Addictions
usually develop over time, and that’s why I think addictions are
problems of human development. Although they can and do happen quickly,
it usually takes time for an addiction to develop fully.
Addictions
tend to begin at critical life stages. In stressful life transitions we
often find the emotional soil in which an addiction will grow. Some
addictions weave in and out of life growing stronger and weaker at
different times as conditions change. To complicate matters, a person’s
own view of an addictive activity may change over time just as the
opinions of society and science change. Addictions grow in life like
weeds in a flowerbed, and sometimes what looks and smells like a flower
turns into a deadly weed. Sneaky stuff, these addictions.
To
complete a line of thinking and point out a moral lesson, I must say
that sometimes an idea or a behavior that looks and feels like a
noxious weed in life turns out be a be life-saver. Early judgments and
first impressions are often wrong.
It
also takes time to outgrow an addiction, to recover and gain quality
abstinence. People with a severe addiction may think of themselves as
grown-ups, but, of course, they show many of the signs of childishness
such as impulsiveness, impatience and a tendency to violence. One of
the mistakes many people on the path to recovery make is to assume
that, because they are adults, they should experience recovery in a
short time, as in immediately or over night. But age alone does not
guarantee quick abstinence or a quality sobriety. Think of the behavior
of a ten year old child and the same child at age fifteen, everything
is different, and it took five years of learning, growth and experience
to become that very different fifteen year old. It isn’t easy getting
to be a teenager, if you can remember that far back. Just because you
are 35 or 40 is no reason to expect growth and change to come any
faster than it does for a child. Learning takes time at any age. If you
work at abstinence for five years, and learn all you can in that time,
you will be doing very well indeed. Human development and human
re-development can be slow, but very many newcomers to self-help groups
drop out after a few meetings because they don’t understand why they
can’t have a quick fix.
A great variety of chemical substances have the
potential for creating addiction. More recently, activities such as
gambling, shopping and predatory sex have been interpreted as
addictions because they show increasing or progressive use over time as
well as withdrawal effects, mood swings and social harm to the user and
the user’s family. Whether it’s a substance or an activity, it takes
over and controls thinking and behavior.
Addictions to things or to activities have been
linked to biological, psychological, social and genetic problems. Each
theory of addiction seems to focus on one or two factors while
downplaying the importance of others. Biological theories of addiction
point out the effects of an addictive agent on various areas in the
brain. Socio-cultural theories emphasize the roles of media, family,
peer pressure and environmental attitudes toward addictive substances
and intoxication. Psychological theories are divided. At one end is an
emphasis on personality variables and the mood-altering,
self-medicating qualities of various addictive agents. On the other end
are social learning theories that stress intellect in addiction.
Genetic theories emphasize the roles of inherited biochemical
vulnerabilities, behavior susceptibilities and temperament, especially
when considering alcoholism. In fact, it may not make much difference
what causes addiction; what is important is how it develops and what
can be done about it.
Gambling, as an activity based addiction, can
serve as a path to the understanding of other non-substance
dependencies and to a broadening of our insight into addictionology.
Theorists have attempted to explain why certain people become addicted
to gambling. These theorists offer a variety of explanations such as
the gambler’s need to enhance self-esteem and social status, attempts
to manage high or low energy levels, grandiose fantasies of achieving
spectacular success, and problems with aggressive, independent,
rebellious and competitive urges. Whatever the mood or motivations of
the gambling, it all comes down to something that is causing
intolerably negative emotions. Stripped of fancy theoretical jargon, a
continuing and intense bad mood develops and the individual finds that
addictive activity removes the unpleasant mood at least for a while.
Many life transitions are supposed to be
delightful and rewarding, but any major life change has its negative
side. I think of life changes as possible sources of what can be called
transition vulnerability. In coping with major change we tap all our
resources and become somewhat more fragile psychologically. Any
additional stress is very hard to deal with.
Some dangerous transitions:
1. Adolescence and puberty
2. Leaving home for the first time
3. Marriage/divorce
4. Birth of the first child
5. Relocation
6. Military service
7. New job stress
8. Job loss, demotion and transfers
9. Promotion and increased job responsibility
10. Separation and loss
11. Sickness, injury and chronic disability
12. Retirement and loss of status
13. Old age and severe health limitations
14. Isolation
15. Chronic pain and loss of function
While often the occasion for joy, critical
transitions can produce mixed feelings. Sometimes they are unwelcome or
turn into bad situations leading to disappointment, anger and
frustration. These are times in which we may be more vulnerable to the
beginning or to the flare up of addiction. While preoccupied with the
new challenges life brings to us, our guard is down and this is when an
addiction can sneak up on us.
If you have an addiction, ask yourself when it
started or when it got much worse. Were you going through some
stressful period in life at the time?
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