Overview Of The Moral Addiction Theory

“There are many stigmas in society and one of those is associated with addiction. Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences. Despite the involvement of a number of psychosocial factors, a biological process – one which is induced by repeated exposure to an addictive stimulus – is the core pathology that drives the development and maintenance of an addiction.” ("Addiction", 2018) People are so ashamed at with their addiction that they go to great lengths to hide it. There are two theories associated with addiction- the moral addiction theory and the Disease Theory of Addiction.

A couple of the ideas of the Moral Addiction Theory are that intoxication/misuse of substances

Yes, the person made the conscious decision to use but then it turned into a compulsion that led to misuse and then abuse. If they had their druthers, the choice would be to do it casually to invoke a high and feeling of euphoria but not because their body craves it and if it is not taken then to experience withdrawals. It is an individual weakness in the form of a brain disorder that they have no control over. Having an addiction, in and of itself, doesn’t make them weak, we are all weak as humans and can fall prey to things of that nature. It is just that some people are more susceptible to having an addiction than others. For example, having an addictive personality, experiencing childhood trauma, psychological and physical pain, being dually diagnosed, or the age at which the first encounter with drugs and alcohol was taken can have an effect. Secondly, the theory talks about how the addiction is shameful and sinful. While being addicted to anything no matter what

Whether you want to look at it from the moral standpoint or the science standpoint, both hold true. It seems the AA programs of today look at more of the Science standpoint rather than the moral one because God is being taken out of the programs of today. The overseers of the recovery programs want people to feel better about themselves and the choices that they are making so they leave out the fact that it is a sin. I guess it can be a good thing because people coming for help don’t want to hear that what they are doing is shameful and sinful. I’m sure they already know that and if they don’t then they don’t care. They are already being condemned by society so to address that issue makes it seem like they are unable to overcome their problems. I’m sure they already feel ashamed so the best thing is to not drag them while they are down but rather to encourage conversation and give them hope. After all, whether it is in their life or when they die, they will be held accountable for all the choices they made so who are we to