Researchers, doctors, educators, and members of society at large all have different assumptions about addiction. These assumptions include moral, political, and scientific ideas. A common assumption or question is that addiction is a disease or a choice. In this essay we will take a closer look at this assumption and what the arguments for or against it may be. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many people believe that addiction is a matter of morality and self-control that can be solved with punishment. Adversary process theory states that individuals use drugs for pleasure and continue to use them to avoid withdrawal systems. Getting sick becomes the punishment and the drugs the reward. This implies that medications are the only component of this problem. Although this often makes it considered too simplistic. Many people believe that simply subsisting on drug use does not alleviate all problems or consequences. They believe that individuals suffer from a neurological disease caused by genetic abnormalities of the brain and that it is not entirely within their control. According to the disease model, addiction is a disease characterized by abnormalities in the structure and function of the brain. This causes people with these abnormalities to become dependent on a substance once exposed to it. An important question is whether medications or the individual's predisposition, background, perception and genes have a greater impact on these negative outcomes. To assume that some individuals have a predisposition to addiction is to assume that negative outcomes depend more on that individual than on the use of the drug itself. These assumptions have huge implications for how we view people with addiction and how to manage addiction through policy. Another set of competing hypotheses is that drugs immediately hook victims. This assumption implies that limiting people's exposure to drugs will limit their ability to become addicted. On the other hand, it is often believed that individuals with significant problems are more likely to self-medicate. There is no doubt that drugs play a role in addiction, but perhaps personal characteristics play a larger role than simple exposure to a particular substance in determining whether an individual becomes addicted. Some people believe that drugs alter individuals and cause them to fixate on a certain drug, while others believe that people with problems will be more likely to seek drugs. It is often assumed that drugs are inherently dangerous. Drugs cause overdoses, illnesses and dangerous behaviors. Others believe that many factors influence the dangers of drugs. Certain ways of taking medications and the circumstances surrounding them are what make them dangerous. It is widely believed that the war on drugs leads to more dangerous ways of administering drugs and makes it more difficult to obtain clean drugs, resources and medical care when needed. The “iron law of prohibition” states that prohibition leads to higher dosage levels and more dangerous means of administration. This brings to mind the alcohol ban that turned once-beer-drinking Americans into heavy whiskey drinkers. Drugs are commonly believed to cause crime. When people use drugs, they are more likely to commit crimes due to their altered mental state or fall into a life of crime. Others assume that criminals are more likely to use.