Drugs and Drug Use. Understandings of the Term 'Addiction'

Abstract or Introduction

In contemporary discourse ‘addiction’ can be applied to any number of behaviours or activities. For example “[i]n today’s society, we have sex-aholics, choc-aholics, work-aholics, shop-aholics, and golf-aholics. We have self-help programs called overeaters-anonymous, gamblersanonymous, internet-sex-anonymous, and smokers-anonymous”.
This recent discourse of addiction can be manipulated by ‘addicts’ to justify their behaviour, and to create sympathy towards them. Those claiming addiction may in fact not be an addict, however they now realise it is now more socially acceptable to be deemed an ‘addict’ than just participant in ‘addictive’ behaviors.

This essay will concern itself with discourses of addiction to drugs. Understandings of addiction to substances such as narcotics, tobacco and alcohol have been conceptualised and re conceptualised throughout recent history. Early biological and pharmacological theories of addiction still dictate policy on ‘addictive’ substances, however social and psychological theories have gained momentum and explain aspects of addiction biological theories do not.