Question

Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviors and Disorders, Volume 1. Supplementary text for this course. Identify two topics of interest to you, read the correlating chapters, and share your overall thoughts. At what point do you consider one of your chosen topics to be an addiction? What criteria would an individual need to meet to classify one of these topics as an addiction? Do you or someone you know experience one of your chosen topics as an addiction? How has this affected your/their life?

Answer 1

Alcoholism and smoking are the two topics that shall be taken into the discussion here. Both these disorders are found to be more prevalent in any part of the world as compared to drug abusers such as those using cocaine, marijuana, etc. The common principle found in both is that they are easily available in all parts of the world legally with limited restrictions. Ease of access is the prime factor responsible for the prevalence of these addictive behaviors. Smoking for instance is considered an addiction when withdrawal symptoms begin to be shown on not having taken the required dose of nicotine.MAST score is one that helps in determining alcohol dependence or addiction. A score of 6 or more is one that fits the criteria of addiction. One of my maternal uncles was suffering from liver cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. He was a very kind and generous man during his early life when he began alcohol abuse at a very mild dose. As years passed by, frequency and dosage of alcohol abuse increased which led to gradual change in behavior. His family left him all alone and he never approached deaddiction center, I remember him having lost everything during last phase of his life when doctors declared him to having terminal illness with his days being number. Quality of life was absolutely the worst and passed away at an early phase of life.