The Perspectives of Addiction

Modern American society has become covered by multitudes of opinions that all strive for a better America. Whether the individual is a politician with great influence or the common man with his or her strong-minded opinion, each argument contributes to the betterment of society. An age old struggle, addiction, has been deemed a major problem in society due to the physical and mental harm it causes, but the major connotation of addiction is solely related to substance and alcohol abuse. In the progressive, technological era today, addiction breaks into new boundaries where technology proves as lethal a dose as conventional drugs. As such, the perspectives within the U.S. of young adults, experienced professionals, and recovering addicts provide invaluable insight on the acceptable nature of both physical and technological addiction in society, and these perspectives show the core values that define American culture.

The stereotypical drug and alcohol abuse that society has focused on in the past related to college students and their inability to control their tendencies. The rampancy of uncontrolled underage drinking is a deterrent in the average student’s education, but the underlying problem in today’s society falls within the technological conveniences provided. Being connected to social media, having easy access to “shortcuts” within text, and the internet in general all contribute to the lethargy that students face. The demon that society criticizes addiction upon, substance and alcohol abuse, is perhaps not as pivotal as the technological “abuse” seen today. In the article, “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction,” Matt Richtel describes the struggle of a high school senior that had chosen the internet as a distraction r...

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...le. The fact of the matter remains that addiction comes in all forms and that despite the well-accepted definition of addiction that is substance and alcohol addiction, technology in society is equivalent in deterring the future generation.

Works Cited

"A Bridge to Recovery on Campus." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Richtel, Matt. "Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Slater, Philip. "Want-Creation Fuels Americans' Addictiveness." One World, Many Cultures. New York: Macmillan Pub., 1992. 391-96. Print.

Wallace, David L. "Addiction Postulates and Legal Causation, or Who's in Charge, Person or Brain?" Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 41.1 (2013): n. pag. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .