Assignment task: The Case of Ernie Crowfeather
1. Why was Ernie Crowfeather called a "medical disaster"?
2. Why were physicians incessantly spending time and money on Ernie Crowfeather in spite of knowing his medical condition?
3. Describe Ernie Crowfeather's behavior during the 30-month dialysis stint.
4. What is the disease model of alcoholism? Does this model tell the exact cause of Ernie's condition? What other logical conclusions does this model establish?
5. What is the neurobiological explanation for addiction?
6. What are the views of geneticists on the role of genes in the American Indians' dependence on alcohol?
7. Why did Kant think that humans have moral value and are unique in the universe?
8. What agruments were given by Kant against the disease model?
9. Differentiate between Fingarette's and Kant's views on alcoholism.
10. How does the harm reduction approach differ from the moralistic approach?
Discussion Questions:
1. How much do you think Ernie Crowfeather was responsible for his drinking?
2. Do some people have a harder time stopping drinking than others? What factors make it harder for some people to stop?
3. Is Kant's view too harsh on drinkers and addicts? Are they really free to quit?
4. Is the disease/neuroscience model too lenient on drinkers and addicts? Don't they have some responsibility for their actions? If not, why enter them in rehabilitation programs in the first place?
5. How does the harm reduction approach offer a compromise to the extremes of Kant and the disease model?
6. Does Fingarette's research suggest that much of the money spent on rehabilitation programs is wasted?
7. What changed in America to allow the opioid epidemic? Did regulation do its job? The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)? Pharmacy chains and drug distributors? Is market capitalism compatible with protecting vulnerable people from alcoholism and addiction?