The Addiction Conundrum

Let’s face it. There are ample ways to become addicted – not only to substances, but to substitutes for those substances. Some things are more catastrophic than others, but addiction will eventually crowd out the more mundane activities of daily living until it becomes all a person is living for. Yet paradoxically, addiction puts people on the path of dying – not living.

After reading some excerpts from “Molecules Of Emotion” by molecular biologist Candice Pert, it all seemed quite brilliant and plausible (at first). Then I watched several of her video lectures, and could see that she was very unhealthy. She unwittingly demonstrated an inability to internalize and process what she was teaching. In fact, as time went on, she did deviate away from molecular biology into sort of a new-age spiritualism.

Jordan Peterson has gained widespread fame and sold millions of books telling people how to live, yet in his own life, he went off the rails completely. There can be no greater loss of control than to be put into a medically induced coma in a foreign country. Surely he went through one of the most melodramatic drug treatment protocols anyone has ever heard of. It is another example of the dichotomy of the extremes. Perhaps the dichotomy is what creates the chasm within.

During Candice Pert’s last few videos, she was obviously in congestive heart failure. She was short of breath just standing there talking. At a cellular level, she was filling up with fluid – struggling with a failing circulatory system. By the time she was in her fifties, she was very overweight and sick. She had an understanding of the molecules of emotion, but she could not readily apply that knowledge to her own life.

In Jordan Peterson’s (overt and public) struggle with addiction, we see some glaring contradictions between what he teaches and what he does. Much of it sounds like denial, with a certain amount of death-defying hyperbole. Yet he does look very ill – with a haunting depth to how gaunt and hollow he has become. There is most certainly something wrong.

In his case, there is an excessive preoccupation with death, coming from both himself and his daughter. The entire family seems to have all kinds of rare health conditions, which is often a sign of having co-morbidity factors surrounding mental health. People can become the victims of their own poor health. There is much drama, sympathy and attention as a result.

The unintended, value-added aspect of seeing the progression of addiction of those in the public’s eye, is learning that addiction has no respecter of persons. Fame, high IQ, talent, money, power, success – and all the luxuries life can offer, does not fill the void of a ravaging addiction. Advantages in life might prevent homelessness, but it does not overcome death or unhappiness.

Although Jordan Peterson deserves as much compassion, understanding and encouragement as anyone else – shouldn’t we at least question the wide range of advice he has been giving? Did he veer away from his field of study so much that he became confabulatory? Like morphing into a glossy and opinionated pseudo-intellectual on so many other subjects. He conveys a somewhat disjointed example of the “les miserable” aspect of human psychology. There is a cavernous darkness lurking and beckoning – to the extent it is blocking out the sight of the sun.

Everything from sex education to smoking places the focus on education and knowledge. If we learn about something and study it enough, we can avoid the pitfalls and take a detour around the toxicity that surrounds us, and threatens to suck us into its vortex. Aw – but that is obviously not so! We are blinded by our own sense of invincibility. Every near miss reinforces this notion.

Clearly, when it comes to addiction, knowledge is only one component of a complex equation. How can we know the destructive elements of something and then walk right into it and let it swallow us whole? Once an addictive pattern is established – why is it so hard (and often impossible) to break free? Why do so many people leave rehab only to relapse within a matter of hours?

We think of addiction as being primarily to drugs and alcohol. But it includes overindulgences around television, video games, Internet, shopping, excessive exercise, gambling, sex, money, food (especially sugar) and a multitude of other patterns of behaviors and substances that increase dopamine in our brains.

We seek mood elevation or escape from everyday responsibilities, whether they are stressful or boring. We have poor tolerance for boredom, drudgery and depression. In reality, peace and stability (boredom) beats chaos and uncertainty. But for some of us, the energy and pulse of addiction is a driving and destructive force.

Statistics affirm that roughly 20% of the population is prone to addiction. But I tend to think such an assessment is based on the more severe cases, and excludes many other types of addictions.  After all, addiction is one of the things people become very good at hiding.

We should be aware that every family and every community is faced with the negative consequences of addiction in one way or another. The more extreme cases end up on the streets, unable to care for themselves. Who is to blame for the travesty and loss of dignity? Who can cure it?

For many, once they fall into the addictive cycle, it is a very deep pit. Before long, it is like trying to fill a bottomless void of emptiness within. This exacerbates the person’s sense of alienation and existential loneliness. There may be many reasons for addiction, such as childhood trauma, homelessness, bullying, and major losses in life – yet those vulnerabilities are the reason a person should avoid addictive substances as opposed to gravitating toward them.

Taking addictive drugs “as prescribed” is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make. The other thing is that we cannot separate physiological dependence from psychological dependence.

With almost all addictive substances the old adage “first it giveth – and then it taketh away” is the one thing we ought to keep in mind. If we take antidepressants (SSRI’s) for example, they will speed up the flow of serotonin in our systems, giving the impression of a boost in mood or energy. But eventually that serotonin is depleted and the dose is increased to get the same effect. After awhile, the person’s mood becomes flat as a pancake.

Opiates and benzodiazepines are even worse, since they both have an immediate gratification similar to alcohol. The anxiety or pain is alleviated in the short term. But once they wear off, the cycle must be repeated in ever increasing amounts in order to achieve the same results.

There is no longer a sense of normalcy, since the substance is required in order to emulate feeling normal.  The person must mimic feeling and acting normal. The perceptions become increasingly skewed. Over time the malfunctioning starts to become obvious.

Once the central nervous system depends on the cycle, a person is functioning without full awareness of how all systems of the body are being hijacked.

What is the answer? First and foremost, we have to learn to accept some depression and dark days. Like the weather, it is not always sunshine and roses. Learning to let negative emotions pass by, and finding ways to ease those times without seeking a mental health diagnosis or drug cure is probably the first step to better coping. Better yet, creating a healthy “feel better” action list to help cope with doldrums.

Just as we can be triggered into negative emotions, we can condition ourselves to appreciate fresh air, a sauna, aromatherapy, a hot bath, talking to a friend, or doing something creative. The beauty of nature is that it is both inspiring and calming to the psyche.

In the past, I was never very good at mindfulness, since I was always thinking about something else, always in the future or the past, and missed the present moment. I was always prone to projecting it, as opposed to absorbing and appreciating it.

In my humble opinion, seeking a mental health diagnosis is a sure path to being prescribed medications. It would be cynical to assume that is how doctors keep their patients coming back for more – but many do. When it comes to health care, a healthy dose of cynicism might make you better off in the long run.

No matter who we are or what we become – we will eventually be humbled. The higher we climb, the deeper we fall. Our intellectual arrogance becomes simultaneously blinding and stupefying.

Famous addicts show us, like actors on a stage, how we stumble and fall. We are all fallible, susceptible, vulnerable, and face the unknown. We are better off to have an equality-based perspective and value for others. When it is based on being special, they are singled out in a way that robs them of equality. Excessive superiority is not normal. The flip side is excessive inferiority. Addiction has a strong tendency to flip sides. From aggressor to victim, or from love to hate, constructive to destructive and so on…

Insight brings wisdom. Stability, love, support, returning to basic virtues, empathy, and forgiveness – may not be mapped out in text-books, yet they are the true pathways to survival.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.