Addictions
Addictions are human nature. Mostly everyone I know repeatedly does something that they know is unhealthy or harmful. Common addictions include alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and excessive shopping. I think addictions are formed because people have unconscious anxiety about the changing world around them. Our world is unstable, to say the least, and an addiction is constant. Doing something over and over again, even if it is harmful, makes us feel like we have consistency in our lives. It is something we are familiar with, and that is why we continue to do it.
According to the Time Magazine article, “How We Get Addicted,” stressful environments can alter the way our brain functions. There is no doubt our world is stressful, and our brains are affected to the point to where we cannot contemplate consequences of our actions. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “Humans in my view will always want to experiment with things that make them feel good.” We do these harmful things because they make us feel better. They turn into habits and eventually become addictions. Repeating these actions over and over again is a comfort to us in a world full of discomfort and instability.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640436-1,00.html
Comments
Maddy, this was a very
Maddy, this was a very interesting topic to write about, and I really enjoyed what you had to say. I really liked your statement, 'I think addictions are formed because people have unconscious anxiety about the changing world around them.', I had never really thought of anxiety being a leading cause to addiction, but now that you have said that I can see why that could be a leading factor. I do believe that people in this day and age are trying new things because, of course, 'everyone else is doing it', and this eventually leads to people becoming addicted to something they weren't intended on getting addicted to. I look forward to reading many more of your articles.
Sincerely,
Madeleine.
Addictions
Hey Maddy,
Your discussion about addictions was fascinating to read about. I really enjoyed learning how stress affects our brains "to the point where we cannot contemplate consequences of our actions." It certainly shed some light on my own life, as I have a raging addiction to watching Stephen Colbert and arguing politics with my neighbors.
I look forward to reading things from you in the future because the topic you chose was interesting and your writing style was easy to understand, which is great for simple folk such as myself.
Cheers!
It's something I suffer from
Dear Maddy,
I’m very interested in your post “ Addictions “ because its something I suffer from . Mostly everyone I know suffers from addictions . I never really understood until I notice my own addictions . I’ve become addicted to weed , High fashion , & love . I would like to understand how to control my addictions .
One sentence you wrote that stood out for me is “ doing something over & over again even if its harmful , makes us feel like we have consistency in our lives “ . I agree because we know bad habits are not gonna be good for us over time but we still participate in them .I don't think we should want to achieve a level of performance that does not vary in great quality over time ,but somehow this is what we do for comfort .
Another sentence that stood out for me was “ Mostly everyone I know repeatedly does something that they know is unhealthy or harmful “ . I agree mostly everyone I know as well does something they know is unhealthy or harmful everyone including me . Why would we wanna harm our self & our health ? My guess is to make ourselves feel good for our low level of achievements , Or just to make ourselves feel good .
Thanks for writing this Post on addictions . I enjoyed your writing because it caused me to think about my own addictions . It also caused me to think about how people form addictions , and how to prevent and stop. I look forward to see what your write next because you took the time to wanna understand addictions , where they come from . You also gave your opinion and I happen to agree with it , can't wait to see if I agree with other opinions.