Gene Heyman Theory Of Addiction Essay

Addiction Gene Heyman is a psychologist associated with Harvard University, who wrote the book, Addiction: A Disorder of Choice, said, “The first people to call addiction a disease were members of the 17th-century clergy. They were looking at alcoholism and they didn't describe it as sin or as crime. (Gillis, Charlie).” Heyman has a theory as to why society thinks this way; we can not understand why people would voluntarily cause themselves harm. We simply don’t understand why they wouldn’t stop and because scientists, doctors, and psychologists can’t explain voluntary self-destructive behavior, they deem it a disorder or disease. In an interview, Heyman stated, “In the medical world, in economics, in psychology and in the clergy, they really have no category for this, no way of
National Library of Medicine and The National Institutes of Health, addiction is not a disease. It is not contagious, transferable, transmissible, autoimmune, hereditary, degenerative, or traumatic; it is a self-inflicted and self-taught. A disease gets worse if left untreated. There is no real treatment for addiction other than the person stopping the behavior. Tim Holden, a Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor, says “A patient with cancer is not cured if locked in a cell, whereas an alcoholic is automatically cured. No access to alcohol means no alcoholism. (Holden, Tim).” A person with a disease or disorder, such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will not get better or change their behavior if they put in isolation. The disease or disorder will actually get worse. As Holden would put it, “At best, addiction is a maladaptive response to an underlying condition, such as depression or a nonspecific inability to cope with the world. (Holden, Tim).” In other words, addiction is not the disease, but an individual can be led to drug/alcohol abuse and eventually addiction due to a “real” disease or