The Myth of Addiction

Abstract

The pursuit of a personal lifestyle is motivated and directed by the myths, definitions, and ideas which make it meaningful to the individual participant. The central feature of the concept of addiction is the belief in the tremendous power of narcotic drugs—the power to produce a chemical euphoria or to “hook” the careless user. Once addicted, the user is believed to be compelled to continue using narcotics regardless of the personal consequences. It is the contention of this paper that this conception is erroneous. It is not the narcotics themselves which produce addiction and its associated behavioral syndrome, but the use of narcotics (or the belief that one is using narcotics) combined with an acceptance of the conventional definition of addiction. Since the user is convinced that the development of physical habituation will create a compulsive craving for narcotics, it in fact produces that result and he begins to behave in the manner expected of an addict.