Addiction is the need or desperate craving a person can feel for a substance, person or activity, which relieves immediate negative feelings and gives the illusion of fulfillment. When one is in the grips of an addiction it can feel nothing is more worthwhile than being able to fulfill the addictive craving. Perhaps your addiction is alcohol, drugs, food, spending, over-work, exercise, another person, sex, being "on-line".
The problem with following addictive craving is that the real need of the person is not met--only the temporary discomfort is dealt with. Frequently a person turns to an addiction when support is lacking in their environment; temporarily there is fulfillment and the lack of support is not noticed. The more the person automatically turns to the addiction, the further they are from knowing their real needs. Plus, the addiction itself begins to cause other problems. With alcohol or drugs there can be great expense involved, black outs or withdrawals. When we are addicted to not eating, there can be severe physical problems, even death that results. When our attention is constantly involved in over-work we can jeopardize our close relationships as well as our health.
When a substance or behavior becomes addictive, the connection to the real needs is lost and the person becomes "under the influence" of the craving. This, in itself creates a problem. To seek recovery it becomes necessary to eliminate the addiction first, before one is even able to notice what the unmet needs for support may be.
If you are concerned about the relationship you or a loved one has to a substance or activity, it is important to seek help. I can help you evaluate where you are on the continuum of addiction: social use, abuse or addiction. Sometimes if the process of addiction has not yet occurred, it is possible to reduce the involvement with the substance or activity that is problematic, without totally eliminating it from your life. There are also situations where the addiction process is fully in process and it becomes more urgent to completely stop use of a substance or activity.
If alcohol or drugs happen to be your concern, answer the following three questions:
If you answered "yes" to any of these three questions, it is advisable to seek help. If you answered "yes" to all three, you (or your loved one) is in serious need of assistance.
Remember, no matter how powerful the craving is, you are still cheating yourself of real fulfillment.
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