Matthew Perry debates addiction with Peter Hitchens.

I'm in control of the first drink. And so I do all these things to protect myself from not having the first drink. I'm a drug addict. I'm a person that if I have a drink, I can't stop. And so it would be following your ideology

that I'm choosing to do that. That I'm choosing-

That's exactly my, not my ideology, it is my belief. Yes, you do choose.

It is. And it's a belief that you wrote in your book, correct? You have a choice over whether you drink or not. You have a choice over... But your book is the only book in modern times that has this ideology. So doesn't that teach

you something? Well, it's quite often, quite often, unfashionable ideas are unfashionable because they are unpopular with influential people. Doesn't necessarily bother me. You tell me what the objective diagnosis is to establish the existence of addiction in the human body.

It's an obsession of your mind and an allergy of your body. So this is what happens to me. I start thinking about alcohol, I can't stop. I can't stop thinking about it. What's the objective physical proof of this inability to stop?

There's considerable proof this is partly a genetic problem, isn't it? Your argument is that it's willpower, Peter.

Of course it's willpower. No, it's not willpower. All the people constantly stop, both drinking and taking drugs.

You're just a person who's talking who's wrong.

If willpower were not involved, how would that happen?

It's an effort of will on your part so I do all these things to protect myself from not having the first drink. But once I have that drink the allergy of the body kicks in. This is all documented alcoholism proof. Then I can't stop after that.

I'm allergic to aspirin but it doesn't mean I have to drink.

But you have to look at the evidence. That is it.

What is this allergy?

It's an allergy of your body.

It's just, it's just, it's just.

Not that your aspirin point wasn't genius, Not that your aspirin point wasn't genius, but you don't know what you're talking about.