What is it like to be an addict? : understanding substance abuse
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"In this chapter, I explore two sets of questions I took up briefly in Chapters 1 and 2, and again at the end of Chapter 4: (1) What moral attitudes should addicts have toward themselves? Does it make sense for addicts to feel shame and guilt? (2) What moral attitudes should we have toward addicts? Do addicts deserve disappointment, disdain, anger, resentment, and punishment? These questions are center stage in claims that counting addiction as a disease or as a psychiatric disorder, rather than as a lifestyle choice, removes stigma from addiction and relieves the addict of personal responsibility. Some say that as we learn more about what addiction is, how it comes about, why it can be so hard to unseat, we have reason to radically adjust, possibly eliminate, anger and resentment toward addicts, and that addicts have reason not to feel guilt and shame. Moral practices are always being renegotiated; and our attitudes and practices toward addicts can be improved. We need to think about how, given what we know about addiction, we should adjust our attitudes of shame, guilt, resentment, retribution, forgiveness, patience, and so on. Eliminating them is not prudent, it is not warranted ethically, and it is not respectful to how most addicts self-conceive. In discussing emotions and attitudes toward addiction, we will need to follow the pronouns and consider whether there should be different norms for first-personal attitudes (me, myself, and I), the ones addicts take toward themselves, such as shame and guilt; third-personal attitudes toward addicts (they, them) of scientists, fellow citizens, and impersonal institutions, such as medicine and the law; and second-personal I-Thou (you) attitudes of close friends and loved ones. I begin with the first-personal attitude of shame and to a lesser extent, for reasons that will become clear, guilt"-- Provided by publisher.