Should Addiction Be Considered a Disease - 1976 Words

Should Addiction Be Considered A Disease? XBCOM275 March 31, 2013 Should Addiction Be Considered A Disease? In society, drugs have been the downfall for many people. There are many reasons that a person may use drugs such as: peer pressure, relief of stress, increased energy, to relax, to relieve pain, to escape reality, to feel more self esteem, and for recreation (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 2011). What is it that causes the obsession and compulsion to use drugs? Why can some people stop and others go on to become addicts? Addiction is often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society (Drug addiction and drug abuse, 2011).†¦show more content†¦Many addicts finish in the legal system because they do whatever it may take to get their drugs. Although some addicts who receive legal consequences are able to abstain, out of fear of incarceration, from use for a period of time but unless they receive treatment and continue to seek support from others who are recovering from addiction the time wil l come that they will use again. Women who become addicted will abandon their children, continue to use while pregnant, sell themselves, and often put themselves in danger in order to get their drug of choice. Children of addicted parent(s) often can have behavioral problems or trouble with school and friends. Many children are forced to grow up and have to take care of themselves, siblings, and the addict because the addict is more worried about using drugs than taking care of their family. This often leads to family or social service agencies intervening on behalf of the children. The getting and abusing of drugs becomes part of their daily life which leads to financial problems, social and medical problems. Many times friends and families have to sit by and watch as the person they love chooses to use drugs over them, no matter how much they try to help them stop the addict continues to use knowing what the possible consequences may be or they stop for a period of time only to go back to using again. Along with the addictShow MoreRelatedIs Addiction a Disease865 Words   |  4 PagesIs addiction a disease? This question has long been debated and not just among the medical community. It seems if you ask this question to any random people you can find varying opinions on the issue. Stanley Peeles wrote an article which argues that addiction is not a disease and the growing influence of addiction as a disease will create problems within our society. Stanley presents several arguments for his points, however these are not strong enough arguments for people to consider his pointRead MoreThe Problem Of Drug Addiction952 Words   |  4 Pagesaction itself is voluntary: the eventual drug addiction is essentially involuntary. Drug addiction is a complex and chronic disease, a brain disease, which changes the way the brain functions. Drug addiction, much like chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, disrupts healthy, normal functioning organs. This has harmful consequences that are both preventable and treatable (Branch, 2011, pp.263-265). Drug addiction is considered a brain disease as drugs change the brain structure and howRead MoreDrug Addiction1473 Words   |  6 PagesIs drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it isRead MoreDrug Addiction777 Words   |  4 Pages Is drug addiction a choice or a disease? This polemical topic has been in the media for many years and has provoked many debates to ascertain the whole thing. Many researchers have concluded being a drug addict is a disease that is only cured by â€Å"feeding the habit†. Conversely, there are researchers who assert that drug addiction is just a choice. Having thoroughly taken into consideration both sides of the arguments and doing my own research, my stand remains that being a drug addict is undisputedlyRead MoreThe Disastrous Effects Of Parental Drug Addiction On Children1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe Disastrous Impact of Parental Drug Addiction on Children Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a â€Å"chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences† (â€Å"What is drug addiction?†). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worryRead MoreDopamine Reward Pathway Among Obese Individuals And Drug Addicts787 Words   |  4 Pageswhether or not obesity should be considered a disease. Obesity and drug use both have risk factors that could lead to fatal consequences. According to a study by Volkow et al, (2012) both drug addiction and obesity can be defined as disorders in consistence with the fact that both drugs and food have powerful reinforcing effects by dopamine in the limbic system. Additionally, Volkow’s research uncovered discoveries through brain imaging that common features between drug addiction and obesity are definedRead MoreA New Paradigm Substance Use Disorder Treatment1656 Words   |  7 PagesRemission a new paradigm in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Addiction treatment is a complex and paradoxical issue. Despite the fact that most of the medical and academic institutions define addiction as a chronic brain disease, it is too often treated on an acute basis. Chronic conditions are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as requiring ongoing management over a period of years or decades and cover a wide range of health problems. The goals of chronic care are not to cure, but toRead More Understanding Addiction Essay1055 Words   |  5 Pages Addiction is regarded by most as a social problem to be solved with social solutions, i.e. incarceration. But, scientific evidence argues otherwise: addiction is a brain disease. â€Å"The World Health Organization has defined addiction as ‘A state, psychic and sometimes also physical, resulting in the interaction between a living organism and a drug, characterized by behavioral and other responses that always include a compulsion to take the drug on a continuous or periodic b asis in order to experienceRead MoreDrug Abuse Should Be Considered A Brain Disease1360 Words   |  6 Pagespsychiatrist in Washington D.C., wrote an interesting article titled â€Å"The Human Factor† in which she discusses the debate on whether drug addiction should be considered a brain disease or not. Satel believes that treatment for addicts should focus on treating them as humans with control over their lives, as opposed to treating them as people with an uncontrollable disease. Satel first addresses the social and economic consequences in the United States resulting from drug abuse. Annually, it accumulatesRead MoreMedical Journal Article: Addictions as Real Physical Disease1838 Words   |  7 Pagesreal disease is not as clear cut as one might think. One major area of concern has been the debate between those that believe that the conceptualization of a disease should be free from social influences/values versus those that state that the criteria use to define a disease, especially psychiatric disease like addiction, are a result of social definitions/values (e.g., Szasz, 2008). In general, most health professionals agree that the determination of what is or is not labeled as a disease should

