, solutions sometimes seem as far away as the center of the Milky Way. People who become afflicted with any addiction, be it drugs, alcohol, sex or gambling, find it challenging to replace the 'high' they have become so accustomed to feeling.
Although much research has been conducted on this topic, implementation of some possible remedies is difficult to achieve. Reason being, is that addicts are often afraid to confront their problem and when they do, are usually sent to in or outpatient treatment program that is too quick and vague for the addict to realize. Furthermore, the one component addicts crave the most, the "high," is violently eradicated from their life.
In cases involving
drugs and alcohol, it could possibly be deadly to allow an addict to go "cold turkey." Therefore, the first aspect for treatment usually involves weeks of detoxifying and is combined with counseling and therapy and recommendations to attend twelve step programs outside of a facility. Twelve step programs have been remarkably successful in the maintenance of alcoholism and addiction. in fact, it seems to be the only program that actually works for millions of people who suffer from such ailments. So why do they work and should treatment centers actually encourage an addict's addictive personality for positive activities that are healthy and could lead to enormous success? I would say yes.
As previously mentioned, twelve step programs have had an enormous amount of success and understanding how they work could be as simple and natural to human behavior than most realize. It is quite possible that the tribal nature and collective strength of recovery twelve step programs provide a physiological and innate natural response in an individual to be apart of this tribe. Since the addict, in most cases, has been ostracized from the tribe of "normal" society, it is quite natural for an addict to look for a new, or if you will, natural home. Twelve step programs certainly provide this and offer a sense of belonging, which many evolutionary scientist argue is a characteristic that embodies the human spirit. So twelve step programs, given their obvious observable success, should always be encouraged for any addict. But it is not the only thing that should be encouraged.
Most addicts posses very abnormal qualities that are highlighted, in a negative sense, when addicted to a certain activities or substances. Upon entering treatment centers or counseling, most addicts are encouraged to look for a happy medium or some sense of "balance." The saying "everything in moderation" is often recited for addicts for the purpose to infiltrate their mind. This saying is meant to illicit an eventual trained or learned behavior in the addict, which in theory, will limit stimulating activities. Because if an addict likes it, it will devour it and themselves in the process. I do not believe addicts are even capable of such moderation, unless of course someone alters their addictive genetic gene.
Remember, no program has ever "cured" an addict or alcoholic, which includes twelve step programs. All of these therapies simply arrest the symptoms of addiction on a daily basis. So what if instead of preaching moderation, treatment centers preached alteration. As in, alteration of what the addict is addicted too and encourage the addict to find the
positive stimuli in the world they may like. For example, if an addict likes computers, why not encourage them with activities focused on computers and then offer scholarships to attend a computer engineering school. I think it would be a lot cheaper than simply spending money trying to "moderate" them.
Let us look at a powerful force in nature, the nuclear bomb and compare it to the life of an addict. The atom, when split, causes a huge release of energy. This energy can either blow up a city or light it. If harnessed correctly, nuclear power is effective in providing the energy a city need to thrive. If nuclear power is in the wrong hands, it can be made into a bomb and destroy all in its path. This is comparable to an addict. When bad, and addict does really, really bad things. But when good, an addict can use that incredible force within in them, and do incredible things. This should be encouraged and not isolated.
Treatment institutions should immediately focus on what an addict likes and directly encourage interaction with that subject and allow them the opportunity to essentially, get "high" off something positive. You can never turn off the addiction switch, you can only dim and that provides a daily challenge to all addicts. Because the monkey is always there, waiting to be released. This happens because it is naturally apart of the addicts genetic code. It is simply waiting for another addiction to transpire or it will use every genetic trick in the book to encourage an addict to return to their old love or negative addiction. This, as we know, is called relapse. So, let us not try and stop the addiction in an addict, but push it another direction, towards something positive. If this is done, it is my belief, addicts will simply switch addictions and be come highly successful, because they will be chasing a new "high." Only this one is a positive one.
Remember, like nuclear energy, it can either blow up a city or light it. An addict is no different.
