Part Two: The Mind and Addiction

The mind is one of the major battlegrounds where addiction is fought. The attack occurs on the will (our capacity to choose and direct our behavior) and our self-esteem (the respect and value with which we view ourselves). Addiction splits the will in two parts, one desiring freedom and the other desiring to continue the addictive behavior. This causes internal strife, which erodes self-esteem. The major blows to self-esteem, however, come from repeated failures at trying to change the addictive behavior. The blame for failure falls on the self, which destroys self-respect. Every attempt at control results in eventual failure, and in a society where the major source of behavior is the self, self-respect and self-esteem suffer.

As discussed in a previous blog, the mind has multiple methods of tricking one into continuing the addictive behavior. In order to understand the places of attack to beat addiction, we must understand how the mind tricks us, via self-deceit, into continuing the addictive behavior.

Self Deception

Denial and Repression
This often occurs in the initial stages of addiction. Denial is the lack of recognition that a problem exists or that there is attachment occurring. Repression occurs as evidence of attachment mounts, and the mind keeps the realization of attachment out of awareness. The knowledge of addiction is realized, but repressed in the unconscious. This takes considerable mental energy to both live in denial and repression, and repression results in a person who is not comfortable with himself/herself. The mind must stayed occupied or dulled, so that the realization of addiction stays out of the conscious. This results in avoidance of quiet times of reflection and peace. Prayer, meditation, and quiet relaxation are discontinued or filled with activities that will occupy attention, causing a busied and dulled mind. This results in alienation from oneself. You avoid being present to oneself, and this eventually results in a phobia to quietness, being alone, and of possible boredom.

Rationalization
This occurs after the realization that a problem exists. It is, by definition, making excuses in an attempt to justify the addictive behavior. One tries to convince the self of the truth of the excuse, or attempts to justify the behavior. It results in increased internal distress and self-alienation. This discomfort becomes the occasion for increasing the addictive behavior. The object of attachment becomes the tranquilizer for the psychic distress it itself is causing.

Hiding
After realization occurs, one can no longer hide the truth of addiction from the self, so they hide it from others in order to protect their identity. This results in isolation from others as time spent on the addiction is time away from others. A depressive, guilty, self-disparaging atmosphere pervades nearly everything the person does as they lead a double life. It results in feelings of inadequacy for being unable to control the behavior and lack of personal integrity.

Delaying Tactics
This occurs as one realizes that a problem exists. The mind comes up with inventive strategies to continue the addiction. These are delay tactics, that put off addressing the addiction until one gets busy with something else or doesn't feel as guilty about the behavior. Common delay tactics include resolving to resolve to quit, identifying the ideal time to attempt to quit, rationalizing a plan of attack, etc. The details end up becoming so complex that they distract one from actually focusing on addressing the addiction.

"I Can't Handle It"
When repeated failures at attempts to stop the addictive behavior are realized, the subsequent admission of defeat can take on two forms. In the passive response to defeat, shame, remorse, and guilt abound, resulting in self-hatred and surrender to the addiction. The aggressive response to defeat is characterized by an embittered and cynical reaction that seeks to bring everything in life down to its own sense of worthlessness. It is a "Who cares? I'm going to do whatever I want because nothing really matters anyway" attitude. Both are ploys to continue the addiction.

"I Can Handle It"
This occurs after the first success of quitting an addictive behavior. A person becomes prideful, thinks they can handle the addiction, and experiences an impulse or harmless notion of retrying the object of addiction. This leads to the temptation to try it again under the false muse that one could handle it without becoming enslaved to it. This leads to a repeated excuse of "it's under control," when in all actuality the control is being issued by the addiction.

Breakdown
The fall, where one realizes that they are addicted once again, brings guilt, remorse, and shame. Self-respect disappears and pride is toppled. Addictive behavior increases as a backlash, and internal reasoning is thrown to the wind. Secondary addictions my develop. Desperation for a way out develops and unreasonable and unrealistic schemes are developed to free oneself. Reality is completely distorted.

