Letter to the Editor: Addiction - Knisley - 01/20/2012

Details

Published on Friday, 20 January 2012 13:35

Dear Editor,

The Affliction of Addiction

No one grows up and decides to become a drug addict. So why does it happen to individuals? Psychologists used to say it was because of low self-esteem. Next we heard it was co-dependency and in the last ten years, it is because the person has an addictive personality. 

When I was growing up back in the fifties and sixties, nearly everyone I knew had low self-esteem, which was actually low self confidence. We were living in a changing world. 

For years, I did not understand the co-dependent theory and that one, out of all the reasons, upset me the most. It is the nature of the human race to love, and when we love, we are co-dependent on the people we love. We are also co-dependent on people we have never met, such as public service providers, etc. So, after thinking about this for years, I concluded the entire human race is co-dependent.

Lastly, what do the words "addictive personality" really mean? As I looked around at people everywhere, it seemed everyone was addicted to something. For some it was coffee or tea and for others tobacco or food. There were even people who were addicted to to the adrenaline high they felt from over-exercising or from dangerous daredevil stunts and life-threatening mountain climbs.

More and more today we hear of people at younger ages who are addicted to modern technology such as video games, texting, etc. Modern technology has also developed powerful narcotic pain killers designed to ease peoples' suffering, but we are seeing an ever-growing population of prescription drug addicts. So, I again concluded we all have an addictive personality. 

It seemed to me if these were the reasons for drug addiction, who is really safe from it? I had heard people say, "I could never be an addict,' but no matter who you are, how old or young you are, anyone who believes they could never get addicted is fooling themselves.

Throughout the years, addiction has boomed and more and more victims are drawn into it directly and indirectly. It is a complex problem with many aspects to it, and addicts and non-addicts, alike, do not really understand it. It is a shameful and embarrassing problem we would all like to avoid and pretend doesn't exist, but its tentacles are long and far-reaching.

Everyone is affected by addiction in one way or another. Some believe it is a mental health issue and rehabilitation is the answer while others treat it as a criminal issue and feel jail and prison is the solution. For the addict, they do not know what the solution is because they are trapped. What once felt good to them turns into depression and an inability to cope in society and with their own addiction. Daily, they face death, insanity or prison and soon start entertaining the thought of suicide as a way out. Through the years, many have lost their lives in one way or another because of drug addiction. For those who have entered a rehabilitation program, they gain knowledge about their addiction, but often the addiction outweighs the knowledge once they re-enter their normal element.

The addiction issue facing mankind today is a global problem and is as misunderstood now as it was in the past. No one wants to be an addict, yet we are all prone to addiction.So, do we ignore the problem and hope it goes away, reasoning the individual made that choice, or do we try to save our fellow man? Who knows, maybe love really is the answer.

Thank you,
Cathy Knisley