Imaginary Addictions

In the total population of America alone, 23.3 million people claim to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. Many of these people attend a rehabilitation program in hopes of a counselor weaning them from their addiction. Oddly enough, all the rehabilitation facilities in the country only combine for a 70% success rate. This means that even with professional help, 30% of the attendants at these rehab centers left after their treatment and repeated the same trends of using their product. I can only think of one reason why they couldn’t clean up their act. That reason, I believe, is that they really don’t want to stop using the product that they claim to be addicted to.

These “addictions” in which people think that there is an inseparable bond from is all in that person’s head. People can stop using an item just as quick as they started, but truthfully they really don’t want to. Rehabilitation centers simply train the attendants there to control their brain by showing that the “addiction” is really not needed. Basically back to the way the brain was before the days of using drugs. The percentages of people that do not quit simply enjoy using their particular item and they are not trying to let it go just yet.

I have knowledge of these so-called “addictions” because I have many close friends and family members that use drugs and alcohol. They will buy drugs and alcohol beverages a few times a week, and they use it daily. They can easily stop consuming these fumes, liquids, and pills at any point in their lives, but they don’t. They know after long-term use, something negative may eventually begin to happen to their organs. They also realize that if they stop buying their product, they can save hundreds of dollars annually. With all these fact to think about, they still continue their habits. The feeling of being high or drunk outweighs the thought of being sober for the rest of their lives. As long as they are making money or can attract money from someone else, they will continue to buy any drug that makes them happy.

Growing up and watching how some of the neighborhood junkies do drugs right in my face, I noticed some of the reactions they had after they were high. Sometimes I would be funny to watch them but all together it made me not want to be like that. I told myself that I would never do drugs. As I got older, I became curious and I begin trying different products. Some I liked, and some I didn’t. I eventually got to this point where I’m at now where I smoke at least one Black-n-Mild a day. I know I can stop whenever I want, but I choose to buy it anyway. It mellows me out and keeps my head clear throughout the course of the day. There will come a time in the near future when I stop, but as of now with all my school work, problems within my family, and event happening in the world, I like to have something that keeps my head clear so I can stay on track.

After a period of time, many will realize that they have medical difficulties, or they may just get tired of using drugs. In this period is where the users will eliminate all uses of their product and move on. In many cases, this time never comes. Some people never terminate their “addiction.” Years past and people eventually grow old. Generations and generations come and go, but this “addiction” never expires. These people are the ones that have instilled the idea in their heads that letting go of a product that has great value in their lives will never happen.

I truly believe that any user knows exactly what the consequences and reactions are to using drugs or alcohol, and deep down they can stop using these products any day they wanted. The point in time in which they lose control of their scale and let their “want” to use a particular item outweigh their “need” to perform important everyday task is where this “imaginary addiction” begins to take place.