Addictions – In the Pursuit of Happiness
Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it can negatively affect your relationships, professional life and your mental and physical wellbeing. We commonly think of drugs, nicotine and gambling as the main sources of abuse, but addiction, really, can be anything; work, shopping, internet, gaming and so on.
In the 1990’s, researches reported that they had found a gene that appeared to be linked to alcoholism. The press quickly dubbed D2R2 the alcoholic gene, but researches were insistent that there was no indication that the gene actually caused alcoholism. Dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter produced by the brain, is central to both attention and reward. If our dopamine levels are not balanced or low, we can increase it artificially via addiction. Researchers recognise that dopamine deficiencies may make people more susceptible to substance abuse and addictive activities. The actual cause, however, is undetermined.
Joanna Moorhead’s article in The Guardian, dated November 24, 2018, discusses Gabor Maté’s approach and views on addiction. Maté is a medical doctor who first specialised in family medicine, then palliative care and now addiction medicine. In his internationally bestselling book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, he focuses on addiction which he defines as, “any behaviour that gives a person temporary relief and pleasure, but also has negative consequences, and to which the person will return to time and again”.
Maté does not believe that addiction is a disease. Instead, it originates from a person’s need to solve a problem, often having to do with trauma or loss. “Anything we’ve ever craved helps us escape emotional pain. It gives us peace of mind, a sense of control and a feeling of happiness”.
Addiction becomes harmful to us after a time, yet the brain registers a benefit in the short-term. “The primary drive is to regulate your situation to something more bearable”. Maté believes our brains are wired for happiness, not addiction. If that happiness eludes us, perhaps the cause is rooted in some sort of trauma from our past which remains unresolved. We, in turn, resort to addictions to give us that temporary relief and outlet that provides happiness, albeit fleeting.
What is the solution? Maté believes that self-awareness is key. “It takes a lot of work to wake up as a human being, and it is a lot easier to stay asleep than to wake up”. Only when we take ownership of the trauma or find the source of the pain and face up to it, will we be able to shed the ties that bind us to our addictions. However, because the process will inevitably involve pain, we don’t address the issues and avoid them as much as possible. And so, they fester.
Whether addiction is influenced by genetic, environmental or psychological factors, when it is reduced to the lowest common denominator, the search for happiness lies at addiction’s very core. Blocking out our difficulties through substance abuse and addictive activities will not help in the long run. Introspection, being honest with ourselves and finding that inner strength to resolve issues, as difficult as that may be sometimes, is how we will find balance and real happiness.
By Elaina Curran, HPD, DSFH, AdvDPLRT, Past Life Regression Therapist and Clinical Hypnotherapist
As published in BS35 Local Magazine, April 2019 issue