Neologism In The Handmaids Tale - 731 Words

In â€Å"The Handmaids’ Tale† (Margaret, Atwood), neologisms are sprinkled throughout the storys characters and it’s deeper meaning. Neologisms (being words that have a different meaning than their current uses) show how certain characters or terms are viewed in Gilead’s society. Salvagings refer to the executions that take action against those that do not abide by the Gilead Republics laws such as the doctors who practiced abortions before the war. Another neologism is the view of freedom. Offred and the other Handmaids are not given any freedom. Similar to a regiment, the women are given orders and tasks and they must follow suit while the other roles are in this same regime, just with different tasks such as the Marthas who clean and†¦show more content†¦The types of names used for certain professions also have biblical references as the police are the â€Å"guardians of faith† and the soldiers are called â€Å"angels†. Guardians are a mythological creature tasked with defending their realm from demons while an Angel is a direct biblical reference to heaven. Another biblical connection is the reading a Commander did while Offred and Moira were in the Rachel and Leah Centre or the Red Center. â€Å"Give me children, or else I die. Am I in Gods stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.†(Atwood, p.101). This is read aloud to the handmaid’s to give them purpose and reasoning for their tasks as they are the only ones that can bear fruit. Neologisms and Biblical Language help to give new meaning to words that were heard before and are scattered throughout the novel, from beginning to end. With language resulting in so much of the woman’s freedom, the story quite frankly could go two ways. After Offred has her child (assuming she has one), she may find a new perspective in all of this and find her place in society, something that she has been searching for since she became a Handmaid. This would result in no social change, but would end the story as herShow MoreRelatedjourneys in handmaids tale1334 Words   |  6 PagesJourneys Essay We learn from the journeys we take, through experience, not from the destination itself. This statement is supported by both Margaret Atwood’s fictional dystopian novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Oliver Stone’s crime fiction film ‘Natural Born Killers’. Through the use of multiple techniques Atwood makes it clear that the protagonist Offred undertakes inner and imaginative journeys during the course of the novel and learns from them. Likewise, Stone uses an array of film techniquesRead MoreHow Does Margaret Atwood Establish and Develop a Dystopian Narrative in Her Novel ‚Äà ²the Handmaid‚Äà ´s Tale‚Äà ´?2152 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded state is created through the use of multiple themes and narrative techniques. In a dystopia, we can usually find a society that has become all kinds of wrong, in direct contrast to a utopia, or a perfect society. Like many totalitarian states, the Republic of Gilead starts out as an envisioned utopia by a select few: a remade worldRead MoreA Postmodernist/Posthumanist Reading of Kazuo Ishiguro’s, Never Let Me Go Using Fredric Jameson’s Theory of Postmodernism and Late Capitalism.4659 Words   |  19 PagesA Postmodernist/Posthumanist reading of Kazuo Ishiguro’s, Never Let Me Go using Fredric Jameson’s theory of Postmodernism and Late Capitalism. Posthumanism neologism is used to describe what comes after humanism and the question of what it means to be human. It is often and most frequently used to describe a dystopian life form that is created and crafted by humans themselves. Posthumanism is not to be confused with postmodernism, although their paths do cross intrinsically throughout this essay

