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When we hear the word "addict," we tend to think of people who are dependant
upon illegal drugs. But the truth is, addiction is not limited to narcotics.
Drugs can be terribly habit-forming and destructive, but other substances,
too, can cause people to become addicted to them. There are gambling
addicts, internet addicts, even exercise addicts. In fact, addiction is such
a widespread phenomenon in our society that you can see evidence of it
practically everywhere you turn.
There are thousands of people in America, for example, who enjoy a night out
playing Bingo. You may even have been to a Bingo Hall yourself, "What's the
big deal?" you may be asking. Well, Bingo is harmless up to a point, but
just take a look at the regulars for whom Bingo isn't just a fun night out
but rather a way of life. They schedule their lives around Bingo, attending
the game every night and spending hundreds of dollars a week just on cards.
When a game is treated so obsessively, it can certainly be said to be a
serious addiction.
Addiction is not simply a physical activity, however. No textbook definition
of this disease says that a person must engage in a corporeal action to be
considered an addict. Many addictions are invisible, unseen to even the
trained eye. Pathological liars, for example, are addicts in the sense that
they are dependent upon lies. Those of us who tell white lies now and again
are certainly not addicts in the true sense of the world, but those who tell
lie upon
lie, getting caught up in a web of deceit, are addicted to the drug of
untruth. People who resort continually to a particular feeling (anger,
mistrust, etc.) are equally addicted to an emotion.
While many addictions can be explained in terms of physical dependence or
mental anomaly, it's important to recognize that all addictions stem from
the emotions. It's that need to satisfy something within ourselves that
drives us to obsessive behavior, and while some forms of addiction also
require physical intervention, such as a detox facility, the root of the
problem must be addressed in order to achieve true freedom.
Almost all of us probably know someone with an addictive behavior, large or
small, from alcoholics to compulsive shoppers to workaholics. It is a
symptom of our society, in which we ignore root causes, and until we treat
the disease itself we will continue to foster obsessive behaviors and all
sorts of addictions. |
