4 ms·

> Addiction is self-medication of excessive pain Well if you're going through excessive pain, self-medication sounds like a pretty reasonable response. What ar

by md224 10y ago

> Addiction is self-medication of excessive pain Well if you're going through excessive pain, self-medication sounds like a pretty reasonable response. What are you going to do, just suffer it? Therapy is nice but it doesn't solve everything. Would it be better if you took the "self" out of the equation and were supervised by a professional? > If you compulsively use, in a way that harms you, to relieve inner pain, it's addiction. So this requires all 3 parts though, right? If you compulsively use to relieve inner pain but without harm, that's okay, right? How much harm is allowed before it's addiction?

concinds 10y ago
> Well if you're going through excessive pain, self-medication sounds like a pretty reasonable response No, it's a survival mechanism. It only reduces the pain superficially and temporarily. It's like giving an adrenaline shot to Atlas instead of getting the Globe off his back. >So this requires all 3 parts though, right? If you compulsively use to relieve inner pain but without harm, that's okay, right? How much harm is allowed before it's addiction? It's all motivation. Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. If that's why you take a drug, you're only hurting yourself by not seeking help for the aforementioned problems. If you're taking a drug just for fun, that's fine. Note that many addicts will lie to themselves and pretend the latter applies to them.
- md224 10y ago
  > It's all motivation. Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. If that's why you take a drug, you're only hurting yourself by not seeking help for the aforementioned problems. What if these emotional issues are caused by a chemical imbalance that the drug alleviates?
  - concinds 10y ago
    > What if these emotional issues are caused by a chemical imbalance that the drug alleviates? These deep emotional issues are not random brain malfunctions, but often caused by childhood trauma, or other forms of trauma. Addiction is a pathological response to pathology.
  - crawfordcomeaux 10y ago
    If the drug alleviates the emotional issues by providing the missing chemicals or handling the excess, there could still be alternative treatments (since neuroplasticity & neurogenesis are things we're starting to learn how to stimulate). Also, I can't think of any chronic chemical imbalances that wouldn't indirectly alter thought patterns & physical behaviors over time, which suggests self-medication would need to start before those patterns can become well-formed in the brain. If, on the other hand, the drug alleviates the emotional issues by distracting from or reducing the pain, that's pretty much the definition of addiction. The real question is why not assume it's all of the things & approach accordingly? Most of my breakthroughs in addiction were the result of things I'd learned on my own & not through therapy. Yes, some of those things were suggested to me by therapists, but I did the work. IMO, the biggest key to recovery (from addiction & anything else) is the patient becoming an active participant, rather than being someone who needs to be treated by others.
- projektir 10y ago
  > Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. Has this link been established? I haven't got the impression that these things have such a causative link. People can be perfectly normal but have addictive tendencies where they can't touch things like alcohol or gambling, and then some people may be fairly miserable but not get addicted to things. Addictiveness always seemed like its own trait, and the claim that people who get addicted to things must be miserable better have some solid evidence behind it. Really not a fan of the whole trend of trying to tell people they have "deep seated problems".
  - crawfordcomeaux 10y ago
    I used to think the same way. As an addict of 20+ years who's been in recovery for about a year, I hated hearing that my family system was something I needed to work on, as opposed to what seemed to me like more relevant/prescient issues of not being able to develop basic self-care behaviors/routines for myself. Then I came out of denial about being sexually traumatized numerous times by someone close to as a kid in March. The changes I've undergone since have been dramatic as hell & I became a completely different person within a week. I started learning to: speak my fears, say what's on my mind, abandon seeking the approval of others, let go of my anxieties, allow myself to feel my feelings, identify emotions I hadn't felt before or at least not since I was a kid, and more. I now think we need to tell people the most thorough approach to dealing with addiction starts with assuming there's a deep seated problem until another cause has been proven because that mindset helps break through any denial the addict may not be aware of. I was certain my experiences hadn't traumatized me & it was only after I developed the habit of questioning everything I thought about myself that I challenged the assumption it wasn't traumatic. The problem I foresee is people taking a less-than-compassionate approach or not educating the addict on the reasons for THE ADDICT to adopt that line of thinking. Once an addict is willing to admit they have a problem & to work on it, then we can ask the questions of how thorough they want to be with their recovery & whether or not they're willing to take a scientific approach for the sake of being thorough.
    - projektir 10y ago

