Substance Abuse, Habitual Behavior, And Self-control by Peter K. Levison

Author:Peter K. Levison [Levison, Peter K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781000277609
Goodreads: 49789567
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

John L. Falk

Introduction

To classify a stream of behavior as excessive is to vilify it. Whatever else the behavior may be, it is exceptional, deviant. The Greek maxim “Nothing in Excess” belies their excesses “in everything — in pure thought, in poetry, in religion, and in sin” (Russell, 1945, p. 21). The duality implied has remained with us. Society expects its members to exhibit, at least in day-to-day interactions, a rather classic and controlled sense of measure. We may appreciate, or even romanticize, whimsical acts, vagrant moods, dramatic and excited outpourings, bizarre innovations and irrational transitions, but usually we tolerate such behavior only as an occasional punctuation to the procession of interactive routines. While one is expected to encourage freedom and spontaneity in life’s ventures, mainly we are situational essentialists: we know how things ought to proceed and be. Society is classic in the sense that Greek art was classic. It values consistency, limits and order. Diversity and excess smack of chaos. As well as recommending moderation, the Delphic oracle advised “Know Thyself,” yet another exhortation to self-control.

In the Oxford English Dictionary there are a range of meanings for “excessive,” some negative and others more charitable. Definitions such as “outrageous” and “beyond what is usual or proper or reasonable” are negative. But others are less so as they evoke qualities of deviation we find not all that repulsive. Consider: “depart from custom,” “overstepping the limits of moderation,” and even “extravagant or rapturous feeling.” Living in an age that often accepts passion as the mark of authentic experience, “rapturous feelings” could be products collateral to something of value. So, “excessive” can be regarded not only as behavior that is “too much,” but also as behavior that is positively extreme — extremely dedicated, persistent or precise.

The problem of the origin of excessive behavior is one of discovering sources for unusual amounts of behavior. The acts composing excessive behavior are not in themselves alien or grotesque. Excessive behavior is extravagant rather than outlandish. In its positive aspect, the extreme behavior is not particularly novel or creative. It is most likely a common behavior that has become exaggerated. A positive excess, such as an all-consuming job, hobby, or avocation would fit this category. Likewise, drinking, taking a drug, or eating are not in themselves incredible or obnoxious. But excessive engagement in any of these can lead to disruptive and sometimes pathological consequences. The problem is not one of intrinsically evil or maladaptive behavior; it is one of degree. Limited indulgence is often condoned. It is overindulgence that carries with it social and medical consequence stigmata. But the case should not be oversimplified. Behavior that is regarded as deviant only when excessive is not always condoned even when it just occurs in isolated episodes. Such episodes may be highly suspect if they are reputed gateways to future excessive engagement. Limited use of a substance, when regarded as the first, small step in an inexorable march toward excessive use, often is censured. But there is not great consistency in whether or when such censures are applied.

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