Disease or Choice?
Delving into Addiction
Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an expert on addiction and the ideas presented here are from my observations, experience and research. This information is for contemplation only and you the reader get to make your conclusions upon reading.
Let’s begin…
There is a myriad of information out there on the web about addiction from the types of addictions, to how to recover and many stories from survivors to those who have lost their lives to one.
Addictions come in all shapes and sizes. They can be mild to extreme and they have been around since the word was introduced back in the Roman Republic times of the 5th - mid-3rd century. It wasn’t known as ‘Addiction’ at this time but instead ‘Addicere’.
‘The English word addiction stems from the same root, dicere, meaning ‘to say’ or ‘to speak,’ as our words dictate, diction, and dictionary. Addicere, a Latin compound of dicere and the proposition ad, from which the English word ‘addiction’ is directly derived, meant literally ‘to speak to,’ and, more loosely, to ‘assent’ or ‘adjudge’ (Oxford Latin Dictionary Citation2012, vol. 1, p. 40).
On further research, it was stated over the centuries that ‘Addiction’ had both good and bad connotations. For example, gambling which can be addictive was also linked to divination. They used to throw lots to pick leaders, settle disagreements or decide if someone was guilty or innocent depending on the outcome. They saw the final result as the will of God. However, to gamble all your money away on something is destructive because then you become a slave to whoever you are indebted.
It is interesting to learn about the etymology of the word addiction because you see the roots in which it has grown. Its meaning swings from extremely positive because it relates to a divine approval from God then moves to extreme negative as you become enslaved and full of shame.
What is the medical definition of Addiction?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary ADDICTION is defined as:
1 a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted
2 a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly
As we delve deeper into the medical definition we start to see the true negative consequences of addiction. When it becomes a habit, something you cannot free yourself from as the neurons in your brain begin to hardwire themselves the longer the behaviour continues.
What causes Addiction?
I cannot give you a clear-cut answer. For each individual, it is very different but past trauma is usually at the root of many forms of addiction.
Soldiers who have come back from the war having witnessed horrific sites often end up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and turn to alcohol or other addictions to cope with the images/flashbacks and feelings that constantly rotate in their minds.
This is where the root of the problem resides in the MIND. Thoughts become things and these negative thoughts which spiral round and round with nowhere to go find themselves creating addictive behaviours to release themselves physically.
When you see celebrities who have succumbed to addiction like Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson. You notice this split in their personality. They all had a front for the public world which was very different to the one behind the scenes. You see in their eyes this checked-out look, as if they are not fully present but just performing to please a world that wants so much from them and what they are seeking is love. A love that has to come from inside of them and not externally.
It’s why addiction can be so hard to heal when you care for someone under this mental condition. Whatever happened in their lives has caused this trajectory and only they can find their way back to the roots of the problem.
How to heal from Addiction?
There are no quick fixes, although it has been known for someone with an addiction to suddenly awaken and stop the behaviour. For others it could take years and for some they may never recover.
It is down to each individual journey with their thoughts. Are they going to keep listening to them and never challenge the negativity that is causing the looping behaviour?
Or will they choose to move into recovery and see a therapist or try one of the many options available including EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) aka Tapping, REM (Rapid Eye Movement), Hypnotherapy, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Homeopathic remedies, Medical intervention and many other forms of mind therapies to heal these cyclical dark thoughts within themselves?
Is Addiction a Disease or Choice?
This is a controversial question depending on who is reading and wishing to answer.
I see it as a combo of both the mental and physical attributes because it takes someone with this affliction to choose recovery first to heal.
However, after time the behaviour has resulted in negative chemical compounds creating deep physical structures in the brain.
This means to get an individual to choose recovery a physical intervention is required or a way of moving the mind to think differently on a consistent basis.
This is not an easy feat when you are caught up in your head all the time and you can’t get away from your thoughts.
The key is to shift focus, shift routine, shift environment and this will ultimately lead you to shift the way you are thinking.
You have to get out of where you are currently living or change your environment to support a new way of being in the world.
You have to look at what you are doing every day and change it radically. Your routine needs a whole new intervention. If you get up late every day, start getting up early.
You have to move your focus off your problem and onto a solution. Give your mind something alternative to think about, it needs attention, it needs you to acknowledge the pain and compassionately move toward love.
Then you need to work out where these negative thoughts are coming from and get to the root of them. A great tool is to write a journal and begin to see them on the page physically, find the patterns and you will have the clarity to turn them around.
So, is addiction a choice or a disease? It’s both, you need to choose recovery and this takes courage because deep down you might not want this as your mind’s chemical swish to say, ‘No! Stay the same.’ It’s easier and comfortable to stay in the familiar but it’s also miserable and disheartening to remain the same. This is why often it has to get so painful before a change can or will occur and some just can’t take that step which usually results in permanent enslavement or even worse DEATH.
The disease side of things is the way the body has adapted to coping with the mind’s belief system and thought processes that stem from those beliefs.
Let’s look at the definitions of both the word, ‘disease’ and ‘choice’ to further our understanding.
disease /dĭ-zēz′/
noun
An abnormal condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, inflammation, environmental factors, or genetic defect, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs, symptoms, or both.
A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
Lack of ease; trouble.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
choice /chois/
noun
The act of choosing; selection.
The power, right, or liberty to choose; option.
An alternative.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Therefore to conclude in answering this question we see that addiction both includes an abnormal condition in the brain that is causing thoughts to remain unhinged and the sufferer must consciously choose to free themselves from this condition by way of choice.
Addiction is a disease of choice because until you choose a path toward recovery the disease of a dark mind will continue to flow through the valleys of the neurological pathways and things will only get blacker and blacker as these valleys turn into rivers and rivers into seas and then an ocean which can lead to an all-encompassing end.
A key point to note.
This choice-disease combo reveals a double-mindedness as your mind needs to choose but your mind is also physically flowing against you. You have conflicting thoughts and it feels easier to stay the same.
The Bible talks about double-mindedness as shown below in James 1:6 of the King James Version.
‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’
This is why I believe AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or any other 12-Step programme requires the belief in something greater to raise you up and out from this physical affliction. When you believe in something higher, a light in the mind is opened miraculously.
Faith in a higher power is the strongest power you can harness to get you out of addiction but again the choice is yours to reach toward this powerful light. You have to believe and you have to believe with all your heart.
Don’t let your beliefs about religion or spiritual practices fog your way home. This power source is present in everything you see around you. It’s the unseen seen. The beam of invisible light that can transform all things on this planet.
Like a lighthouse, it will guide you home and you’ll never become lost again.
Conclusion
I wanted to write my thoughts about addiction here in the hope it will bring insight for some and maybe move others toward the path of recovery. It is possible to change and to heal from this thing we have labelled ‘addiction’. Remove that label step into a new reality and allow a new life to unfold before you.
It might be challenging but faith and a determined intention to change is the antidote to transforming your life.
May peace be with you always.
Thanks for reading!
Love ❤️ xx