Addictions

Arguably the epitome of 'cognitive dissonance'. Where wants and needs are not in alignment.

As always, routine is what forms your reality. I've written a fair bit about the first step being essential to building good habits. Once that first step is out of the way, the rest quite often snowballs easily. Same principle with harmful addictions, once the first step of curiosity has been satisfied with some positive response, mediocre or not... It can snowball.

Eventually this will become your response to any form of big problem. And then eventually to a small problem. Problems are so scalable and the emotions that come with it are based on disposition more than circumstance. Many people would think a few minutes of a negative situation equates to their whole day or x amount of time ruined.

The issues with addictions lie firstly in the problem they are dealing with. Many times, these problems do not have a seemingly direct correlation to an addiction. But to the perspective of that person, they will construct a deep complex justification system. It is complex because often the problem or situation that initiates an addiction has a deeper underlying problem. Many cases it has not yet been identified or has been buried/misconstrued. Some examples I can think of are loneliness, lacking meaning or purpose and subsequent motivation, lacking identity...

Addictions are a lifestyle and an augmentation of reality, largely spurred by feelings that whatever you are addicted to, is your answer to an emotional void/negative. People under addictions often do not realise that the very problems they were struggling to find answers to, are very HUMAN struggles. Fundamentally, in a raw state, it is their choice for the first time. Many times people feel that there are no other alternatives that will work. Other times, it is purely a curiosity and suddenly they think this is the solution, an unexpected one. Maybe it is a generational cycle for some too. It does not change that these are temporary shortcuts. I'd like to think it's as simple as saying, "don't take short cuts then." It's not that simple. For some people, they meticulously avoid shortcuts and do things step by step. Maybe they are tired of the processes and the timeliness of them? It's not as simple as saying "stop chasing feeling good all the time and having a quick instant gratification."

Overcoming it is very very difficult. This is your solution and for the time being, it is working. To take it away is abrupt, invasive and seemingly heartless. At what points do you intervene? Most of the times, those in addictions which are viewed negatively by society or their immediate reference group would naturally be very discrete. We should look into their justifications. And look into it deeply. We should nurture and heal with looking at our own true strengths and learning to love ourselves. People look towards quick solutions because of an inherent dissatisfaction with themselves. I do not mean loving ourselves in an egocentric manner. More of a love for a baseline acceptance for who we are.

I do believe in prevention over intervention. Do we look towards eliminating accessibility to anything instantly gratifying and hedonic? No. That's just not possible. Supply and demand.

Maybe the answer lies in understanding yourself better and 'dating yourself'. Being familiar with certain emotions to the point where neutrality can begin to rise. Emotions are often our biggest blindfolds.

Something I always heard as a child but still try to be actively mindful of, "the grass is always greener on the other side."

P.S. Addiction isn't necessarily just limited to the standard "alcohol, substance, smoking, sex, gambling." If we look at what society does on a daily basis... Everything in a sense, is an addiction. Addiction is a routine, addiction is a love for something that makes life just a bit easier. There's a strong negative connotation to this word.