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Arthur Rhone

Ms. Figueroa

Senior English 1

2 November 2018

Is drug Addiction a choice or a disease?

For years, people argue rather drug addiction is a choice or disease. People that do it by

choice are not ashamed to admit it’s their choice rather than people considering it a disease, they

think it of it as a mental connection it’s a must to make them feel better. Drug addiction has

many different definitions some people look at drug addicts and say it’s not their fault. I think

drug addiction is a choice because no one is making them make that decision. Overall drug

addiction is a huge topic that people talk about to know if drug addiction is a choice or a disease.

Drug addiction has always been a nationwide issue. However, it’s getting worse because

now little kids are trying it. Drug addiction has been around for 100 years. The causes of drug

addiction start with us, if we don’t come together and try to fight this a union many more people

will become addicted. One of our founding fathers of America is Benjamin Rush, Rush was one

of the few people that believed drug addiction was a matter of personal will power but rather due

to drugs itself.

If drug is a choice than why do scientist find a reason of addiction in their genetics. Do

drug addicts deserve to be blame for being addicted? Constant use of drugs can cause short and

long-term problems. If we don’t come together and talk about this issue millions of people will

die. I think with all those bodies stocking up from drugs it could make us look weak and other

nations could use that for their advantage. I believed this could do a lot of bad things for the U.S
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if all we want to do is spend money on drugs. Drug addiction is a choice because addicts are not

being forced to consume drugs and have that choice to say no.

The person consuming the drugs and or alcohol it’s is his or her choice. no one is telling

that person to take this drug before you get shot. According to ted ex “addiction is defined as a

chronic relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite

of consequences.” In addition, addiction is a serious problem that causes people to black out and

do stuff that can harm them or others. Putting someone life in danger because of drugs can have

a mental effect on the addict can click and might say is being an addict worth it? In the ted ex

article, it states that “brain changes can be long lasting and can lead to the harmful behavior seen

in people who abuse drugs.” It explains that drug addiction can affect you and others mental and

physically drug addiction should be a choice because people change mentally after using a drug.

if drugs coastally kill yourself slowly why try it? People try to fill the whole in their heart

with drugs because of experience or a recent tragically. Overall, because of this drug addicts

become more aggressive and easily mad. “Drug addiction has a negative conquence on our

society the total overall cost of substance abuse in the U.S including productivity and health and

crime-related costs, exceeds at 600 billion annually” Drug addiction is a huge problem because it

making the economy a bad place for kids; kids with drug addiction family members more than

likely pick up after them because of abuse, trauma or genies. For example, drug addicts not only

hurt themselves due to drugs, but they also hurt their family members.” a child of an addicted

parent is 8 times more likely to end up an addict” because of this addict are spreading faster and

faster fast year. Drug addicts are rotting quickly because everything that they take drugs it stays

to change the way you view things and after that it starts to have a mental and physical effect on

you.
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Addicts have that choice to put themselves in that position to do drugs, all drugs have a

conquence. When doing drugs, its causes a reaction in your brain to make you lose brain cells

which end up as memory lost, reaction time. Some effects of becoming addicted are “weaken

immune system, heart conditions, nausea, and an abdominal pain, increased strain on the liver,

seizures, stroke, problems with memory etc... The effects of drug addiction explain that drug

addiction is a choice and you should look at the effects before you try to pleasure yourself with

drugs. Many sources explain that the real reason people choose to do drugs is to help with their

self-consciousness. One addict helps us understand why he does drugs in an article, he states that

“I felt my self-esteems disappear.” in this situation people take drugs to forget about the real-

world problems and how bad it is for them. Putting someone life in danger because of drugs has

a huge effect on people mentally saying hey maybe drugs is not the way to go if they are putting

family, friends of even people in danger because of their choices.

Some people on the other side of the issue may say that drug addiction is a disease

because of how substance use changes the brain to make you an addict. Have you ever got the

pleasure from eating food, it makes you feel good right… well think of it for like that for drug

addicts. Over time when you constantly use drugs it release a chemical in your brain pleasure.

When this occurs some changes you will see “is the desire of craving drugs and despite what it

does to you, you would still prefer it.” About 25-50% of people with addiction appear to have a

disorder; meaning if drugs are a choice than way do scientist find reason behind addiction in

their genetics. For example, “like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, addiction is caused by a

combination of behavioral environment and biological facts. With this in mind everything is not

a choice sometimes kids, adults or even teens are convince drugs are okay for them. For instance
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people do have that choice to say no however people do not have that choice what their brain and

body respond to drugs alcohol.

