SELF DESTRUCTION
Upper Iowa University
Abstract
Drug use and abuse, whether legal or not, has been an issue worldwide for as long as I recall and even longer. We have no proven facts on if some people are more susceptible to addiction than others are, whether it is a genetic predisposition or some chemical imbalance that makes them more prone to becoming addicted. We may never conclude what causes addiction and argue different points of view until the end, but most people will agree that drug abuse is a serious problem that must be addressed. Substance abuse is in the forefront of the news right now, some of the plans to curb drug abuse and the handling drug overdoses are currently being contested in the media and in government. For this assignment, we will look at the three models of addition; moral, learning and disease to determine how these models relate and affect motivation.
The first model of addiction I will explore is the moral model; inherently we are taught that drugs certain drugs are illegal and that there are consequences ranging from being incarcerated to death by a drug overdose from their use. Deep down we are all mostly moral creatures and we all believe in a higher power than what we are here on earth. Some believe that people who succumb to drug addiction have low or weak moral standards, contributing to a common motivation to abstain from drug abuse. If on the other hand we have higher moral standards, we will have the fortitude and a higher level of motivation to resist the temptation of drugs. The basic understanding of this moral model is that depending on the individuals standards of morality whether it is high or low factors into the level of motivation to either resist the lure of drugs because it is morally wrong or to make a choice to use due to the low moral standards that person believes in (www.sfu.ca). If I am highly religious, I know it would be against my values and Gods word to use drugs, the other side to that is if I am morally bankrupt, I have no care as to who may judge me and will do as I choose.
The second model of addiction is the disease model; the aspect of this model is that once the drugs are ingested there is a physiological change in the person that highly motivates the individual to take more drugs. Drug users are considered to have incurable diseases that can only be treated. Because it is regarded as a disease, they should not be held accountable for their action while addicted to drugs. Those who become addicted to drugs become highly motivated to do whatever is requi...
