All Addictions Turn from Pleasure to Dependency
10/17/2007 12:03:00 PM
honey23bunches
10 Posts
Addictive behavior always starts with pleasure. That may be the result of alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs, or it may be people saying, “You look good” or maybe after winning a poker game, or the feeling of relief from anxiety or pain. The pleasure turns to an addiction when the high becomes a necessity. So why is compulsive behavior in America so common? We are freer now, than we were 40 years ago to decide how to live our lives.
Addictive behavior is bound up in identity and emotions. The theorist in happiness, Professor Richard Layard, has been successful in convincing the government to fund an extension of counseling for depression. But addictive behavior, which in many cases overlaps depression, has more serious consequences for society. Addictions almost always go along with loss of self-confidence. Whether individual’s behavior is controlled by habits that should be controlled, we are still living in control of domination and freedom.