D’Holbach, as a strict determinist, would argue that addiction eliminates free will and is caused solely by physical forces outside of conscious control. In his view, human behaviour is determined by a causal chain of physiological events, so any changes in brain chemistry or functioning directly determine a person’s actions. The physical dependence and cravings produced by substance abuse alter the addict’s brain, working in a way that makes it impossible for them to consciously “choose” to resist further drug use.
Similarly, other hard determinists would point to the altered prefrontal cortex and dopamine receptors in the brains of people with addiction as evidence that addiction fundamentally undercuts any potential for free will or rational decision-making capacity. The brains of people with an addiction have been essentially “hijacked” by the addictive substances themselves. Therefore, determinists would say that addictive behaviours like lying, stealing to obtain drugs, and compulsive use, even in the face of extremely negative consequences, are all inevitably caused by the physical changes addiction has produced in the brain. A person with an addiction has no more meaningful choice in controlling their behaviour than a puppet does of its motions. Physical causes outside of consciousness comparably determine their actions or will. So, in the determinist view, addiction provides a powerful example of how free will is an illusion; hence, conscious choices do not indeed cause human behaviour when physiological changes in the physical substance of the brain itself compel that behaviour.
While a hard determinist would say addiction eliminates free will, a compatibilist would argue that there is still a meaningful sense of choice involved in an addict’s behaviour. Compatibilists recognize that external factors, including both physiological changes from addiction and social and environmental influences, clearly limit the scope of possibilities available to a person with an addiction. Their cravings, their impaired executive functioning, and their readiness to access addictive substances all constrain the addict’s range of options.
However, compatibilists would argue that within those constraints, people with an addiction still make genuine choices that stem in part from their effort and willpower. After all, some people with an addiction can achieve sobriety if they steadfastly commit to treatment and muster the self-discipline to resist cravings, avoid their old patterns of behaviour, and build new healthy routines. So, while addiction might reduce one’s scope of options, it does not eliminate the capacity for choice. From a compatibilist view, the person with an addiction is not a helpless victim of physical forces outside their control; they still have some meaningful measure of free will in determining their actions. Their choices moving forward depend significantly on the strength of their character and how much they struggle against the constraining influences they face
Hume would make a critical distinction between the internal and external causes of addiction. Specifically, Hume recognized that human behaviour stems from intrinsic and innate factors within individuals and extrinsic forces that act upon people from their environment. This aligns closely with the “nature versus nurture” debate around influences on addiction. Hume argued that people have inborn tendencies and predispositions that originate internally and unconsciously shape perceptions, thoughts, and actions over time. Yet he also stressed the significant influence external sensory experiences, life events, social contexts, and cultural meanings have on people’s character and conduct over their lifetimes. When contemplating what leads someone into addiction, Hume would consider the person’s native dispositions, such as a hyperactive reward-response, coexisting with social modelling of substance use in one’s upbringing to jointly produce that outcome without wholly determining it. A high genetic risk only leads to addiction for Hume when enabled by permissive environments and by choices to repeatedly self-administer substances despite mounting negative consequences. Therefore, Hume is a critical philosopher who delineates between internal and external drivers of addiction as mutually necessary contributing factors.
When overcoming addiction, willpower and strength of character relate to free will. Yet it’s debatable whether all individuals have the same willpower capacity. Some people may have genetic predispositions or life circumstances that make it much harder to quit using substances through willpower alone. So there is an interplay between the individual’s effort to change and background influences on their personality and self-control.
Addiction is a complex issue that mainly affects the mind, but it also involves the interplay of various factors like the senses and memories. It is repeatedly marked by an intense craving that is irrepressible to engage in certain substances or acts despite their negative results. This irresistible desire comes about due to modifications inside the brain’s chemistry and wiring, particularly in areas related to pleasure and decision-making. Most addictive drugs or activities cause an unusually high release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that activates the brain’s reward system. However, after many exposures, the brain can adapt so that it takes more exposure to obtain the same “high” dopamine because it has become less sensitive to receiving everyday rewards. These cravings are accompanied by impaired judgment and impulsiveness.
Moreover, addiction often has a substantial sensory and emotional component. The sights, sounds, smells or feelings associated with drugs or drug use come to be powerfully linked to the pleasure response through classical conditioning-like mechanisms. So this illustrates how these sensory cues can go on to produce powerful urges since they trigger memories connected with them, thus making it more difficult for one to fight off addictive behaviours.
Reference
ARIZONA ADDICTION RECOVERY CENTER. (n.d.). Home | Arizona Addiction Recovery Center Arizona Addiction Drug Rehab. Arizona Addiction Recovery Center. https://arizonaaddictioncenter.org/
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