Why?
Most people who are struggling with an addiction or are close to someone struggling with an addiction will ask, “Why?” Why does a person continue doing what is obviously not healthy? Why does a person continue to seek out the addiction when there are so many alternate solutions available? A lot of addicts will claim they just love the act of drinking, using drugs, eating or whatever the addiction may be. That may be the case for some people, but for a lot of people there is a reason they love it that doesn’t relate to the actual process of participating in the addiction. The fact is the addiction helps them evade some kind of reality. This is often really the driving force behind their addictions.
I have encountered several such cases recently that have made me think about this. I have spoken with people who can either not get sober or avoid a relapse due to different reasons. The reasons vary from being depressed to experiencing chronic pain to not feeling comfortable when being sober. I’m not condoning an addiction of any kind but I will say I can understand how a person might have a hard time getting or staying sober when battling these issues.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to work at an organization that has not only helped me understand addictions better but also understand a lot of the reasons why a person may have such a hard time overcoming his addiction. The key principle is that, while the addiction may be the most visible problem a person faces, often there are other issues that are causing the addiction. Until these other, more deeply-rooted issues are addressed, the person will not live a healthy lifestyle. A person may overcome the addiction for a period of time, but chances are the other issues will eventually crop back up and the person will either go back to his addiction or find another negative habit to replace it. I have a friend who likes to compare only addressing the addiction and not the underlying problem to “putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.” The idea behind it is that, while the addiction problem may be masked, the real issue is still there and needs healing.
There are many ways a person can find healing in dealing with his underlying issues. Some of these involve seeing a psychiatrist, employing various types of therapy, working a 12-step program or finding alternate ways of dealing with the underlying issues. A person with depression can see a psychiatrist. A person with anger issues can seek out physical activities. A person with pain issues can seek out alternate treatment methods that do not involve medication. There are numerous options out there besides going back to the addiction. The key is to seek out what is really the driving cause behind the addiction and to seek out these alternate, healthier methods of coping with it.
Do you know someone who has masked an underlying problem with an addiction? If so, how has this person been able to deal with these issues in healthy, effective ways?