“A for addiction”: Curtain raiser

“To love an addict is to run out of tears”. Yes it is not the only addict whom addiction kills. It kills  the family and every body else that tried to help out.

Why suddenly a blog on addiction? What happened to the diet and food blogs? Yes I can read the minds and questions right now.

I was being suggested, told, forced and poked many times by a friend and regular reader of my blogs that I should write detailed , simple, easy to understand blog series on the topic of addiction.

I was not at all able to relate myself write on something like addiction. I did understand the urge and need but always felt, am I the authority to write on this topic until I handled head storming and heart wrenching two or three cases of substance addiction recently.

No, I don’t give medicines for the De addiction. These cases were referred to me as cases of mental illness for counseling and Ayurveda therapies. What I am witnessing in the consulting session has horrified me from the core. Folks, trust me, we know nothing about addiction and the updated versions of them recently.My cases are updating me with a valuable knowledge in substance addiction and also other types of the same.

In this blog series I will try to put everything about the word addiction. For this I need help of the readers. Do contribute with whatever you know, experienced and seen in related to addiction. I need to read a lot before writing these blogs. Your contribution will definitely make the blogs more valuable and helpful out there.

What is addiction?

The compulsive, harmful, persistent need for use of any substance or thing  which cannot be withdrew easily can be called as addiction

Many people are not aware of the term and think that addiction means alcohol or drugs. No, these are some of the  types of addiction and called as ‘substance addiction’. Addiction can be without actual ingestion of substance. e.g. Internet addiction, gambling, porn addiction, sex addiction, shopping addiction and so many others too.

Other myths about addiction :

• Addiction can be controlled whenever the addicted wish to stop: No addict word itself means consistent need and irresistible habit.
• Addicted persons are criminal, characterless or its a low moral people thing: No, anyone from any background regardless of age, gender, race, country, financial, educational, professional, family or other background can be a victim of addiction. But unfortunately addiction can lead to these thing eventually if the proper intervention not done.
• Addicted persons can be identified easily by the appearance:  The appearance has nothing to with the addiction. Normal looking people with sophisticated clothes can also be addicted. Don’t let yourself fooled by the appearance.
• Addicted persons are jobless or properly working people cannot be addicted: Both are the myths.
• Family and friends cannot do anything about the addiction:  The myth can be worsened by the in cooperative behavior or approach of the family and friends. Both plays important role in De addiction.
• If relapse happen it is impossible to de addict the person: No, this is not true. Relapse of the addiction  in the process of rehabilitation is very common and should be overcome and not considered as failure.
• Rehabilitation doesn’t work: In contrast rehabilitation has huge positive role in the process of de addiction.
• Addiction is a disease:  Addiction is not a disease. It is the behavior, choices  and attitude of the person adapted under the influence of various circumstances in life.

And the most universal myth about addiction is people like us or my children cannot be addicted to any substance or other form of addiction.

The last myth is most harmful myth because it delays the identification of such people and the lac of acceptance of the fact make things worse for the person and the family itself. the damage is beyond words.

Never ever be in the illusion that this will not or this cannot happen to me. Unfortunately the time today the way we are heading is the most favorable time for any type addiction.

Types of addiction

There are many types of addiction other than smoking alcohol and drug addiction. Substance addiction gets much attention and is taken as seriously while most of the addictions exists as silent faces in society and are never seen as pathological addictions. It is a threat that doesn’t even get recognized by us. What an irony.

Some types of common addictions:

• Substance addiction(tobacco, alcohol, heroin, weed to many unimaginable substances like paint thinner, fevicol, idodex and other medication too)
• Gambling
• Internet gaming
• Social media
• Shopping addiction
• Food addiction
• Exercise addiction
• Love addiction
• Sex addiction
• Porn addiction
• Art addiction

For this blog to introduce the face of addiction was objective.

In the coming blogs lets explore  them one by one.

Kindly share your stories, cases you know, knowledge  and inputs too are welcome.