As a result drug addiction causes many changes to the body such as the brain.

Beyond that addiction is considered a disease because it can cause many changes to the

brain not only that but it creates a physical decency in which you cannot stop without

experiencing some type of symptoms. For example “the areas that are effected the most

for being an addict is decision making, learning, remembering, and control behaviors is

all effected.” Therefore every drug you use rewards the system in your brain that makes

you an addict. For instance addiction is a progressive relapsing disease that requires a lot

of intensive treatments, after that you’re going to need aftercare, monitoring and family

support to recover. In fact “the consequence of untreated addiction include other physical

and mental health disorders that require medical attention. If left untreated over time,

addiction becomes more disabling and life threatening. Finally since the brain is the way

it is it makes it that much harder for people to admit their killing themselves because of

addiction. Once they admit their addicted people feel like a failure and their nothing they

can do to change that.

Never the less, my point still stands because it’s the person choice to use or drugs

alcohol. However it’s true that substance use changes the brain to make you an addict

however when doing drugs it causes a reaction in your brain to make you lose brain cells

which will change to lack of memory, reaction time, etc…In addiction some people

might say that drug addiction causes many changes to the body such as the brain might be

true however that only occurs if you try the drug which is the addicts choice.

Nevertheless, my point still stands because all drugs have consequences. Not to mention
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drug addiction is a choice because about 70% of the drug use is due to trauma such as

abuse, torture or gang related.

In addition, drugs can cause a large amount of dopamine a neurotransmitter that

helps regulate our emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and

produce a high. Overtime, drugs can change how a person’s brain operates in the ability

to make choices leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. This behavior can

turn into a substance dependency, or drug addiction. “Today, more than 7 million people

suffer from an illicit drug disorder, and one in four deaths results from illicit drug use”

(“Effects of Drug Abuse and Addiction”). In other words doing drugs for a long period of

time at a constant rate will increase the risk of you potentially doing something

unintentional meaning causing injuries or harming yourself. Furthermore, drug abuse has

been of our biggest problem. “In the past 12 months, 212,000 people aged 12 or older

have used heroin for the first time” (“Effects”). At the same time, as it brings you

pleasure it brings it will also deteriorate your body in a way it’s hard to recover from.

Nevertheless doing drugs will always find a way to harm your body, even if you seem to

find pleasure in them.

In conclusion, drug addiction is a choice because no one has that last thought to

try the drug other than the addict. As a result drug addiction is a choice because it’s their

choice to attempt to use the drugs alcohol. Although addicts know drugs are killing them

wouldn’t they try and get help? All in all drug addiction is a choice because before

anyone uses the drug they know it will have a side effect on you either good or bad. In

Brief If I had the power to fix drug addiction I would invest money in all schools to open
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up a drug free program. This will help because at an early age the kids will know how

bad the drugs and effects are

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Work cited

https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/substance-abuse-treatment-programs/effects-of-drug-abuse/
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Works Cited

“Addiction as a Disease.” Center on Addiction, 14 Apr. 2017, www.centeronaddiction.org/what-

addiction/addiction-disease.

Cappie, et al. “Addiction Is NOT a Brain Disease, It Is a Choice.” The Clean Slate Addiction

Site, www.thecleanslate.org/myths/addiction-is-not-a-brain-disease-it-is-a-choice/.

“Effects of Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction Effects | Gateway Foundation Rehabs.” Gateway

Foundation, www.gatewayfoundation.org/substance-abuse-treatment-programs/effects-

of-drug-abuse.
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Good, Jason. “Addiction: A Choice or a Disease?” Narconon Suncoast, Narconon Suncoast,

www.narconon-suncoast.org/blog/addiction-a-choice-or-a-disease.html.

Gould, Jessie. “Is Drug Addiction a Disease or Choice?” The Recovery Village, 30 Oct. 2018,

www.therecoveryvillage.com/recovery-blog/drug-addiction-disease-choice/#gref.

History of Drug Abuse.” DrugAbuse.com, 19 July 2016,

drugabuse.com/library/history-of-drug-abuse/.

Horvath, tom a, et al. “Drug Addiction: How Big a Problem is it?” Drug Addiction: How Big a

Problem Is It? - Drug Addiction,

www.cascadementalhealth.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=58682&cn=1409

Rozzano, Lorelie. “Is Addiction A Disease? Or A Choice?” Addiction Campuses, 14 Aug. 2018,

www.addictioncampuses.com/blog/is-addiction-a-disease-or-a-choice/.