believe addiction is an actual disease. Many others argue that addiction is not an actual disease because people can overcome the addiction without help or treatment. On the other hand, in Alan Leshner’s “Addiction Is a Brain Disease” he declares that addiction is an actual disease and explains “using drugs repeatedly over time changes brain structure and function in fundamental and long-lasting ways that can persist long after the individual stops using them”
A big challenge that I will face is deciding which side I will take on a big debate in substance abuse counseling. Some people say that addiction is purely physical, while others disagree and believe that addiction is mostly psychological. Those who believe that it is psychological believe that it usually stems from abuse or as Jane Adams (2003) thinks an over dependence on parents. This side also says that addiction is operant conditioning and that cycle has to be broken (Silverman, Roll, & Higgins, 2008, p. 472). The other physical side of addi...
According to Leshner, drug addiction is a chronic brain disease that is expressed in the form of compulsive behaviors (Leshner, 2001). He believes that drug addiction is influence by both biological, and behavioral factors, and to solve this addiction problem we need to focus on these same factors. On the other hand, Neil Levy argues that addiction is not a brain disease rather it is a behavioral disorder embedded in social context (Levy, 2013). I believe, drug addiction is a recurring brain disease that can be healed when we alter and eliminate all the factors that are reinforcing drug addiction.
Even though science has proven that drug dependence is a disease that affects the brain, our society scrutinizes addiction as a moral weakness and many will argue with proven scientific research. This negative stigma is echoed throughout the daily lives of substance abusers and those who strive for sobriety day by day. This stigma is many times a grave concern within the workplace.
Many people dislike the term ‘addiction’ in relation to drugs or other substances, particularly as it infers that a person is powerless over their use of a particular drug or in some circumstances, a number of substances. Whilst others maintain it is this powerlessness that is the foundation of diagnosis and treatment – that treatment is not possible without recognition of addiction itself as the ‘problem’ being addressed. The professional and public perception of addiction is complicated. There are many approaches and models to explain addiction, the role of the addict, and their environment. This essay will compare and contrast two of these approaches, the medical/disease and the social model. Initially this essay will describe the origins of each model, and follow by explaining their respective strengths and weaknesses, and finish with an overview of the key differences between them. This essay will conclude by demonstrating that a holistic approach, and a cross-pollination of these models is the most successful approach to treating addicts. As is the case for all diseases, there are multiple treatment options, and as ever person is different, the results in each individual cannot be predicted.
Toates, F. (2010) ‘The nature of addictions: scientific evidence and personal accounts’ in SDK228 The science of the mind: investigating mental health, Book 3, Addictions, Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-30.
Drug abuse and addiction are issues that affect people everywhere. However, these issues are usually treated as criminal activity rather than issues of public health. There is a conflict over whether addiction related to drug abuse is a disease or a choice. Addiction as a choice suggests that drug abusers are completely responsible for their actions, while addiction as a disease suggests that drug abusers need help in order to break their cycle of addiction. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that addiction is a disease, and should be treated rather than punished. Drug addiction is a disease because: some people are more likely to suffer from addiction due to their genes, drug abuse brought on by addictive behavior changes the brain and worsens the addiction, and the environment a person lives in can cause the person to relapse because addiction can so strongly affect a person.
567-570. Leshner, A. Addiction Is a Brain Disease, and it Matters. Frontiers in Neuroscience: The Science of Substance Abuse.
For many years, people have suffered many devastations about addiction. It has become a common killer in the United States just like murder. Addiction has affected over 23 million people from the age 12 and older. These addictions are wide ranging, they can include alcohol, drugs, sex, video games, food, pornography, and gambling. People like to keep quite because they view this disease as morally wrong. Addicts sometimes shut out their family member because they are afraid of the reaction if anyone knew their problem. The Nation Institute of Drug Abuse states Addiction is as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.Today in 2016 addiction is spreading across