[Bardan the Slayer]

Originally posted by MagiK: Are addictions just excuses? My opinion: For the most part yes. My reasoning: I have been on some "addictive" substances due to injury and medical reasons....Demerol, Vicodin other pain killers. I have also consumed mass quantities of alcoholic beverages. In my experiences I felt the occasional pull of that craving..that need for the substance..but in each case I bulled through it and just determined that it was a matter of mental toughness. So I am left believing or at least having the strong suspicion that those who claim "addiction" as the reason for their condition..are basicly just making excuses for not being mentally tough enough to deal with whatever they are trying to hide from.

I couldn't disagree more. Recent research suggests that addiction is genetic. Some people have addictive personalities, some don't. This is why some people can dabble with heroin for 20 years and stop, cold turkey. It is also why others become 100-a-day smokers and die at 30. It is also why these addictive personalities often tend to be addicted to several things at once. It is also why Cipramil, a drug used to treat depression has been revealed to quash the addictions of so-called 'shopaholics'. Addiction is 10% choice, 90% genetics.

Saying "I have been on addictive substances and they didn't affect me this way, so people claiming addiction are making excuses" is like saying "It takes 14 units of alcohol to get me drunk, so anyone who says it takes less to get them drunk is making excuses."

This is a fairly new threoy, but the papers I read were rather convincing. I'll hunt for some links when I have time.

[ 05-14-2003, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Bardan the Slayer ]