First, a disclaimer: I have never dealt with addiction. I have watched several people very close to me deal with addictions. I have taken a couple psychology courses, and I am by no means a professional; I am not proclaiming to be one. My posts are my opinion and how I see things.
Now, on to business.
There are several types of addictions: drug, alcohol, food (although a lot of people don’t believe this), sex, gambling, video games, shopping, exercise, the list goes on and on. Under the right circumstances and for the right person, anything can become an addiction.
People with addictions usually don’t see they have a problem until it’s too late. If you try and tell an addict that they have a problem or if you call them an addict, all you’re going to do is offend them. This goes for all addictions. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. You won’t know you have a problem until you hit rock bottom, or kill yourself. For example: even though it wasn’t an addiction, I was able to see I had a weight problem when I saw 309 on the scale. Normally rock bottom is being 100% unable to satisfy that craving and being unable to, no matter what.
People don’t just wake up one day and say, ” My goal for the day is to shoot up for the first time,” or “eat until I make myself sick,” or “drink until I black out.” It’s a gradual process that progressively gets worse. Something traumatic normally happens in their life that then need to find a way out. The look for the one thing that will take them away to a place where they don’t have to feel the pain anymore. It becomes an addiction when they can’t live without it anymore, that you literally need that fix to “survive.” I say “survive” because if you don’t have that piece of cake, or crystal meth, or bottle of Merlot, it’s not going to kill you. You literally will [normally] not die from withdrawal, but your body feels so strongly that you NEED to eat that Big Mac, you have to satisfy the craving to make it go away.
Now I’ve watched enough Dr. Phil and Dr. Drew to know, you can’t overcome addiction without one, truly wanting to and two, dealing with the original issue that caused you the pain to turn to your “drug” in the first place. It’s all tied together. You can’t just stop the addiction and move on with your life. Moving on will be a constant struggle for the rest of your life, constantly having to think, “Am I strong enough to resist the temptation?” Constantly having to think (on some level) of how the addiction came to be in the first place.
It’s easy for non-addicts to call addicts “weak” people. I’m sure they (addicts) have heard it all, “I don’t know why you can’t just stop drinking,” or “how hard is it to just stop smoking pot,” or “just don’t do it.” It’s not that simple, jerks. The brain of an addict is wired differently than a non-addict. They think differently, they have different urges, they have different wants and needs. Think of something you do every day than you really enjoy… running, exercising, reading, writing, playing video games, drinking coffee (this is a great one)… and just stop. You think, “I don’t need to, these habits aren’t bad for me.” Right, but I’m trying to convey a point, even if it isn’t bad for you, imagine trying to break a habit you’ve had for how long? Now think of how an addict feels when they hear a comment like that… It’s more than a habit, it’s an addiction and you can’t just stop.
People don’t realize that coffee/ tea/ soda that have caffeine are all addictive. If you’re a coffee drinker, have you ever tried to “go off” coffee? Cigarettes work the same way. Just stopping will cause some major problems in your life. I know before I stopped drinking coffee I couldn’t function without it. Detoxing was awful. Imagine if you’re on heroin or cocaine and you just stop. Your body will flip out.
Something that’s more difficult to relate to is a food addiction. It’s so difficult because we ALL do it. EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the face of this planet eats. So how can something so “normal” become so debilitating? It all goes back to why you have that addiction. Food is readily available almost anywhere. I have food in my kitchen; I’m sure you have food in your kitchen. When something happens in your life, and you turn to food, it’s one of the most easily accessible “drugs” around. You can also have an addiction and no one would know because it just looks like you’re eating. All addictions trigger the pleasure centers of the brain in the same way. Food triggers are primarily high in sugar, fat, and/or salt. Why?Because they taste good. Duh. EVERYONE knows these taste good. Eating disorders could be seen as addiction (I suppose) in some way. Bulimia, anorexia, over eating… Each one has the addiction trait. It’s not only over eating.
If you’ve ever watched the show “My Strange Addiction” on TLC (I am not calling this The Looney Channel because they have some of the craziest shows), you know people can be addicted to some really strange things. Bleach, sleeping with a hair dryer blowing on you, Comet cleaner, gasoline, eating the cushion of your couch… (If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out)… but one of the parts of the show is the person with the addiction going to see a counselor to determine when and why the addiction started. Same goes for the hoarders shows.
Addiction or not, finding the cause of the problem you’re having is usually more traumatizing than kicking the problem itself. No one wants to think back and remember an abusive relationship, or the time they witnessed something awful happen, or when they had something traumatizing happen to them… That’s why you have the vices… so you don’t have to go to that place, but unfortunately you have to either go there and dig up all of that crap within you to heal it and make it better or some people “pull the door closed,” and bolt it shut and never, ever go there again and move on.
If you or a loved one needs help, I have included some links to Anonymous groups that aren’t as widely known as Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s never too late to get help. Sometimes asking is the worst part about it.
Blaire's Journey 