In “Addiction Is Not a Disease,” Stanton Peel contends addiction is a choice, derived from the addict’s desires and principles. “Addiction” to illegal drugs includes free choice to indulge in and to continue using an illegal substance such as heroin or cocaine. In the urban ghetto addiction represents a choice among a limited range of options; in addition, addicts choose “essential experiences,” such as the need for power, which they cannot find without the …showed first 75 words of 482 total…

…showed last 75 words of 482 total…with the sense of power she craves; Sarah wants to keep feeling powerful so she continues to abuse the substance until she is “hooked.” In closing, I believe that addiction involves an aspect of physical need for a drug. This need can cause a person to depend on the drug until this involvement is totally consuming and potentially destructive. But, what one must remember, the original decision to use the drug was one of choice.