Lewis 1

Natalie Lewis

Professor Vicki Stalbird

English Composition 2

26 May 2019

Research Proposal

People should realize that addiction is considered a disease because, addicts don’t

necessarily choose to be addicted it can typically be a result of a mental illness , addiction results

in similar effects as diseases such as cancer, and unless someone has had personal experience

with an addict they don’t really understand. I have grown up in a home with an alcoholic father

my entire life. I have watched his life slowly fade away before my eyes due to the effects of

alcohol on the human body. I have watched him struggle with the addiction and witnessed how it

affects a family. From my personal experience I have questioned whether or not addiction should

be considered a choice or a disease. Unfortunately, my situation is not how I would have wanted

my relationship with my father to be, however, it has taught me to become the independent and

strong woman that I am today.

What really sparked my interest in this topic began about two years ago when a girl in my

english class did a presentation on this exact topic. She didn’t provide a lot of information and

basically just gave her opinion that she believed addiction was a choice. Being someone who

lives with this everyday I knew I wanted to learn more about it so I could educate people who are

naive to the subject.

 Lewis 2

I currently feel that addiction, but more importantly alcoholism should be considered a

disease, and those who suffer should be treated no different than someone with cancer. I think

that people should be more educated about this topic and unless they have first hand experience

with an addict they truly do not understand the effects of addiction and why others like me think

it’s a disease. I believe this because I know the symptoms are similar to other diseases and

eventually alcoholism can lead to other issues such as congestive heart failure and liver disease.

I know there is still a lot I could afford to learn about this topic. I would like to learn

more about the damage that alcohol can have on the body and would be interested and reading

about people’s experiences. As well as learning more in depth about how addicts got to where

they are now in the addiction, because no one just decides one day that they want to be an

alcoholic. What are some things that lead to someone becoming an addict? I would also like to

learn more about why some people come up with their opinions and see if it could change my

opinion.