Alive!

I work with drug addicts. This is my opinion on addiction.

To understand addiction, you must first understand the psychology of addiction. Some people can have alcohol without getting addicted. Some people can gamble without getting addicted. These people can’t be called addicts, since the behaviors don’t impair their health or damage their lives. But there are individuals that are unable to do these things without getting addicted to the point that their lives are damaged.

So we need to make a clear distinction between the use of substances and the addiction to substances. Because of this, the behavior the addict is addicted to does little to determine treatment. No matter what they are addicted to, the addict is getting a boost in dopamine from an outside source.

Several years ago, an addiction specialist counselor spoke at a conference regarding addiction therapy. He explained that he asks his clients what positives they gain from their addiction. When asked why they participate in their addictive behaviors, addicts typically answer that their drug of choice gives them peace. They explain that it relieved pain, made them feel connected, or made them feel more confident. The addiction counselor explained that addicts use their drug of choice to feel human. They strive for qualities we should already have. So the question becomes, “what’s keeping them from having these qualities in their lives to begin with?”

As a clinician, it is important to remember that the addiction is not the problem. Instead, the addiction is the addict’s attempt to solve a problem.

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"that's really what you want in life. You want to feel connected. Want to feel relevant. Want to feel like... a participant in the going-on's of activities and events around you. That's precisely what we are just by being alive."

-Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Maybe we all just want to feel alive. But it's hard to understand what that entails.

-Ryan