HLSC 1000 Mid-Term Essay Portion
Each question is work 30 marks
1) In Canada and around the world each year, addiction takes the lives of many people and destroys
families alike. Not to mention burdening tax payers with treatment, court, and other miscellaneous
costs. Thus, if addiction has been around for millennia and appears to be a losing battle with new
addictions and behaviors popping up every decade, should society bear the weight of these costs
when no one forces an individual to embark on a career of addiction? Your answer should be
defendable in the sense that you create an argument that is well thought out, incorporates course
content, and is coherent from beginning to end.
2) Create a personal definition for addiction and elucidate its components (levels, does it include both
physical and psychological components, etc). The definition must be applicable to persons suffering
from addiction and include some course content. Secondly, discuss the importance of defining
addiction – why do we define addiction, who is it for, etc?
3) In your opinion make an argument for or against the usefulness of the medical model and the 12-step
philosophy in terms of understanding and treating addiction. Your answer should be defendable in
the sense that you create an argument that is well thought out, incorporates course content, and is
coherent from beginning to end.
4) Stanton Peele is well known figure in the addictions field. He had published numerous books and
scholarly peer reviewed articles and has helped a great deal of people recover from their addictive
behaviors. With that said, people tend to either love or hate him, thus for those who gravitate toward
his philosophy and see merit in his perspective on addiction, discuss and elucidate the value that this
approach to treating addiction might have for someone who has been recently told they have a
“disease”.
5) In the quote by Shakespeare, “Some to dance, some to make bonfires, each man to what sport and
revels his addiction leads him” hints to the idea that addiction can be thought to originate in an
experience that one attaches him or herself to. In your owns words and utilizing course content
discuss how addiction is related to this quote and the significance whereby humans appear to be
compelled by repetitious urges to become energized, to relax, and to imagine.
6) In you’re readings with respect the Dharma Punk, Noah Levine’s memoir appears to epitomize
White’s (1990, 1996) theory “The Culture of Addiction”. Hence, discuss and describe how Noah
Levine’s memoir highlights and brings to life concepts presented in the “Culture of Addiction”, along
with concepts presented during this lecture.
7) The self-medication theory suggests that persons use substances and or engage in addictive pursuits
as a means to “push aside suffering”. What does this mean? Describe the theory’s contents/
components – and in your opinion what merit does this theory have? Your answer should be
defendable in the sense that you create an argument that is well thought out, incorporates course
content, and is coherent from beginning to end.
8) It appears that there is a strong correlation and link between addiction and trauma, in your opinion
why might this be so? Moreover, describe the key elements (discussed in lecture and readings)
involved in recovering from a traumatic illness and addiction, while also offering your own personal
insights that might be integral toward recovering from experiencing a traumatic event(s).