Enlightened Living

Mindfulness practice in everyday life.

Michael J. Formica, MS, MA, EdM is a psychotherapist, social scientist, and educator in Westport CT. He is an Initiate in the Shankya Yoga lineage. See full bio

Comments on "The Challenges of Self-Identification and Addiction"

The Challenges of Self-Identification and Addiction

By Michael J. Formica on January 14, 2009 in Enlightened Living

At its core, addiction of any sort is about making some behavior - any behavior, and sometimes not even a demonstrably destructive behavior - the centerpiece of one's life, and doing that to the point where the choice interferes with what might be defined as typical social functioning. The question we must ask in this is whether there is a place to stand where sobriety itself does not become another form of addiction. Read More

fear...

Submitted by S on January 14, 2009 - 1:46pm.

...is the most oppressive 'government' of all. Or, that's what I've been thinking lately.

It's a burly bouncer at the door that keeps pieces of my own self away from other parts that I really need to see and deal with. It stands there, chest butted out and says "you can't come in here, nothing to see in there, move on", or "you're never getting in here, girly - you have nothing to talk to her about and she has nothing to say to you!"

But she does.

People close to me have traded an addiction to alcohol for an addition to religion, traded an addiction to alcohol for an addition to work (workaholic), and *sometimes* became addicted to other people and relationships (love addiction) - trading a relationship with themselves for one with the addiction, instead.

So, I guess what you're saying is that those who swapped one addiction for another amounts to their living in fear of their return to their original addiction -- and that fear has manifested as simply another addiction that is more socially acceptable.

I believe Stanton Peele asserts what you wrote too - not only about trading one addiction for another one that is more socially acceptable, but also that "the symptomology of addiction is typically tied to the individual personality matrix of the addict."

I found a copy of his out-of-print book "Love and Addiction" and am slowly slogging my way through that. It makes a lot of sense based on what I've seen in my own life.

So, in either case, the underlying issues that really cause a person to behave obsessive-compulsively (like an addict) are never dealt with.

Is that it? Looking for artifacts from my buried city...

That's it...

Submitted by Michael J. Formica on January 14, 2009 - 7:23pm.

S -- If you read the article I wrote a while back on 'The Continuum of Addiction", you'll get an even more profound perspective, but, yes...the challenge of sobriety is not to stay sober, but to stay sober (or abstinent, or whatever) in such a way as to not become so embroiled in the (alleged healthy) replacement behavior that it become an addiction itself. And it's not so much the obsessive-compulsive traits that are not dealt with, as it is the engine that drives those traits. I have an OCD patient who will get up in the middle of the night, go into her linen closet and refold her perfectly folded sheets. Is that about her sheets? It's more about her need for safety. I have a demure borderline ritual addict who only uses when she and her husband fight -- she storms out, turns a trick or two (she will never use her own money to buy), shoot up, come down, go home...that's about her need to assert her sense of control. Digging in the dirt gets you to the root. As for Stanton, he got my attention about 25 years ago, when I too read Love and Addiction in grad school. Clever stuff and I am certain his views have influenced my own formulations -- not the least of which is we start out liking the poisons we pick, whether they be people, relationships, abuse, alcohol, drugs or whatever...we are often psychosocially predisposed to that vehicle of avoidance. As always, a pleasure to hear from you... Blessings, Michael

Hate to disagree

Submitted by Bill Urell on January 14, 2009 - 7:49pm.

Viewing addiction as a learned behavior just doesn't work. I hate to disagree, but a huge body of evidence is supporting addiction as an organic brain disease. Much more than " holding space for the possibility that alcoholism may be a disease with organic antecedents". The biological fact of addiction is now proven beyond reasonable doubt.

I agree that everyone has an opinion, and one aspect of the field I love is just that. There are no hard and fast answers.

Bill Urell MA, CAAP-II

And opinions vary...

Submitted by Michael J. Formica on January 14, 2009 - 8:18pm.

Bill, I never said, nor did I intimate, that addiction was a learned behavior. I said, "...addiction is an obsessive-compulsive system, and that the behavior associated with that system (drinking, drugging, gambling, spending, sex, etc.) is a symptom of that underlying system." There is an equally huge body of evidence suggesting that obsessive-compulsive behavior also has organic antecedents. Further, my caveat was intended to hold space for professionals who stand by your position, not to dispute or contradict it, and also to avoid the debate that you are, quite legitimately, positing. That caveat was made in light of the specific position that I was taking in reference to the thrust of my premise. In addition, as a research scientist and professor of research methods, I would be remiss if I were not to suggest to you that nothing in research is ever proven...only shown. And "beyond reasonable doubt" always contains error variance, no matter how small -- that's built in doubt -- and fodder for more research! Finally, that both Stanton Peale and Phil Newton -- our resident experts -- have read and not sniped at this article, no matter how fringy it may appear, should evidence some semblance of the legitimacy of said premise and its arguments. I think that we agree there are no hard and fast answers. May we all continue to seek them out. Thanks for your comments -- they are well received. Blessings and light, Michael

Addiction

Submitted by Anonymous on January 20, 2009 - 2:08pm.

This may be a medical question, but I have a friend who says alcohol is addictive; marijuana is not; if they are both abused continually, does that constitute the person has an addiction? Or is it more of a psychological question of smoking/drinking in order to feel a certain way, but not feel another more unpleasant way, thus avoiding the deeper demon, thus being addicted to feeling a certain way? Thank you.

Addictive substances...

Submitted by Michael J. Formica on January 23, 2009 - 5:29am.

Anon: Your question has a two part answer. Physiologically speaking, any non-naturally occurring substance introduced into the body that induces withdrawal symptoms when stopped can be considered addictive because there is a tipping point at which the body "needs" or "seeks" that substance to function -- alcohol is one of those substances, THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) is not. Psychologically speaking, any non-naturally occurring substance that is used in a consistent and compulsive fashion in order to alter consciousness and, by association, the experience of emotions, feelings and/or social interaction can be considered addictive. Both alcohol and marijuana fall into this category. Blessings, Michael