Definition of Addiction - Essay Example

Addiction There are many definitions of addiction but we can universally refer to addiction as a primary, chronicdisease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry (“American Society of Addiction Medicine” Web). Addiction falls into various that may include addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs. Actually, addiction is rampant challenge in the world especially among the young people and has adverse effects on human life. There have been many arguments and researches on addiction with various scholars and researchers drawing diverse definitions and explanations on the reference topic.

Philip Stater is one of such scholars that seek to explain addiction. Indeed, in his article, “ Want-Creation Fuels Americans Addictiveness,” Philip Stater argues that addiction is a state of wanting and that it is a condition in which the individual feels he or she is incomplete, inadequate, lacking, not whole, and only the addition of something external can solve satisfy it (Stater 391). Philip Stater argues his point by first drawing us to the probable effects of illegalizing cigarette smoking.

He argues that even though tobacco would become expensive in America, people would still smuggle tobacco to the country via Miami and New York because they cannot live without it. Moreover, he argues that even if the federal government ban growing and advertising tobacco, many Americans would consequently try smoking cigarette for the first time since Americans love making laws but hate implementing them. He further argues that Americans are self-centred, restless, dissatisfied, and innovative and love trying new things that will give them comfort with speed and no hustles.

He notes that Americans love to fix things quickly without minding the repercussions (Stater 391-396). As such, he argues that they prefer antibiotics from slow healing as they seek a quick healing. Additionally, he argues that Americans take drugs without considering the long-term effects. Indeed, they have drugs for all classes as different classes have different wants. To this effect, he states that anyone who cannot spend a day without taking some substance is an addict and most Americans are addicts.

Additionally, he argues that drugs have different effects and that people chose the effects they want. Actually, he states that there are different levels of despair, frustration, and hopelessness that affect the entire American society. More so, the society uses drugs to search for comfort as they seek to exert their will without negotiating with anyone. He argues that the society is impatient and intolerant of any constraint and hence results to drugs thus postponing the initial problems, which come to reality the next day.

Since they are unwilling to change their ways, they again take drugs to regain comfort (Stater 391-396). He quotes that to make things work, parties entertaining, days good, life enjoyable despite the current problems, the society results to drugs as the first solution. He reckons that we spend a lot of time generating wants that we must satisfy with external things. As such, he claims that we become addicted to things that seemingly satisfy our wants and make us whole. He equally states that it is hard to remain human while the society dictates that we can only become better by taking something.

Indeed, he questions the possibility of the society evading drug addiction to solve their terrible conditions. As such, his argument that addiction is a state of wanting and that it is a condition in which the individual feels he or she is incomplete, inadequate, lacking, not whole, and only the addition of something external can solve satisfy it. Philip Stater’s evidence has substantial levels of persuasiveness. Indeed, he effectively discusses most dynamics of addiction by addressing it in the context of all American classes.

He equally focuses on the diverse wants that the society has. It is these wants and the inability to satisfy them that makes different people result to drugs in search of short-term solutions. However, he reckons that the solutions being short lived; they will soon mutate thus necessitating another solution mechanism hence addiction. Indeed, in addressing this issue, Philip Stater defines the nature and characteristics of the American society that propagate addiction. Aspects like intolerance to obstacles, restlessness, lack of satisfaction, and search for quick solutions regardless of their undoing propagates addiction to something that can satisfy their wants.

Actually, he goes ahead to define the different levels of despair, frustration, and hopelessness in the society that forces people to take drugs in search of comfort. However, he did not consider the aspect of personality, individual traits, and ideals that may negate addiction. Indeed, not everybody would result to drugs when faced with challenges. As such, addiction may not be universal as he seeks to put it. In conclusion, I find that addiction is a rampant problem in the world especially in America and various scholars put their input in defining and explaining this term.

More so, the evidence that Philip Stater used to support his argument that addiction is a state of wanting and that it is a condition in which the individual feels he or she is incomplete, inadequate, lacking, not whole, and only the addition of something external can solve satisfy it is substantially persuasive. However, I find that addiction is not universal and one should consider personality and individual traits in addressing the dynamics of addiction. Works Cited “American Society of Addiction Medicine”.

Definition of Addiction. 2013. Web. 28 March 2013. < http://www.asam.org/for-the-public/definition-of-addiction > Starter, Philip. Want-Creation Fuels Americans Addictiveness. 6 September 1984.