Author: tearj3rker
Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:47 pm
| Romeo wrote: |
| You’re an addict, that’s your problem. I hate to be so blunt, but it’s true.
Us addicts, our brains work differently than most of the rest of the population. It’s not a moral deficiency we suffer from, it’s a disease or a mental disorder. I’m still not entirely sure where I sit with the whole disease concept, but I think our addiction and the way it operates sure could be described as a mental disorder. |
I’m with Romeo on this one.
The way I view it is.. everyone in this world has insecurities, and an emptiness to some degree. It’s the human condition. The difference between us addicts and the "other" people, is that when we fill that gap with some kind of addictive behaviour, be it eating, sex, gambling, drugs etc … that emptiness gets bigger, and bigger. We constantly need more and more to fill that widening hole. The "other" people don’t get this snowballing obsession, and can easily walk away. For me, alcohol & drugs is the "end of the line" of addictive behaviours. If I let myself slip, it always ends up there. When I abstain off all chemicals, including Suboxone/methadone, it’s interesting how much I want to pursue the other vices, chase women, and adrenaline seek. In the last few months I’ve been a bad internet addict too apparently, as I’ve had to "drop out" of many things on this treatment.
There are healthy addictions too. Exercise comes to mind (though that too can become dangerous). Also creative hobbies, like music / art. Fresh out of addiction, we often like "repetitive" tasks that we can obsess over. I’ve got a thing for wiring up AV systems & problem solving at the moment, and coding software, and posting on this goddamn forum. I also get involved in researching family’s and friends purchases, whether they like it or not. ie buying cars, technology. I just go NUTS jumping into the process. It’s a way I can spend money, as I did on drugs, without it being my own! 
Others go nuts stitching quilts, or cross stitching, or doing step-work. Whatever you choose, it’s gotta have some productive result. That way it’s an obsession, rather than a destructive addiction.
These days they say addiction is a "bio/psycho/social" illness. It has biological factors (genetics etc), psychological factors (bad coping mechanisms) and social factors (family, socioeconomics, exposure to drugs etc).
