Chapter 8

At base level, all human behavior is motivated by either a desire to gain pleasure or a wish to avoid pain, though sometimes obviously a combination of both. Strangely, it is far from obvious why pain avoidance serves no basis for motivating behaviors in addiction. Those afflicted by addictive lifestyles rarely extricate themselves from harmful situations for reasons of the occurrence of pain.

Clearly, one would normally learn from blunders and mistakes and not aggressively seek to repeat them. But in addiction, we find this is not the case… why? Is it possible one’s desire to gain pleasure is so profound that all common sense is easily brushed aside in favor of outright hedonism? Is it possible that one in addiction, who claims to seek pleasure, could utterly resign themselves to continual horrors at the expense of their very lives? Does this not seem acutely ironic? Is it sensible that one could be so fallaciously obsessed with pleasure seeking that any extreme seems plausible? Anyone familiar with addiction would answer surprisingly and tragically: yes.

Now this begs the next question: can this cycle of dysfunction be broken? Is it possible that one enslaved to addictive lifestyles could learn that temptations are suggestions, not commands? Is it possible to reprogram an addict's brain? Anyone familiar with the way of spirituality would answer refreshingly and cheerfully: yes.

As you cannot face truth by hiding from it; likewise, you cannot heal a wound by saying it is not there. Overcoming denial of the realities addictive living brings upon its unsuspecting victims leads one to the next obvious step in recovery. What next?