1. Being *addicted* to drugs causes problems while under a drugs influence AND off the drug. Your body becomes so used to having the drug and craving the drug, that when the person "sobers up", their addiction causes erratic behavior while sober. It has to do with what the drug is composed of and how it affects one's neurotransmitters. Whether they're under its immediate influences or not, a person who does drugs on a daily basis will still have after effects once they become sober (dopamine- drug addiction, schizophrenia; serotonin- depression; norepinephrine- depression, stress; GABA( gamma-aminobutyric acid)- inhibition of brain activity, anxiety disorders) to name some. Once a person becomes **clean** they typically have themselves under better control. You can see this all the time, being *sober* does not constitute the same thing as being *clean*. And yes, they may have intentional actions, but those intentional actions would not be the same without the influence of the drugs. Like you said.
So..
It is not as if the person dersires to do the drugs SO he or she can hurt other people. They do the drugs for themselves, because they like the way it makes them feel, or see. Even though these drugs can cause problems for every one else around them, that is not their main goal.
Michael Vick purposefully hurt other living beings- that was his main goal. Now if he had done what he had done while on drugs, maybe I would consider the fact those weren't his true intentions, or a reflection of who he really is as a person. But, as far as I know, he was not on drugs or has not been continually taking drugs on a daily basis. I could be wrong there though.
2. DUI: You're right, people make the conscious effort to drive while they are drunk. But, they are not looking to kill someone, or hoping they will get lucky and hit another car/ pedestrian, they just want to get home or where ever it is they are planning on arriving at for the night.
Again, Michael Vick consciously set out to murder the animals who did not live up to his expectations.
So far, neither one of those things consitutes a persons *true* actions, simply actions made while under some other influence that they are typically immediately sorry for afterwards, and have no desire for those circumstances to repeat themselves (even if they go back to the bar again the next night). It is called "under the influence" for a reason. A person is under what ever drug's influence (alcohol included) that they are doing, therefore, causing the person do things out of the ordinary for them. I do not think Michael was under any influence, he was just doing what he truely wanted to do to these animals.
3. You're right again, I do not personally know Michael Vick to make that assumption. I do know some things about a persons psychological state to *assume* he is not truly sorry. Until I am proven otherwise I will go with my experience and what I know. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. But that does not mean I will go around treating every person who DOES or HAS HAD psychological isssues, as if they were the exception.
It's the same concept as (this example may not be the best one, but it's the only one that came to mind right now) the husband (or the wife) that enjoys porn, but their spouse does not like them doing this. So they say they will stop, maybe they really do- but does that mean they have stopped liking it? Or wouldn't watch it again if the oppurtunity arose? Experience has taught us, probably not (although there are exceptions). And the main point is not to just stop watching it, but a spouse would rather they did not enjoy doing it at all. So just because they stop, does not mean the same thing as they stopped liking it.
People like to do what they like to do, that's all up to every individual person and their different psychological aspects, what produces what neurotransmitter in their brain, what neurotransmiiter is not working properly. And sometimes, what they like to do is, by all means, wrong. But it's still what they enjoy doing and it takes a great to deal to change the way a person's brain functions. To change what produces serotonin in their brains. If they like it, they like it- those are hard things to actually change about people because it involves chemical reactions produced in the brain.
So yes, Vick could be truely sorry for his actions and would never even THINK of doing something so horrendous again. But, that is not likely, and until I see otherwise I am not going to just assume he is the exception to the rule.
Yes, some of what I say is out of spite for what his actions have done, but they are not unfounded. And I agree with you on number 3, there is no way to truely know if he is sincerely sorry (meaning would never have the desire to do something like that again and has stopped liking it), but based off of experience I am also not going to assume that he does not like those activities anymore. Something created a good impression on his brain to make him want to do those things. So what did he replace that with? How did he get rid of those desires in a year and a half? I have not heard anything on that side of the subject yet so I'll stick with what i do know.
And I know you do not eman any disrespect towards me and appreciate you saying so.
Nor do I towards you.