How to Succeed in Defeating Addiction

As human beings, we are susceptible to undergoing tough times, and these times call for accepting that sometimes it is okay to be living with less. This can be less love, less comfort, less joy, and even less happiness. By understanding that life will not always be ideal, we allow ourselves the ability to cushion a meltdown or prevent becoming excessively affected by the events in our lives. Through looking at life on a lengthier scope, we can understand that our problems are most likely momentary, and there is an increasing probability that as time goes by, things will get better.

Learning that Things Will Get Better Despite How Bad they Currently Seem

For instance, the current pandemic and the ensuing lockdown may seem unbearable. However, by looking at the situation not just in a matter of the last six months but in a five or ten-year scope, then the time spent in lockdown is a small percentage of the previous decade or half-decade.

As such, through the trend of the previous decade, the probability or chances of something like this happening again is almost null. It is, therefore, advisable to be brave and forge on and dissuade oneself from engaging in any behavior that may lead to addiction. By becoming an addict, one would lose a more significant chunk of the next decade due to the stress caused by a small piece of this decade.

What is Addiction Disorder and The Different Types of Addiction

Addiction is multi-faceted, and the human psyche can develop a tendency and disorder to overly like or obsess over something.

Physical Addiction

In most instances, this is usually a physical entity and can be anything from drugs to sex or even money. It is a physical addiction and is appreciated as a disorder or somewhat of a weakness caused by or/and targeted towards physical entities.

Non-Physical or Psychological Addiction

On the other hand, there is non-physical or psychological addiction where an individual can develop a disorder to overly want or need non-physical entities. These can be a feeling, a mood, an attitude, or even an imagination or a creation of the mind.

How Various Disorders Predispose Individuals to Drug Abuse

When you think about disorders such as bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are tendencies for the individual to develop intense likings for imaginative and non-tangible things and even people. Such individuals may develop addiction and suffer even more. The human mind is a powerful biological processing system and computer, and we should all be careful not to explore its darker sides.

Addiction and Its Scourge on Society

Addiction is a scourge on society, and we mostly don’t see the dark side of addiction or the hurt and pain it has caused millions. For instance, you are probably going to watch an Al Pacino or Scarface movie and think that something like Cocaine is a joke, but the consequences of being addicted to something like that can be dire. Drugs get ranked as per their harmful effects and other factors. Some are legal and others illegal. If something is legal, it may mean that it gets accepted for sale and use. However, this is not an encouragement to partake in it.

The Deadly Nature of Drugs and Drug Addiction

Anything that gets classified as a drug and whose purpose is considered drug abuse is downright deadly. Illegal drugs, as well, are even worse, and their sale, use, or purchase remain prohibited by law. Such drugs are not only fatal to the user but are also fatal to those who partake in their production and trade. If you bought something illegal, you would not only be trying to kill yourself but also feeding into organized crime and the death of numerous youths caught up in it.

How You Could be Financing Organized Crime by Partaking in Drug Abuse

It means that you may be financing or funding criminal entities and, by extension, their criminal activities by purchasing illegal drugs and items. Think about it, if your dealer shoots someone to get you the supply of the drugs, wherever they may be, then your business has led to someone getting shot. As such, illegal drugs and illegal activities, in general, have a cascading effect in terms of the negative consequences of such actions. The same holds for big pharma which makes substandard and harmful drugs.

The Opioid Crisis and How Big Pharma Used Addiction to Mint Billions While Killing Thousands

The opioid crisis in America today has blown up and is a culmination of decades of wrongdoing by big pharmaceutical corporations who have wrongly sold pain medication that is addictive. These companies have, for decades, supplied and encouraged the sale of addictive pills such as OxyContin in their billions.

Patients have for decades gone back for the same medication and even had to buy it illegally due to its addictive components. Doctors were for this period paid under the table to ensure that they recommend addictive pain medication to their patients. The result is thousands of lives ruined and even thousands of fatalities. Addiction is no joke and can destroy your life. You could lose everything just by partaking in something that is not food or water and not intended to meet a basic need.

Have you suffered addiction?

Food and Sex Addiction

Food addiction is also part of the scourge of addiction. Unfortunately, food processors are allowed to sell extremely sugary and unhealthy foods. These get traded freely, and there are no protections to shield individuals from becoming obese or developing diabetes.

Food Addiction and Its Dire Health Consequences

Food addiction is part of addiction disorders and can incapacitate the individual and lead to numerous health issues, including obesity, heart attacks, and stroke, among others. Consumerism has led to food addictions and reduced awareness of healthy eating.

Sex Addiction and How It Increases the Risk for STIs and STDs

Addictions to pleasure that are envisaged as sex addiction can also lead to adverse effects. Sex addicts are more susceptible to becoming perpetrators or victims of rape. They are also at increased risk of developing dependency issues, sexually transmitted infections, STIs, and sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, including HIV.

Addiction and Why It is a Race to Nowhere

Defeating addiction commences by first understanding that whatever one is addicted to will never be enough. It is a race to nowhere and a waste of time and money. Think about it. Why take something today and have the illusion of happiness for a few hours and lose decades in the future? I wonder if becoming an alcohol addict or cigarette smoker is worth losing a decade over. It is not.

How Addiction Quickly Reduces One's Life Expectancy

By being an addict, one loses a decade and even several decades of their life expectancy. Addicts also lose their independence and bravery. There is also a good chance that they could pass on similar characteristics or even addictions to their offspring through genes or epigenetics. Intoxication also limits situational awareness.

The Adverse Health Effects of Addiction

Cancer

Chronic ailments such as Cancer are real, and we all need to be aware that partaking in drugs of any form can lead to such diseases. Additionally, the consequences of developing cancer, for instance, can and would be dire for not only the individual but also their loved ones. Cancer today brings well-off families to their knees, and a family living in a mansion can end up on the streets due to the financial burden that comes with treating cancer.

The Expensive Nature of Chemo and the Deadly Nature of Cancer

Chemotherapy, cancer medication, and MRI scans are not only costly but also very uncomfortable. Chemo, for instance, can bring the individual so much pain that they nearly give up even before the disease proves to be fatal. Cancer is deadly, and there is no cure. The saddest thing is that most who suffer from the ailment lose their lives. Our condolences to those who have lost their loved ones to cancer.

Seeking Medical Assistance as a Way of Defeating Addiction

Addiction can be defeated, and if you as an individual feel that you have a craving for something, it is always advisable to seek help. Having a support system would also ensure that one does not take the healing journey alone. One can have a sponsor who they can call to comfort them and give them strength. One can also go cold turkey and seize use. However, depending on the addiction, it is always recommended to have correct and enough knowledge on how to stop it. We should also think of and perceive addiction as a medical problem.

How Addiction Can Lead to Crime

For instance, alcohol withdrawal can be fatal in some cases or can leave the individuals desperate. The situation can lead the individual even to harm others just to acquire the money to feed the insatiable habit. Please always be careful about your habits. Habits can and most likely will become conditions or diseases. Pray, heal, and seek guidance from God. Addiction can be defeated, and if you ever feel you need some help, please contact your local health provider for medical assistance and addiction treatment.