Introduction
Being an alcoholic can destroy your life if you hit rock bottom. Many people have different viewpoints on this topic. For example, some people think if you’re an alcoholic it means you have a lack of willpower because you’re not trying hard enough to overcome your alcoholic addiction. Other viewpoints on this topic are overcoming your alcoholic addiction isn’t just about willpower because that will only take you so far. Alcoholics need help and treatment because they have a brain disease. Everyday when they wake up, their brain tells them to have a drink. This makes quitting extremely hard when you’re at the stage of addiction. My question to you is, is alcoholism caused by lack of willpower?
NO
Lauran Neergaard the author of Addiction a Brain Disorder, Not Just Bad Behavior persuades readers with her main idea that addiction isn’t just about willpower in wanting to quit. It is a chronic brain disease. Neergaard organizes her article with the text structure description, because it describes the struggles people have in order to overcome their addiction. Her viewpoint on this topic is over coming an addiction is hard and some people can’t do it by themselves. They need help because alcoholism is so much more than the lack of will power. Everyday your brain is telling you to have a drink and some people can’t resist the urge, so they need to get help and treatment before they hit rock bottom. The author has little slant in this piece because she only interviews people who think over coming an addiction is more than just will power. This shows what side of the topic she is on. The article does contain conflicting evidence. Neergaard presents that 23 million Americans need help and treatment but only two million Americans actually get the help they need. This tells the reader that most alcoholics don’t even try to get better. Some supporting evidence is for the people that do get help and treatment there is a common relapse and, frustration when a person goes through detox but still goes back to their addiction. This tells readers that alcoholics are trying and using all their willpower, but the brain disease they have keeps telling them to go back to the alcohol. Furthermore, I think this article contains facts because as a job she covers the health and medical issues for the Associated Press. This tells me Neergaard knows what she is talking about. Also she interviews two doctors that work at the American Society for Addiction Medicine and National Institute on Drug Abuse. I think her article is reliable.
YES
Shari Roan the author of You Can Cut Back persuades readers with her main idea that people can cut back on drinking without getting help. She organizes her article with the text structure description because she describes how people can reach sobriety without help. Roan’s viewpoint on this topic is that it is possible and reachable to cut back or quit drinking without getting help or treatment. Some supporting evidence is Mark Willenbring achieved becoming sober when he hit rock bottom because he knew things had to change. Also, 70% of Americans with alcoholic disorders quit or cut back on drinking with no help or treatment. Some conflicting evidence is unfortunately 30% of people with alcoholic disorders must find help or treatment to become sober. The connotation in this article was positive because the author used the word disorder instead of addiction. Also, in this article it created a slant because it persuaded readers to think that becoming sober would be easier if you had more willpower. The author used logos as a persuasive strategy because the article contains many numbers and facts on alcoholism. This article is reliable because she interviewed Dr. Mark Willenbring who works at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. She also provides websites if you want more information the topic.
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SPWYNMS-0-2314&artno=0000299075&type=ART
NO
The article Medicine Adds Slots for Study of Addiction by Douglas Quenqua informs people with his main idea that alcoholism is a disease and is very hard to cure. Quenqua organizes his article with the text structure description because he explans what the disease does to your brain, the craving of the addiction, and having the strength to quit. His viewpoint on this topic is if you’re an alcoholic then you have a brain disorder because every day you’re craving to have a drink even though you know it won't help your situation. There is no slant in this piece because Quenqua is just stating facts about what alcoholics go through. Some supporting evidence is that it's unrealistic to expect most drug and alcohol addicts to be cured after 28 days in a detoxification facility. Just like no one expects a diabetic patient to be cured after six weeks of diet and insulin. This is telling the reader that alcoholism is a disease because it's being compared to another disease and that it's also very hard to cure. Some conflicting evidence is Christine Peace a 31 year old graduate from Harvard Medical School saw some physiciansover and over again pushing away patients who are struggling with addiction and just calling a social work consult to deal with it. I think this is a reliable article because Quenqua’s sources all work in the medical field and help people with addictions
p://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SPWYNMS-0-2314&artno=0000317444&type=ART