by md224 10y ago

concinds 10y ago

> Well if you're going through excessive pain, self-medication sounds like a pretty reasonable response No, it's a survival mechanism. It only reduces the pain superficially and temporarily. It's like giving an adrenaline shot to Atlas instead of getting the Globe off his back. >So this requires all 3 parts though, right? If you compulsively use to relieve inner pain but without harm, that's okay, right? How much harm is allowed before it's addiction? It's all motivation. Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. If that's why you take a drug, you're only hurting yourself by not seeking help for the aforementioned problems. If you're taking a drug just for fun, that's fine. Note that many addicts will lie to themselves and pretend the latter applies to them.

md224 10y ago
> It's all motivation. Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. If that's why you take a drug, you're only hurting yourself by not seeking help for the aforementioned problems. What if these emotional issues are caused by a chemical imbalance that the drug alleviates?
- concinds 10y ago
  > What if these emotional issues are caused by a chemical imbalance that the drug alleviates? These deep emotional issues are not random brain malfunctions, but often caused by childhood trauma, or other forms of trauma. Addiction is a pathological response to pathology.
- crawfordcomeaux 10y ago
  If the drug alleviates the emotional issues by providing the missing chemicals or handling the excess, there could still be alternative treatments (since neuroplasticity & neurogenesis are things we're starting to learn how to stimulate). Also, I can't think of any chronic chemical imbalances that wouldn't indirectly alter thought patterns & physical behaviors over time, which suggests self-medication would need to start before those patterns can become well-formed in the brain. If, on the other hand, the drug alleviates the emotional issues by distracting from or reducing the pain, that's pretty much the definition of addiction. The real question is why not assume it's all of the things & approach accordingly? Most of my breakthroughs in addiction were the result of things I'd learned on my own & not through therapy. Yes, some of those things were suggested to me by therapists, but I did the work. IMO, the biggest key to recovery (from addiction & anything else) is the patient becoming an active participant, rather than being someone who needs to be treated by others.
projektir 10y ago
> Addictions are a way to deal with deep-seated and excessive shame, guilt, fears, hopelessness, despair, and loneliness. Has this link been established? I haven't got the impression that these things have such a causative link. People can be perfectly normal but have addictive tendencies where they can't touch things like alcohol or gambling, and then some people may be fairly miserable but not get addicted to things. Addictiveness always seemed like its own trait, and the claim that people who get addicted to things must be miserable better have some solid evidence behind it. Really not a fan of the whole trend of trying to tell people they have "deep seated problems".
- crawfordcomeaux 10y ago
  I used to think the same way. As an addict of 20+ years who's been in recovery for about a year, I hated hearing that my family system was something I needed to work on, as opposed to what seemed to me like more relevant/prescient issues of not being able to develop basic self-care behaviors/routines for myself. Then I came out of denial about being sexually traumatized numerous times by someone close to as a kid in March. The changes I've undergone since have been dramatic as hell & I became a completely different person within a week. I started learning to: speak my fears, say what's on my mind, abandon seeking the approval of others, let go of my anxieties, allow myself to feel my feelings, identify emotions I hadn't felt before or at least not since I was a kid, and more. I now think we need to tell people the most thorough approach to dealing with addiction starts with assuming there's a deep seated problem until another cause has been proven because that mindset helps break through any denial the addict may not be aware of. I was certain my experiences hadn't traumatized me & it was only after I developed the habit of questioning everything I thought about myself that I challenged the assumption it wasn't traumatic. The problem I foresee is people taking a less-than-compassionate approach or not educating the addict on the reasons for THE ADDICT to adopt that line of thinking. Once an addict is willing to admit they have a problem & to work on it, then we can ask the questions of how thorough they want to be with their recovery & whether or not they're willing to take a scientific approach for the sake of being thorough.
  - projektir 10y ago