[Drug addiction and freedom]

The author, in a historical and philosophical approach, analyses the concept of freedom as opposed to slavery. He also refers to the legal and social restrictions and studies the determinism and free will as the causes of human behaviour. Quoting Spinoza, the author states that man accepts the idea of freedom because he realizes the "how" of his options but ignores "why". Without the hypothesis of causality and determinism, there seems to have no science. Without freedom, there seems to be no anthropos man (Jimeno Valdez). The principles of anticausality, of nonreproducibility and of differentiation characterize the human freedom, but are contrary to the way science works. According to the social and political point of view, it was established that the State has the right to oblige and to violently limit freedom. Practically speaking, though, the State is violent just for being the State; the dominant groups are the government because they are and they have been violent. There is a need to limit and to discipline this right of the State of being violent within the dilemma of safety and freedom. By working, the slave avoided the whip. And by doing this, he encouraged the behaviour of the one who whipped him. The non-aversive attitudes limit the freedom in the modern world more and more for they also enchain our will, a rebellion becoming impossible. One is not granted the freedom; it shall be conquered and kept. Freedom, either as a concept or a phenomenon, is always relative. The concept of toxicomania or pharmacodependance is analysed according to the same perspective. The conclusion is that this is always more a problem of the society than of the individual, and this is how it has to be understood and treated. The present world is described as a millenial human culture specifically characterized by eight groups of phenomena: 1. Transport increased human mobility, reduced the relative dimensions of the earth, mixed peoples, compared cultures and created opportunities for conflicts; 2. The means of communication spread information surpassing their own capacity of being formed, they becoming traumatic; 3. The natural energies and electronic computing disturbed the work and comsumption market, man becoming insecure and disposable; 4. The industrial development produced a mass-culture and old time establishment became unreliable; 5. The demographic boom altered the age groups ratio which now presents an excess of children and grandparents with a relative lack of parents; 6. The diffusion of knowledge on human nature; 7. The religions emerged again, even the most primitive, persuading youngsters and governments; 8. The law, institutions and governments did not keep up with the rhythm of the changings and progress. The result was a generalized dissatisfaction.