Hills Like White Elephants (1385 words) Essay Example For Students

Hills Like White Elephants (1385 words) Essay Hills Like White ElephantsThe most striking feature of the short story Hills Like White Elephants isthe manner in which it is told. It is not typical in the classical sense with anintroduction, a development of the story and an end. Instead, we get some timein the life of two people, as if it were just a piece of a film where we have alot to deduce. This tale does not get everything done for the reader; we onlysee the surface of what is going on. It leaves an open end because readers canhave their own ending and take part in the action when reading. The story toldhere is that of a woman and a man on their trip to a place where she can have anabortion. Everything in the tale is related to the idea of fertility andbarrenness. This main topic can be seen from the title Hills Like WhiteElephants, where Hills refer to the shape of the belly of a pregnant woman. White Elephants is an idiom that refers to useless or unwanted things, meaningthe fetus they plan on disposing of. Hemingway produces an effect of sympathyfor the girl through the setting that symbolizes their decision process. Thetime passing symbolizes the pressure the two people are under, and through theirpoor communication indicates that this relationship does not and will not work. The first impression the reader gets when reading the text is that the story isset in the middle of a dry, barren place under the sun, with no shade or trees. This reinforces the idea of lack of life, but, in contrast, they are in the warmshadow of the building where life is. This emphasizes the contrast between thepregnancy of the woman, as being fertile and everything around them, includinghim, in this idea of fertility as he is also apart from the barrenness andsharing the shadow. The brown and dry setting sets the tone for theconversation between the couple (Hemingway 281). It allows the reader tounderstand the feelings of entrapment held by the couple and especially theyoung girl. The couple is also separated from the rest of the people that areinside the bar by a bamboo beaded curtain. This gives the idea of privacyreinforced by the idea of the warm shadow of the building that protects themfrom the world that exists inside the bar, they are outside, with nature. Thereis tension in the air at some moments, but they cannot express it openly. Perhaps they dont want to be heard in case somebody can understand them, ormaybe, it is just a problem of communication and of sharing feelings. It couldalso be a combination of both. No woman should be subjected to making this typeof important decision in such a harsh environment. Another thing the reader musttake into account is the fact that the train is stopping only for two minutes, avery brief time. This couple is being pressured into making a very importantdecision in only a short amount of time. According to the narrator, theexpress from Barcelona would come in forty minutes, leaving the couple withno time to really go into discussing the important details of their relationshipand the decision they are making (Hemingway 282). As the story comes to an end,the woman server informed the couple, The train comes in five minutes, anda sense of urgency is brought to the conversation (Hemingway 284). This becomesevident by the manner in which the couple is concluding their conversati on. Thegirl does not want to speak about the subject anymore, but the couple has notfinished talking things all the way through. In the end she just wants to getthis operation over and done with. Ernest Hemingway chose to use the couplesdialogue as the best way to express sympathy for the young girl to the reader. .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .postImageUrl , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:visited , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:active { border:0!important; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:active , .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5 .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf0fc9c2762f2dc7825ab0dab6b1569f5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Firestone Tire Recall EssayThis dialogue is presented as being very natural, but was carefully written,because through it, the reader can deduce the kind of relationship they have. The language here is a very simple one, even informal; this easy languageusually expresses feelings. The real theme of the conversation is not clearlystated, but is underlying; they are talking about love, feelings and herpregnancy. The problem that the two are having when communicating is that noneof them is hearing each other. In the beginning she wants to speak out about thesituation clearly and put the feelings on the table to be talked about openly. When she asks such a simple question as, What should we drink, he changesthe subject instead of answering the question, and answers, its prettyhot(Hemingway 282). This implies that he wants to change the subject and talkabout simpler things such as the weather. As the conversation goes on, the manopenly refers to the operation as if taking importance off it. He says it is notimportant but very easy, like opening a window Its just to let the airin(Hemingway 283). He wants her to have the abortion but she is sure aboutthe fact that their relationship is going to change after that (Hemingway 282). He wants to convince her that the decision has been hers by means of sayingthings like, if you dont want to you dont have to But I know itsperfectly simple, but he is the only one who has no doubts about it(Hemingway 283). She is having the normal doubts a woman can have in a situationlike that. He feels that the pregnancy is a nuisance in their lives. The babywould mean the necessity of settling down and starting a family and this wouldbe a change in their lives as they move a lot around. There is another allusionwhen almost at the end of the story he says, we can have the world and shereplies, No, we cant. It isnt ours anymore And once they have taken itaway, you never get it back(Hemingway 283). Here we can see that she wantsthe baby and she knows that once she has the operation she wont be able to getthe child back. At the very end, in the last sentence, he asks her if she feelsbetter, but what he is really asking is if she has made a decision and he wantsto know what she has d ecided. She replies: I feel fine Theres nothingwrong with me. I feel fine(Hemingway 284). Because they both want to make adecision quickly, they are not careful and end up hurting each other. Thecharacters are really mysterious to us, we know nothing about their lives butthey seem to have nothing to do in life apart from sex and drinking. They are inthe middle of a surface level relationship, and these types of relationshipsrarely work. They spend their time in the bar drinking alcohol, which isconsidered a depressant. They order anis because she wants to try newthings, she might be considering the possibility of having a new relationship ora new experience in life, but when she tastes it she says, it tastes likelicorice which is a very common and not exotic taste (Hemingway 282). Sheadds that, Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things youvewaited so long for implying that when you wait for something for a longtime, for instance a relationship, once you get it, it lo ses exotism and appeal(Hemingway 282). It is apparent that the girl may be settling for less with herAmerican partner. Later on there is a reference to the routine they seem to bein when she says, thats all we do, isnt it- look at things and try newdrinks(Hemingway 282). The girl is fed up with this relationship andfollowing the operation, she will most likely leave her companion. Inconclusion, Ernest Hemingway has given the reader the opportunity to feelsympathy for the girl through the use of the setting, time restrictions, andpoor communication exhibited by the couple. Hemingway has provided a unique lookinto the slice of this couples life by use of this out of the ordinary shortstory. Through this different style, it has become very easy to have compassionfor the girl and understand the tough decision she is making. On the other hand,it was very difficult to feel the same way about the man. He made repeatedselfish remarks and seemed as though he was only looking out for his best interests throughout the conversation. In a time when abortions were taboo,Hemingway was able to present his sympathy for the young girl through her toughdecision process.

