The Tragedy Of Addiction And Why We Are All Addicts

Some people talk of addiction as a disease which it is not but it is arguably an illness. Nobody chooses to be an addict. They become addicted and the addiction takes control of their lives forcing them to make the choices they make because of the need to feed their addiction.

In theory an addict can make the choice to not be an addict but in practice they are fighting an uphill battle against their own body and subconscious mind. It can be done but it is an enormous challenge to overcome and many fall by the wayside.

Addiction can take many forms and some habits are much more destructive addictions than others. People become addicted to all sorts of substances and experiences. Drink and drugs are the most well known destructive addictions there are others such as gambling that can have a devastating effect on the addicts life as well as those around them.

Nor can we discount the less obvious, more acceptable forms of addiction. An addiction to clothes, shoes and shopping or an addiction to eating, coffee, computer games or other compulsive behaviors is different but still very similar to an addiction to alcohol or drugs. The effects may be less damaging but it is no less an addiction and the person suffering from the addiction feels compelled to feed their habit.

To an addict happiness comes in the fix. The drug or the drink. The next bet or the next purchase. The next meal, a cigarette, the next TV show or the next social event. We are all addicted to something. Whatever it is that makes us feel good is the only thing that really matters in our lives and we want it.

There are arguably three main groups of addictions and addictive behaviour. These could be described on the basis of their effects on the person as the dangerous and destructive addictions, the damaging addictions and the obsessive behaviour addictions.

Dangerous and destructive addictions would include drugs and alcohol. Either of these two so often lead to an early death for the addict who feels compelled to feed their addiction with chemicals that are damaging to their health in both mind and body.

Damaging addictions would include gambling and other forms of addiction which involve spending money beyond what the person can afford. It could be purchasing handbags or shoes but could also include people who have to buy the latest computer game, the best golf equipment and could even include sports fans who feel they have to spend money they cannot afford in order to travel to every game their favorite team plays.

Finally we have the less damaging obsessive behavior addictions such as constant cleaning of the home, spending whole weekends playing computer games as well as other less obvious addictions such as obsessive hobbies that seem more important than really important things in life like developing relationships and spending time with your family and loved ones.

Addiction can take many forms. Not all habits or addictions are harmful. It may have been the regular Saturday night out with friends that helps you forget how you hate the rest of the week. It could be a TV show that lifts your mood and gives you something to look forward to. If it doesn't hurt anybody then a habit may not be so bad but if an addiction to something is harmful to you or those around you something needs to change because if it doesn't the only way forward is down.

The social circles we move in plays a large part in what we consider normal or acceptable. We are to some extent defined by the social group we are members of. If you live in a social circle where drug use is common you are far more likely to consider this is normal behavior and far more likely to fall under the influence of drug use.

If your friends are heavy drinkers you would consider drinking much more acceptable than someone who lives their lives surrounded by abstainers and people who do not approve of drinking heavily.

When you spend your free time with friends who enjoy nothing more than shopping for shoes, handbags, training shoes or sports clothing you may be drawn in by their enthusiasm and want to join in and you could easily end up spending far more than you can afford to spend. There is no shortage of people who have been on a spending binge only to discover when the bills arrive they cannot afford the lifestyle they tried to buy.

The current trend of tweeting and social networking is encouraging a new form of addiction. Some people feel compelled to tweet about everything they do while others feel drawn to discover what their friends and acquaintances are tweeting about every minute of the day regardless of more important things they should be getting on with in their lives.

We are all driven by the urge to make ourselves feel good. Advertisers and marketers know this and play on those feelings all the time. Every product is promoted in a way that suggests our lives will be better and we will feel good if we purchase that product. They know it is a human weakness that can be used to manipulate us even though it goes against our rational thinking and our common sense.

It is a trait of human beings that we do what makes us feel good. Back in the day when we were living in caves that would have been a beneficial trait. It would have encouraged us to find food, warmth and shelter because it made us feel good. Now we have all these essential things as standard we look for other things to give us that extra buzz and feeling of excitement and pleasure. Sometimes the things we use to give us those feelings turn out to be unhealthy and they can be destructive and damaging to our lives and our state of mind..

I am a smoker. I would not encourage anyone else to ever touch a cigarette but I know I am addicted to smoking. I never set out to become a habitual smoker or to be an addict. I smoked a little at first and more later. It became a regular habit and the first I ever knew about my addiction was when I found I couldn't stop.

Like every other addict, whatever the addiction, it happened by accident. I had a choice but I never knew that choice mattered until it was too late. Everyone who has ever been addicted to anything knows the choice was made before they were addicted. Once the habit has become a way of life it is far more difficult to reverse.

It can be done. With the right help and support most addictions can be ended but it cannot happen until the addict recognizes they have a problem and they genuinely want to overcome their habit and put a stop to it.

Nobody chooses to become an addict. Many addicts would love to wake up one day and no longer suffer their addiction. It demands enormous strength of will and character to overcome addictions but there is help, support and treatment available for those who are truly committed. Rehab is an option for the more serious addictions and it does work well for some. Sadly many fall by the wayside on their journey to getting clean.

It is much easier to become addicted than it is to get clean of a habit. Many addicts would have said there was no way they would become addicted, before they began drifting into addiction.

Whatever the addiction is, you need to be able to see the possibilities of life without that feeling of support you get from your addiction before you will be able to overcome it. You need to recognize that life can exist without the buzz you get from feeding your addiction.

If you have a harmful habit you need to change your life in ways that do not include it. You need to find a new life without that addictive thing you have previously used for disguising how miserable life can sometimes seem. You need to discover a better and more rewarding life that can give you happiness and satisfaction and it is easier to find the right path when you can think clearly.

Viewing the world through the bottom of a glass or the temporary buzz from a pill is not the best way to find solutions. You need to find that new and more constructive and positive life for yourself and build your future.

There are 1001 habits and some are far more devastating than others but we all have the potential to become addicted to something. Whatever your habit, I hope it is not too harmful to you and those who care about you but if it is, do yourself a favor and seek help and support to quit your addiction.

"The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it, and habit fills up what remains."

Marcel Proust