What is Addiction - Who is an Addict?

To better understand what an addiction is (of any kind), is to perhaps start by explain what an addiction is not. Ok, first off, it's very important to realize that addiction has absolutely nothing to do with the lack or willpower. Nor does it mean a lack of intelligence either. In fact, it's common knowledge that addictive types are quite often found to have ample rations of both, even if they themselves are not aware of it.

Who Becomes Addicted?

There are all kinds of people who become addicted for any number of reasons. Addictions of choice vary from foods, beverages, substances (both legal and illegal), and behaviors. For most addicts, their habit began as a way of coping with uncomfortable feelings. Quite often they had a tendency to magnify negative issues and minimize positive ones, and as a consequence these feelings grew into unbearable burdens on the mind. The less an addict is able to cope with life experiences, perhaps social pressures, or seeming defects in their physical of psychological impression of themselves, the stronger their addiction becomes to mask these moods.

Over a period of time, an addict will form such a dependency on drinking, drugging, and binging, that they will lose their ability to stop on their unaided will. They suffer horrendous cravings or withdrawal symptoms if the try to simply quit whatever it is they have become addicted to. The problem with a true addict centers in the mind as well as the body.

Is there a Treatment for Addicts?

There are definitely solutions to any addiction, but the only if the one who’s addicted own their problem. For example, a distraught wife who's worried sick about her husband's excessive drinking will not be able to get him to stop no matter what, unless he himself wants to. No treatment will stand a chance of working in his life until he admits defeat.

Sadly, whether the addict needs to stop for physical, mental, family, work, or any other reasons, is not the deciding factor here. Needing to stop is not the same as wanting to stop, and it's only when the addict admits complete defeat and owns his or her problem that they have any hope for recovery. Stopping for others does not work, they have to quit for themselves. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink, which is a bit like pushing or threatening and addict or alcoholic into recovery.

You will see articles throughout this site which use such words such as addiction, dependence, dependency, cravings, reliance, and so on. It's all the same as they are interchangeable. But it's important to note that not everyone who indulges in mind altering substances or pursuits, such as gambling or work, are candidates for problem addicts. In fact the vast majority of people can enjoy a tipple of alcohol, take a codeine based pain killer when needed, or have a flutter at the casino without any worry about wanting to indulge in more of the same the moment it finish. People who have an addictive personality, have to be far more vigilant.

Remember, just because someone is addicted to something doesn't mean they are destined to a life of misery. Ok, so an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, and a drug addict will always be a drug addict, but they can be alcoholics and drug addicts that don't use and abuse anymore. In other words, they are always in recovery and go on to lead purposeful and fruitful lives of sobriety and serenity, providing they work at maintaining their sobriety and abstinence.

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