“I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. I mean in all truth that the psychological, neurological, and spiritual dynamics of full-fledged addiction are actively at work within every human being. The same processes that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and narcotics are also responsible for addiction to ideas, work, relationships, power, moods, fantasies, and an endless variety of other things. We are all addicts in every sense of the word.”
This quote comes from a book I'm reading called Addiction and Grace, written by Gerald May. By Sunday night, I have to write a reflection on those words.. in preparation for Monday's mod. week. I'm on the way to being done already ... but I'm still very interested in the response this quote elicits in you folks reading. What do you think? Is this a narrow understanding of addiction? Or an accurate picture of humanity? Or perhaps just our society? I've asked a few of you in conversation and the response I've already heard is intriguing enough to make me curious to hear more of your thoughts.
I beleive that this quote is true. We all suffer from some type of addiction and they are hard to break, no matter what kind they are. they consume us - all of the time!
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the quote. First off, I think that using drugs and alcohol is a choice (initially), or learned coping behaviour, but the body gets addicted and that's that hard part of quitting. I don't think this problem should be lumped in with the other so-called addictions mentioned, which is normal human stuff! This quote implies (not that it's trying to) that a person can not say that they are not addicted to anything, 'cause someone could make a case against them for one of the 'endless varieties other things', that they could be addicted to. I really don't like this quote...a gut feeling... but it's only my 2 cents worth. Curious what your thoughts are Kelly.
ReplyDeleteHeidi
I am still thinking but I think more of me agrees then disagrees.
ReplyDeleteOne question though that comes to mind is why if this is true do some folks have more of a tendency to become addicted to things and others not so much, if we are all addicts?"
I'll be back once i have processed this some more...
Karen
I think I'd have to agree with the quote. The first thing that came to mind was my own pride in thinking "Of course I'm not addicted - why would I want to be lumped in with addicts". On further thought that sounded a bit like denial. I'm addicted to coffee. I'm also addicted to making sure my lips have lipgloss on them at all times!
ReplyDeleteThat first initial response makes me want to put myself above another "addict". I would say that some addictions leave more scars than others; some affect other people more than others. But first let us admit that as humans we all struggle with the same things, some just make different choices. Whether or not we think those choices are good or bad, we are all capable of all those things.
Then we let grace do it's work, right?
all very good points, friends. Thanks for your comments! Heid, you asked my thoughts.. well, I'm on the fence and I said so in my paper. I'm not sure I can embrace such a broad understanding, but there is something profoundly accurate and humbling about calling our compulsions and patterns addiction..
ReplyDeleteI was thinking today after reading the other comments that a definition of addiction might be helpful here. I see addiction as being something more severe, where a person, when trying to come off whatever they are over-indulging in, actually has physical symptoms of withdrawal, where the symptoms (because the body craves more) make it very hard to stop using the substance. I see drugs, smoking, coffee to a lesser extent, but not alcohol (which is more a coping tool) to be the things that cause physical distress when trying to stop. This has nothing to do with pride in my humble opinion :) I honestly can't think of anything that I'm 'addicted' to that would cause physical side effects if I stopped doing it. Not even being without a computer! Eating perhaps... Anyhow, just a few more cents worth...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly, for this discussion... it gave me something to talk about with my middle boy while driving around town tonight.
Heidi
(sorry this is such a long ramble...)
I don't think it's just about physical side effects - it's about your mind focusing on wanting/needing something and that could be anything! It could be all consuming, even if you don't actually give in to "doing" it. It takes a lot of effort to not give in to the "addiction" if you're lucky enough to be able to abstain from whatever it is that you are addicted to. it's not just about your body craving more - it's more about your mind craving more and you filling that need by sometimes consuming something physically. Does this make sense to anyone?
ReplyDeleteBeing curious, I checked out Wiki's definition, and there isn't concensus on the meaning. My take on it was apparently the medical definition of addiction, then there's the psychological side which is what the quote talks about. So I guess we're all right!!
ReplyDeleteHeidi
So more processing has gone on and I am still not 100% sure what I think. All of you make very good points!
ReplyDeleteI guess I agree but am not quite able to be as sure as the author of the quote in saying we are all addicts in every sense of the word.
What is amazing to me is that I looked up "I am the true vine" before I looked up "responsible for addiction." For a moment I was confused if I had Googled both. Despite being a Christian for a long time, I believe God has led me to see that I was resisting being "on the vine" in significant ways. My daughter has an eating disorder, an addiction, as I did earlier in life. Many in my family are addicted to substances, work, exercise, etc. When I chose to surrender to God (Higher Power), I became "stronger" in the sense of being able to see the truth about myself and willing to be "a true branch." I now see that I was a major player in my daughter's addiction, which is a way of coping with life, in all its complexity. For me, anything I do that is outside of the "true vine" has a sense of being an addiction, an idol or a relentless preoccupation that gets me nowhere and hurts my relationships with others--and really damages me. I am fascinated by the idea that grace is the antithesis of addiction and am going to look up this book. I've been surrounded by evidence that vines and branches are the way life works in the botanical world. I'm not sure why I have resisted being a branch, but I am humbled and thankful that God got me to this place. Maybe my "addiction" to keeping tabs on my children will find better expression in my love and attachment to Christ. Thanks for the blog! An amazing coincidence for me!
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