ADDICTION = INDOCTRINATION

Warren Haas is completely and utterly wrong about the weak will of
so-called addicts ["I call bullshit on addictions," May 30, 2005]. In fact,
addicts have an iron will. "Addicts" choose to engage in self-destructive
behaviour even though they have been warned repeatedly about the consequences.

And Mr. Haas, far from addictions being everywhere, addiction is in fact a
myth, the theory never proven. The "loss of control" theory of addiction is
in reality a "demonic possession" theory that always finds receptive ears
in theology-based cultures. Addiction is a culturally-conditioned
stigmatising term. The belief in addiction reflects more about the culture
than any actual supernatural powers of allurement believers attribute to
their vices.

To put in understandable terms for the layman, humanity has learned how to
do its moralising in medical terms since Jefferson separated church and
state. So, welcome to the therapeutic state that has evolved from the
theologic state. "Lust for pleasure" and "gluttony", "some people just
don't know where to draw the line" explained away "addictions" for
thousands of years. Those are two of the seven deadly sins, which
traditional teaching tells us lead to spiritual death. Spiritual death is
in fact a more apt description of behaviour than addiction ever was.

And the language Warren Haas uses: "can't quit" and "not starting in the
first place" and "cop-outs" and "responsibility" - whew, why don't you just
come out and say it? Resisting and yielding to temptation is what addiction
is really all about.

And now that I have straightened Mr. Haas out about the true nature of
addiction, I do want to get him started on "the rehab cockamamie" he
mentioned because those of us who have been coerced into the "program" on
threat of lost employment or incarceration want everybody to know that it
boils down to forced political and religious indoctrination. Renounce the
classic liberal notion that humanity has the natural right to self-medicate
with whatever substance a free man may choose and accept that there are
supernatural forces that can compel persons to act against their own will
and I'm "treated."

And when will it all come to an end Mr. Haas? When state and medicine are
separated, that's when!