Thursday, August 9, 2012

addictions

I was thinking today about the difference between alcohol, nicotine, heroin, pot, whatever addictions.  The book I am reading right now is trying to make the point that an addiction is an addiction is an addiction.  The only difference with alcohol and nicotine is that they are legal and that alcohol is socially accepted.  I said that to my friend and she said, "Well people aren't knocking off 7-11s to get their alcohol fix."  I said, "They could be if it were illegal.  Let's make alcohol illegal and see what happens!"

When I quit smoking along time ago, I would have never said to myself, "OK, now you are just taking a break until Halloween.  Let's just not smoke for 3 months and then go back and see if you can moderate.  You will just try harder this time."  That would have been asinine!  If I took the three months to quit, go through the withdrawal, get it out of my system, why in the world would I want to put it back in?

I have not even done any other drugs so I don't know how that feels, but in all the rehab shows I watch on TV, Dr. Drew is not advising them to get clean for awhile so they can try to moderate again...they just need to try harder this time.

Sometimes it just all seems so stupid to me.

1 comment:

  1. i agree completely :) i tricked myself into doing 30 days on the condition that it was 'only for a month' but then as i got to the end of the month i realized i didn't want to start all over again. so i've stayed off. when my resistant voice gets loud, i say "just for 90 days" or "just for a year" but i know that's just a trick to shut up the voice in my head :) Are you reading the Jason Vale book? i loved it, and in fact was a bit sad to finish the book, like the story was over and now it's up to me ... and i do love Dr. Drew... well done, you. you're doing so great :)

    ReplyDelete