Addiction
Addiction, in all of its forms, is about medicating emotional pain and numbing the discomfort in our bodies and minds. The truth is that most people will dabble in drugs or alcohol as well as engage in various activities like gambling, shopping or having sex but most will not become addicted. We know that three fourths of those who do struggle with addiction have also endured significant traumatic events in their lives. These experiences leave scars that don’t simply vanish but instead continue to disrupt our very nervous systems. Even without trauma, life can be very painful at times yet we live in a culture that does not equip us with the knowledge or support needed in order to cope with our pain.
Living in a pained body and mind is very uncomfortable and people struggle to soothe themselves or simply just be in their own skin. In this place, drugs and alcohol as well as certain other activities become the solution to a problem. They soothe the pain and provide temporary relief in the absence of anything else. Unfortunately, this solution eventually becomes a problem in its own right. In order to treat addiction we have to help people face their difficulties and address the pain while also giving them the tools and support needed to cope and work through it.
“The priority of any addicts is to anaesthetise the pain of living to ease the passage of day with some purchased relief.”
“At first, addiction is maintained by pleasure, but the intensity of the pleasure gradually diminishes and the addiction is then maintained by the avoidance of pain.”
“Not all addictions are rooted in abuse or trauma but I do believe they can all be traced to painful experience. A hurt is at the centre of all addictive behaviours. It is present in the gambler, the internet addict, the compulsive shopper and the workaholic. The wound may not be as deep and the ache not as excruciating and it may even be entirely hidden - but it’s there. As we’ll see, the effects of early stress or adverse experiences directly shape both the psychology and the neurobiology of addiction in the brain.”
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