The Truth Is Essays - The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien, Truth

The Truth Is The Truth Is? The Things They Carried is a thoroughly gripping book with a raw honesty that is absolutely haunting. Aside from the Bible, no book has affected me so deeply. I was not there in the jungles of Vietnam. I was not even alive when the fighting occurred. There are only a few people I know who fought in those far away jungles and rarely do they speak of it. Then I met Tim O'Brien. I met him walking through the jungle, pondering Canada, visiting his boyhood home, and remembering his dreams. He told me the truth about Vietnam. He told me the truth but he took twists and turns in his story. He leapt backward and seemed to be going nowhere, but that is just when he would hit me hard and fast with his point. I wondered why he was telling me like this, and then I realized that is was the only way for me to understand. Mere words could take me to the jungle, but it was the dizzying truth that would make me feel the heat and confusion. He made sure I knew, that in war, ?There is no clarity. Every thing swirls.? (88). It was the nature of his memory. I learned about the tangible things that the men carried into and through the jungle. They carried pictures, love letters, steel helmets, and M-16's. There were other things though, things they didn't always pull out and show the other guys. Fear was tucked away somewhere behind their eyes and innocence was carried in but quickly stolen away. The war robbed them of their peaceful sleep and guiltlessness and gave vivid memory in their place. They'll never forget the surreal images that make up their memories of Vietnam. That is what Tim O'Brien and the men of his company carried out of Vietnam. They carried things heavier and more profound than what they came in with. Things like haunting memories and guilt, the look on a friends face just before he was blown to pieces when he stepped on a land mine and shaking dead men's hands. In the blurred morality that enveloped Vietnam, these men were forced to kill without hate, without even thinking about killing (148). That is what the war gave these men to carry out and take home; images of death burned in their memory. O'Brien told me that, ?Even now I haven't finished sorting it out. Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't.? (149). He didn't ask me to understand the war because it cannot be understood. Instead he asked me to understand the men. I knew that was impossible; I hadn't seen it, done it, tasted it?you had to be there. I could sense that he did not want me to say that I understood; he knew I didn't. Not fully, the way he did. He just wanted me to listen and hear him remember the truth. He told me the stories over and over again to make sure I got it. The truth, the nature of his memory will now be one of the things that I carry. History Essays