One of the biggest questions regarding addiction is ‘why are some people susceptible to addiction?’ We know that many people can try addictive substances or activities yet only a percentage find these overwhelmingly addictive. Here I hope to present my thoughts on this intriguing subject.
Peace of Mind.
The main difference, I believe, is whether the individual is currently satisfied with their own sense of being. If they feel in control of their lives and happy with themselves then addiction is very unlikely, even if they participate in what might be considered addictive activities. People in this state of being find addiction really difficult to understand, as they really can take it or leave it. They are content in their minds and even with busy or challenging lifestyles can easily contextualise stresses and achieve an inner peace of mind quite easily.
Some individuals however can suffer a constant inner turmoil marked by self-doubt, worry and concern. They find peace of mind very difficult to achieve and even when they don’t face challenges they struggle with concerns about their self worth, their lack of achievements or future problems. Through some form of conditioning event they cannot simply find happiness or contentment with what they have.
We can divide people therefore into two categories – those that are fundamentally content with themselves and their life, and those who have a chronic dissatisfaction which manifests as intrusive thoughts and leads to difficulty finding peace of mind.
Switching Off.
If we are content with ourselves and life we find it quite easy to ‘switch off’. This means we can quieten our thinking minds and easily become absorbed into a purely sensory process, like listening to music, watching a film or reading a book. We can ‘escape’ the rigours of our daily life and forget about things for a while. This is powerfully restorative and enables us to cope with all manner of stressful tasks.
Once we become ‘troubled’ – that is, we experience a constant worry or dissatisfaction about ourselves or life we find switching off very difficult. We find we cannot ‘concentrate’ on a book, film or music and are denied this helpful ‘break’ from thinking about things relating to our lives. We cannot, until our circumstances or our views about our ourselves change, simply switch off, and this ultimately begins to affect our mental well-being.
Although this chronic overthinking can be quite subtle, its ongoing presence is enough to prevent the mind from totally relaxing. Individuals can cope with this problem for many years and not really think it’s a problem. They adjust to their poor concentration and difficulty in switching off. They might not even recognise that it is a problem.
Gladness.
Gladness arises naturally once all normal thinking ceases. If we become totally absorbed in a piece of music or activity we automatically feel a sense of joy. Gladness is a type of joy that arises when we feel that everything is ok, or will be ok and we can let go of all worry.
Those people that are content with themselves and their lives will have access to joy and peace of mind. The others, those who constantly overthink and are dissatisfied with themselves or their lives will find accessing joy difficult and never feel gladness. This makes the latter group very susceptible to any type of activity that artificially induces gladness.
Addiction.
All activities or substances that are addictive temporarily distract or obstruct the normal state of thinking. As children it is common to be rewarded with sweet foods for behaving well and ‘being good’. The high associated with a win in gambling is akin to gladness, we take a risk and when this risk ‘pays off’ we feel joy. Alcohol and other addictive substances temporally interferes with our thinking which gives the individual a break from constant worry or overthinking.
In those individuals who are happy with their lives or themselves, the cost of gambling, over-eating or being intoxicated simply isn’t worth it. They can already access joy and gladness through being satisfied with life. However, for those that constantly worry or overthink the temporary cessation of normal thinking is powerfully addictive. These people cannot access joy or gladness without the help of the addictive behaviour. As soon as the high from the win, or substance, wears off, they are back to constant worry and overthinking.
It doesn’t really matter what the substance or activity is – as long as it is distracting enough to switch off the normal, dissatisfied thinking, it will become addictive to those who cannot normally achieve peace of mind. This is why most addictions are progressive, as the addiction itself is associated with more overthinking and worry.
The Solution.
The first part of the solution to addiction is understanding the mechanisms that drive it. Recognising that constant overthinking and not being able to switch off is the first step. It is not the substances or activities that are intrinsically addictive, it is what they do for some people that is important. Once this is recognised one is then open to explore alternative ways of helping the mind to switch off.
