[ExI] addiction

William Flynn Wallace foozler83 at gmail.com
Wed Apr 6 15:34:06 UTC 2022


Addiction is not the same as having an irresistible impulse, a term created
by defense lawyers).  Such an impulse doesn't not exist, in my opinion.
Yes, you can't stop things like vomiting.  Truly that is involuntary.

But can't stop lifting your arm to your mouth to eat or smoke?  Nope.  Not
involuntary.  Not close.

So addicts are acting through voluntary behaviors.  They can stop them any
time they want to, as I did for smoking and drinking alcohol, but of course
they don't want to.  (Let's not even bother with 'gumption' and
'willpower').

I agree that withdrawal can be nasty.  I had that once for Tramadol when
the doctor screwed up (more likely his nurse).  It was bad but not
terrible.  Ditto for smoking.  I had no withdrawal from alcohol.

So my point is that attaching the word 'addict' to a person seems to make
us think that he is quite different from us, and he simply isn't.  He can
quit at any time.

And calling a person a shopping addict or sex addict is simply absurd.

The psychotics I have known were in full control of their behavior, but not
their thinking (delusions and hallucinations).  No irresistible impulses
here though the disorder we used to call hebephrenic schizophrenia might
qualify.

I am not sure that there is a good use for the term addict.  Maybe to
describe people who do something too much, and that's all.

So - let's call addictive behavior what it is.  Voluntary.  Addicts are
people who won't, not can't, quit.   bill w
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