ASPECTS OF ADDICTION

Addiction is a multifaceted disease. It is a bio psycho and social disorder. Addiction can be of anything – drugs, alcohol, food, sex, money, gambling, anything. Every person has a void and if we try to fill that void with anything, that thing can become our addiction, because this void can only be filled by relationships:- your relationship with yourself, your relationship with others, which includes firstly your folks at home, friends and society at large and your relationship with the God of your understanding.

Life is about ups and downs and these ups and downs are not in our control. Addiction at its most basic level is trying to control these uncontrollable cycles of ups and downs. The addict does not like the way he or she is feeling and decided to feel differently. If he or she is sad they want to feel good and if they are feeling good they want to feel better.This is how the addiction cycle begins by acting out. In acting out the addict engages in addictive behaviors or obsessions by which his or her mood changes. Acting out is a way to shift ones feelings or mood. By acting out through thoughts or actual behavior, the addict learns to create feelings of being relaxed, excited or even fear, self  disgust, shame but the biggest illusion is of being in control.Life if stressful and acting out is a way to escape from the stresses of day to day living.

Addiction and the mood change experienced by the addict is a very seductive process. We can get temporary relief from objects and events but not nurturing, i.e. our void does not get filled. All of us have to deal with issues, frustrations and memories we want to avoid and we all use objects and events to avoid facing them but in addiction we lose control and get locked into emotional evading of life. Addiction always begins at the emotional level in a person.