Collusion

The process of addiction is never individual. Others are always involved. Some of their involvement helps to support their addiction. It is the process of co-dependency. They actually create their own interweaving webs of deception. They may unconsciously develop more inventive mind tricks for the addicted person to use. Medicines create secondary or substitution addictions. Psychotherapy may prolong addiction as it seeks to uncover past traumatic experiences that may not exist while providing an excuse to continue in addiction. Any action by others that does not support ending the addiction actually winds up supporting the addiction instead.

Psychoanalytic Insights

Freud, Jung, and others have contributed the following insights in regards to addiction. Attachments form through the investment (cathexis) of psychic energy in certain activities, things, or people that bring us pleasure or relief from distress. Many of these cathexes are kept unconscious by means of self-deception, so our motivations are never completely pure and may be quite contradictory.

Behavioral Insights

These insights involve the cause and effect observations of behavior and are based on objective data. Pavlov's dog is the classic example. It involves the law of effect, which includes positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. The most important lesson is that attachment takes place through a process of learning. If something is pleasurable, one is more likely to do it again. This process is repeated until a habit is made of it. You become attached to the behavior. This happens at a deep physical, subconscious level, and usually is not recognized until it is a habit, an addiction.
Addictive behavior is established via attachment. We attach pleasure or relief from pain to a specific behavior in a maladaptive manner, which leads to addiction. This occurs in 3 stages.

Stage 1: Learning
This stage is characterized by associating a specific behavior with a feeling of pleasure or relief from pain. Subsequently, the brain associates the effects with the behavior. Subsequently, each time the behavior occurs, the association is reinforced, making it more likely to be repeated and habitual in nature. This is the process of conditioning; it is the way our minds learn to become addicted.

Stage 2: Habit Formation
This stage is characterized by associating the behavior or its effects with other experiences in life. In other words, when the desired effects of the addiction are sought in response to other stimuli, a habit has formed. It is the process of repeating the behavior for its own direct effects and also seeking it as a reaction to stress or discomfort in other areas of life.

Stage 3: Struggle
This is the stage where the habit is well established, and any distress in life causes the desire to do the behavior to reflexively appear. Withdrawal is well established, as lack of the behavior causes intense feelings of needing to repeat the behavior. Tolerance is established, as the behavior is craved more and more with less and less effect. Interference for the behavior occurs, whether it is lack of supply, attempting to hide it, or attempts to quit it, and this leads to internal distress. The habit is now its own source of distress.

Summary

The behavioral and psychological nature of addiction is strong and is a major contributor to addiction. It is the battlefield where the war over addiction is fought. The mind is responsible for our addictions through abnormal attachments of desire and effect, resulting in habits through subconscious habituated responses. The mind uses multiple ploys and tricks to continue the addictive behavior no matter what, including denial, repression, rationalization, hiding (creating a false self), delay tactics for quitting, surrender, pride, and ultimately the fall. From a behavior standpoint, addiction is the process of abnormally associating a specific behavior with pleasure or the relief of pain. This attachment is learned through reinforcement and conditioning, leading to habit. Once recognized, attempts at destruction of this habit leads to an internal struggle, eroding self-esteem and identity, and increasing the effect of the abnormally associated behavior.
It may seem hopeless. The only solution to ending the addiction is to stop the behavior. However, with addiction well established and craving occurring at every attempt to quit, an internal war occurs, a war within the self. Self-esteem crumbles as loss of identity occurs, and will and desire fade into the black smoke of this internal war. Our minds are wired for addiction. We are made for addiction. The problem is, due to sin, our attachments have occurred to the wrong things. We cannot wiggle our way, will our way, or work our way out of addiction. The only solution to ending the addiction is to replace the addiction with that which is right and true and congruent with who we are. This will be detailed in future blogs, so read on to become strong in your battle for freedom and peace.