Addiction and Autonomy: are Addicts Autonomous?

Abstract

In the article, the authors deal with how addiction can be related to autonomy. First, they provide a defi nition of substance addiction and the way various theories have interpreted this phenomenon. Further, they give a general description of the concept of autonomy and relate this to the phenomenon of addiction. Subsequently, the authors deal with the way some explanatory models of addiction (the disease model, disorder of choice model, and existential disorder model) see the relationship of autonomy and addiction and focus on the following questions: How does addiction relate to autonomy? Does addiction make volitional choice impossible, i.e. are addicts out of control? Is addictive behavior a rational activity?