Addiction – July 22, 2014
I recently read Dr. Gabor Mate’s book about addiction, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addictions (2009). Here are some of the key points that I took away :
Addictions are behaviours/actions that impair self-control, lead to guilt and shame, are compulsive in their nature, and interfere with functioning. Addictions range greatly, anything from drinking, using drugs, unhealthy eating, smoking, video games, sex, choosing unhealthy romantic partners, shopping, gambling, exercise, etc. Like everything, addictive behaviours range on a continuum of severity and impairment.
We are driven to do these behaviours for a reason. On the one hand, the behaviour feeds something or helps us in some way (e.g., it is a distraction, it numbs feelings, it loosens us up, it temporarily feels good). On the other hand, the behaviour is unhealthy and unhelpful (e.g., it interferes with other activities, it doesn’t truly help us deal with the underlying feelings, it costs money and time…). Hence the dilemma psychologically, the behaviour has both good and not so good things. It is both helpful and unhelpful.As an example, I am drawn to celebrity gossip. I read online gossip magazines to take my mind off of things, to zone out and escape, to imagine their lifestyle, and to feel some excitement, fascination, and intrigue. However, reading these magazines has a down side. They promote an unhealthy focus on physical appearance and portray women with unrealistic, atypical body types.
Environmental cues alone trigger dopamine release. We can be triggered even by the thought of the drug/activity/behaviour. Addictions change the wiring in the brain.
Addictions originate in pain. Individuals are more susceptible to turn to addictive behaviours if they have experienced trauma and stress earlier in their life and if they are currently experiencing stress. In fact, Mate, like many others, is a proponent of the theory that much of mental health (trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, ADHD) originate in early attachment issues (whether it is stress during pregnancy and/or lack of early attunement between caregiver and child). Children need to know that they are not only safe physically, fed, clothed, but that their caregiver is consistently aware of their feelings, that their caregiver shows that they understand, and that they try to tailor their parenting to help support the child’s needs. As Mate explains, “the void is not in the parent’s love or commitment, but in the child’s perception of being seen, understood, empathized with and ‘gotten’ on an emotion l level” (p. 240). A parent can be “physically present but emotionally distracted” (p. 240).
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