You’ve probably heard lots of explanations for excessive behaviour: "Alcoholics have a different body chemistry." "Smokers go into withdrawal if they don't get cigarettes." "People who are really overweight just eat too much. It's as simple as that!" "Watching so much TV is just a habit you fall into. It's like an addiction after awhile."
We seem to get these opinions from things we’ve read or seen on TV, or by knowing someone who is, for example, a smoker or an excessive eater. Most explanations, though, are just too simple, especially when you start to ask a few questions and look a little closer.
These types of behavioural patterns are not rare and they are not found only in certain types of people. You are probably already hooked on something. You may not be aware of it, but stop and think for a moment. Is there something you do fairly often that you wish you didn't do? If nothing comes to mind, think about your parents. Think about eating too much, bad driving habits, a nervous laugh that bugs other people, smoking, or sitting around too much instead of exercising. The point is that strongly held and difficult-to-change habits are part of being human.
If you started to look more closely at habits involving drugs or other things, here are a few things you might notice:
- The tendency to develop strong, long-lasting habits is built into everyone. This human tendency probably lies at the heart of all addictions.
- Each drug and each habit has its own effects on people. If you want to understand how people get addicted to cocaine, for example, you need to understand habitual behaviour generally, but you also need to know about the specific effects of cocaine.
- Some people are more likely to develop certain addictions (like dependence on alcohol) because of their genetics.
- Some people develop more than one addiction. For example, many alcoholics also smoke and drink a lot of coffee.
- People sometimes switch addictions. People who have stopped using heroin sometimes become dependent on alcohol. Recovering alcoholics sometimes become dependent on prescription drugs.
- People will sometimes seem to depend on a drug in one situation (like in the city), but then seem to be fine without it in another situation (like a “dry" work camp in a remote area).
- People who use a drug that is potentially addictive will have different patterns of use. For example, some people smoke half a pack of cigarettes a day. Some smoke two packs a day. Some only smoke once or twice a month and can quit quite easily. Many have a terrible time quitting. A very small group can control their smoking totally and never become addicted.
Addictions are very common, but they are very complicated to explain. They seem to depend on a lot of things:
- the drug or behaviour involved
- the person’s psychology, biology and genes
- the person’s past experiences
- the person’s life situation
- how available drugs are to the person
- how acceptable the drug or behaviour is to the person, their friends and society
Fortunately, there are things that can help anyone avoid addiction:
- A person has choices. If they seem to be using a drug more and more in certain situations, they can look for ways to avoid those situations.
- If someone has a history of addiction in their family, it’s wise to be extra alert and take the time to learn about that particular problem.
- Learn about the addictiveness of any drug, including alcohol, caffeine and prescription drugs.
- With some drugs, like nicotine and heroin, the percentage of users who get addicted is so high that it’s best to avoid using the drug at all.
- If someone is already having trouble with a drug or type of behaviour, they should go for help.
Some habits are good. Much of what we do is built into patterns we learn over time until they become second nature. Imagine if you had to figure out what to do every time you met someone or wanted to ride a bicycle! Some habits are obvious, some are hidden, some are simple and some are very complex. Being aware of our “habit potential” gives us some control over our habits. Then we can develop habits that work for us, and avoid or get rid of habits that don’t.
