Addiction

If you have no idea what addiction is you cannot be living in the real world. There, almost anywhere you care to look, some variant of addiction will exist to a lesser or greater extent. Alas addiction is not a rarity but commonplace and, in one form or another, is found in many households the world over. At its worse it is soul and body destroying, bringing misery and death to many; at its best it compels us to act irrationally and sometimes - very rarely indeed, it has to be said - to achieve great things.

The causes of addiction are not fully known or understood completely, with various competing theories being promoted depending on what you choose to believe. It may be that heredity is involved and that there is a gene responsible; despite various announcements on this however, little as far a I can ascertain has been proven beyond doubt. What has been proven to some degree is a relationship of certain genes to a vulnerability to addiction, which may lead further if conditions (environment, personal circumstances etc.) encourage it. There does not appear to be conclusive evidence of an inevitability about this, though, so it's no good claiming we are (or were) mere passengers in our addiction saga, much as it may suit us to believe this - 'I was helpless, could do nothing, my damned genes don't you know etc. etc.'.

Of course addiction can sometimes also be a question of choice - surrendering to something that gives us pleasure which we then allow to become a habit that then becomes so strong as to dominate our existence. Depending on the substance or activity and the effect it has on us (and those around us) it may be harmless, annoying (to us and others around us) or even potentially life threatening. And once we have surrendered to addiction it is apparently difficult to stop through personal willpower alone.

Not everything we may become addicted to is inherently extensively harmful; it is sometimes the loss of control and, therefore, the exaggerated use of such that makes something destructive:

1. A couple of cigarettes a day cause little harm - though personally I would not recommend smoking even that little - but a couple of packets  a day lead, without any doubt, to serious health problems.

2. Two or three glasses of wine a day cause little or no harm and may even have a positive effect on health; two or three bottles a day every day become a way to poison your body.

3. A couple of small pieces of chocolate, preferably dark, a day are a treat and may have health benefits; not so two large bars of same, especially the more sugar-laden versions.

4. Exercising regularly within certain limits (there are clear guidelines widely available, but if in doubt one must consult a professional) is doubtlessly beneficial, provided there are no health limitations or contraindications; training badly (usually with excessive intensity) or overtraining (training too often and/or for extended periods of time) , however, can lead to fatigue, muscular failure, injury and long-term health problems. And, surprising as it may seem, there is an addictive element to exercise - think of the runner's high - and of the feelgood factors associated with it!

Most of us think of drugs like opium, heroin and cocaine when thinking of addiction, as it is the most publicised form and death or serious after-effects are more often and more obviously involved. We also think of alcohol, out of control behaviour and violence, or DUI resulting in accidents.  These we consider as happening to other, more depraved, individuals, for we are not at that level and would never behave like that - if only it were that simple! Addiction is all around us in one form or another, affecting us or people just like us in one way or another; it is high time we realised this and behaved accordingly.

How one responds is where the main difficulty lies as, if we do not know the precise causes of addiction, it is very hard to come up with a catch-all solution. Furthermore we are all different as individuals and so require a more individual approach to treatment if it is to be effective, something that is not only difficult and potentially risky, but costly. What is certain, however, is that it is possible to break the chains through some kind of treatment, willpower (or a combination thereof), assuming we recognise the existence of a problem in the first place.

Therein lies the biggest problem: the addicted individual needs to understand and accept that they have an addictive issue. Then - and only then - can the attempt at treatment begin, but not all of us can be so honest with ourselves; the issue is more often than not avoided or hidden. It doesn't matter what anybody else says, to or about us, recognition and acceptance of addiction must come from within - it is the first step to a potential recovery.