The End of Addictions?
Should
the addiction struggle be considered normal behavior in the context of our
humanness?
If
everyone is addicted to something, is the concept of addictions obsolete? Or,
if everyone is "crazy" then does "crazy" become the new
normal? Certainly crazy isn’t a medical term nor PC, but if you thumb through
the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fifth Edition you might get the impression that everyone has some
sort of mental problem.
If
this sounds like just silly wordplay, well consider this: Way back in 1954
Aldous Huxley wrote a little book, The Doors of Perceptionand a
companion book, Heaven and Hell. Huxley wrote of his experiences
with taking mescaline. Huxley borrowed these titles from William Blake, the
English poet. The band, The Doors, took their name from Huxley’s title.
What
does this have to do with addictions, treatment and recovery? Plenty. Huxley and Bill Wilson, one of the founders of AA, were
friends and Huxley reportedly supplied his friend with pharmaceutical-grade
LSD, still legal back then. Evidently Huxley opened doors for quite a few
people. Also, Jim Morrison and The Doors, despite the passing years, have not
been forgotten. In fact, Morrison’s grave is the most frequently visited at The
Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris Paris
There’s
even a restaurant/bar devoted to Jim Morrison just outside the cemetery
entrance. The Recording Industry Association of America lists The Doors as one
of the most popular bands of all time and reports that their recordings
continue to sell. There was and remains something in the band’s songs that
still touches that place in all of us, inside those doors of perception.
But
I digress. In the less known and presumably less read book Heaven and
Hell, Huxley thoroughly explains how, down through the ages, humans
have found ways to escape the often mundane and sometimes cruel realities of
day-to-day life. Some of those methods were extraordinary, not just seeking out
intoxicating plants and making alcoholic beverages out of just about anything
and everything, but also through self-torture.
One
example Huxley cites was the practice of self-flagellation. Huxley explains
that the act of whipping oneself releases various consciousness-altering
substances. Also, the poisons excreted by those infections that arose from the
wounds evoked "visions" or "religious experiences."
Huxley
uses these examples to backup his thesis that we humans need, in fact must
have, breaks from reality in order to maintain our sanity. Sounds contradictory
doesn’t it? But just consider our evolving lifestyles and recreations. Most of
us enjoy a night out to see a movie on a big screen, or a concert or simply
watching TV, playing video games, or just surfing the Net. These are simple
distractions to relieve our tired psyches, if only for an hour or two. We enjoy
these small reality breaks without even considering their addictive potentials.
Now
we come to the chicken and egg dilemma. Or is it a dilemma? I ask this because
whether a person with a so-called addictive personality gets hooked on anything
or that anything creates the addiction is really a moot point. Rather we must
look at those sometimes excessive behaviors as a natural part of being human.
Certainly people struggle with addictions and against self-destructive
behaviors. Shouldn’t this struggle be considered normal behavior in the context
of our humanness?
After
working more than 15 years in the treatment industry, I strongly advocate for
the treatment process. I’m retired now, so I don’t have to, nor am I paid to
endorse any treatment center or treatment in general. Not because treatment
centers work miracles, (although sometimes miracles seem to happen in them). We
should leave the door open to miracles, but more to the point, treatment
provides a necessary respite from self-destructive acts: a redirect. But it’s
not only what happens in group sessions and one-on-one counseling that promotes
the healing process, it is the connection with others that can help sustain a
clean and sober lifestyle.
What
is my point then? Simply to step back from the hysteria of the so-called drug
wars and try to consider exploring other realities as a natural, and for the
great majority, healthy process. Let’s try not to take ourselves too seriously.
The writer Teacher and Columnists
01611579267
dr.fourkanali@gmail.com
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