Addiction can self discipline help Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Addiction can self discipline help - Essay Example The human being primarily desires relationships. In the absence of wholesome relationships the heart remains unfulfilled. We are created to receive satisfaction and joy through interaction and attachment with others.When we are denied these an emotional hole remains which we endeavour to fulfil through other non-relational or relational means, which could be dysfunctional. Sometimes these coping mechanisms could remain harmless and not cause substantial damage to the person's lifestyle. When these coping mechanisms become dangerous and beyond control, they turn into addiction.Experts differ on the use of the term 'addiction'. Some would like to limit the use to apply only to cases of drug or alcohol use which have gone beyond acceptable levels. Nevertheless the term 'addiction' is also used to describe out of control behaviour in areas like eating, gambling or sex.This is because it is recognised that in all the above cases the 'addict' engages in behaviour that is directly or indire ctly detrimental to his well being. Often the addict is well aware of the adverse effect of his addictive behaviour, but is unable to stop the behaviour. Addiction is often characterized by a craving for more of the drug or behavior, increased physiological tolerance to exposure, and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of the stimulus. Many drugs and behaviours that provide either pleasure or relief from pain pose a risk of addiction or dependency (Wikipedia). It is normal to expect the immediate reaction to addiction as one that is judgmental where one tends to lose respect for the person having the problem. This is understandable because a lay person who is confronted with an addict cannot understand the justification for the addict to continue with the addiction. Everyone has heard of alcoholics, but even in an informed age very few sympathize with one. The more natural response is to hold the addict responsible for his addiction and put it down to failure in self discipline. The question that needs to be asked is why is it that certain people have certain addictions while others don't. On the outset it may seem that an alcoholic (for example) has a greater affinity to alcohol than other normal people. The truth is that this greater affinity for alcohol came about because this person has been denied other needs which he is trying to fulfill through his consumption of alcohol. As another example we may take a woman who has a string of disruptive relationships with men. The reason for this could be a dysfunctional relationship with her father where she does not get adequate love from him. She attempts to fulfill this unmet need through her other relationships. Sadly, she can never fulfill that need in the method she adopts because no one can substitute for her father. So she is embroiled in a vicious cycle of search and disappointment, and we have an addict to the search for love (Hart). Unless a focused attempt is made by the person with or without help professional or otherwise to expose the unmet need that is causing the addiction, the relationship between the addiction and its cause remains unknown. In fact most of the time the addict is in denial about his/her pain. This pattern of denial appears to be a response of the mind to the pain or the need in order to make the solution more effective. And this pattern only makes the addiction stronger because the person slips into dependency without being conscious of the need which the addiction is meeting. The more unconscious this relationship the more powerful the addiction (Hart). When we talk about self discipline we are saying that following a practice of abstinence from the addictive behavior will help in reducing the behaviour. There have been cases of men and women with great amount of will power who have successfully abstained and eventually