Addiction as degradation of life

Abstract

The paper discusses equivocations involved in the concept of addiction and suggests its understanding in terms of one's (degraded) way of leading one's whole life. I argue against common conceptions of addiction, identifying its core either in a physiological (substance-induced) condition of craving or in weakness of will as insufficient. Using Fingarette's notion of “central activity,” I explore addiction as a peculiar kind of central interest, pervading and predating on one's other interests and characterized by a corrosion of a sense of temporality and responsibility. Since addiction is a response to events in the addict's life (a personally specific lack of healthy sources of positive reinforcement), therapy-consisting in reestablishment of the capacity of navigating responsibly one's activities and interests-must proceed in a way that takes the particular aspects of each case into account.