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Addictions today have become more common than we dare to accept. Many types of addictions have become socially acceptable, in these morally and spiritually bankrupt times. Good things when misused can turn into addictions.
What is Addiction?
It is dependency on a particular substance or behaviour which is impossible to break without timely intervention. It destroys the person, demoralizes the family and all those associated with him.
Society has a general tendency to consider different kinds of substance abuse as addiction,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], while ignoring certain behaviour patterns that are equally addictive. Food,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], shopping, gambling, work, or sex can turn to behaviour addictions and create problems that are just as destructive as substance abuse.
? Workaholics would be shocked if told that work has become their addiction. They believe that frenetic activity is good for mental health and wellbeing. People want to carve out positions of power and honour through their professional accomplishments. What starts as a worthy ambition soon grows into an addiction. Without work they feel enervated and depressed.
? Food becomes an emotional pacifier to satisfy longings, loneliness or low self esteem. People eat when under stress. The act of digesting the food switches off that part of the brain mechanism that makes them tense. The rise of serotonin when food is taken makes them feel good. Those who live alone and are sad or depressed are vulnerable. One woman who was eating all the time said, "I miss my husband, and my stomach does not know the difference between hunger and love." Frenzy feeding is an addiction. It is a vicious cycle. When a depressed person snacks, his blood sugar rises and he feels good. But insulin shoots up in the blood and after a while, blood sugar falls. So he feels depressed again and reaches for a hot chocolate or a cookie.
? Gambling: Lotteries, playing cards,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], number games, casino games, betting at the races or even cricket matches and other sporting events can become addictive. Even losing money doesn't deter them. They believe that luck is just around the corner. The adrenaline rush overshadows the guilt of money lost and debts piling up.
? Shopaholics are compulsive buyers. Whenever they are angry or frustrated, they find release in purchasing a pair of shoes or an expensive dress, irrespective of the money and time wasted. It makes them snap out off their moods.
? Relationships: Some people develop an over dependence on a particular person to make them feel complete or fulfilled. This may lead to stalking, threatening or harming the very person they claim to love.
? Sexual addiction is when the need for sex becomes a compulsive obsession whether marital, extramarital or same sex. 44% of sex addicts are embarrassed by what they do, but can't help themselves nor will they seek treatment. Fetishes, pornography, rape, frottage (pawing women) flashing, are some of the ways by which they get their orgasm. This addiction is to the neurochemical changes that occur during sex. Sex addiction in women is becoming a major problem.
? Mood altering chemicals like cocaine, heroin,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], LSD, amphetamines, ketamine, and prescription drugs like cough syrups, sedatives, tranquillizers are habit forming. Even caffeine (one cup of coffee contains 150mgs of caffeine) is addictive. Drugs provide a feeling of well being and a false sense of power and control.
? Alcohol is a threat to modern civilization. With free availability, younger age groups are becoming hooked on alcohol. Alcoholism is said to decrease the life span of a person by twelve years. It is a depressant that affects the central nervous system immediately. No doubt it temporarily reduces tension and brings about relaxation. But in the long run, it destroys a person mentally and physically.
? Smoking is a habit very difficult to kick. It has damaging effects on liver, heart and is implicated in the cause of cancer.
All addictions, whether behavioural or chemical, are destructive. They gradually rob one of will power or self control. With drugs and alcohol, the body becomes tolerant to small amounts. So, larger quantities are needed. Mixing of drugs enhances potency, but also increases dangers. Health deteriorates. There is loss of control and inability to manage one's affairs. Even routine jobs are difficult to perform. Behaviour becomes erratic.
Causes of Addiction:
1. Friends or family members may introduce the young impressionable teen to a glass of beer or a cigarette. This may be the beginning of a love for these substances. Recently, the case of a brandy guzzling child of five was reported. His parents started giving him brandy every day to ward off asthmatic attacks.
2. Keeping wrong company. Peer pressure can be very persuasive.
3. Disorganized home environment where parents are poor role models. There is no love, warmth or appreciation of a sensitive child. Parents may quarrel frequently or there may be domestic violence.
4. Poor and unsafe neighborhoods where drunkenness, violence and abusive behaviour is a way of life.
5. Lack of direction with no moral standards to live by. Young people can be easily influenced into wrong ways.
6. Glorification of alcohol, drugs and vices through films,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], TV, advertisements.
7. Easy availability of alcohol and drugs.
How to break the bondage of Addiction:
? By first admitting that one has a problem with either substances or behaviour; that life is fully out of control; that there is loss of dignity.
? By seeking help from trained counselors or psychiatrists. They will help to get to the root of the problem - Injustice? Fear? Worthlessness? Anger? Life is not a bed of roses.
Everybody has problems, but one must learn to deal with them without the aid of substances. It is important to be conscious of one's vulnerabilities.
? Approach for alcohol and substance abuse is multidisciplinary. It needs admission to a facility dealing exclusively with these problems. Medical measures will involve detoxification and treatment of withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological management will be through:
1. Counseling individually, by which he is psychologically conditioned to stay away from drugs or alcohol. Each member of his family must also cooperate with the addict's treatment, through love, understanding and compassion.
2. Group therapy will help the addict realize that he is not alone and that there are others in a similar situation. Here there is mutual understanding, acceptance,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], sharing of individual problems and sympathy.
3. Sociotherapy involves teaching the addict effective methods of adjustment to normal life. He should not be left in a high risk environment. Community reinforcements like recreation clubs, Alcoholics Anonymous, and job availability will be helpful.
Rehabilitation can be a long and hard battle depending on whether the addiction is to a substance or behaviour. It depends on the addict's desire and determination to be cured, and the support he receives from his loved ones. Relapses may occur. But there must be the will to start all over again. Sometimes it may be a life long struggle especially with drug addicts and alcoholics. Therefore finding support groups is important.
Along with therapy, dependence on God is essential. A daily walk with God will strengthen a person enough to surmount the injustices of life, and dispel lurking fears.
The seeds of addiction are within all human beings. We need to periodically examine ourselves and see if there are things we find difficult to let go, and which have the potential to turn into addictions.