Addiction is Normal

Just say no! You've probably heard that said more than a few times about using drink & drugs. Of course it would be madness to say 'yes' to the consequences of addiction, as these are so horrific. However, for the first few years then using is pretty good which is why so many people do it. 

If you think about addiction as a process rather than a destination, then it is easier to see why people use. Basically speaking people use drink and drugs in order to feel better in some way, and it has a pretty good track record in this respect. So we could look at the idea that using is good in the beginning. It develops as a learned behaviour initially because it works. 

Perhaps the feature that defines addiction or addictive processes is that the using works in such a short space of time. This is where the 'normal' part comes in because it appears that as human beings we prefer solutions that work in the short term over ones that take longer. From an evolutionary perspective this would make sense, when humans were living in much more dangerous times. Quick reactions to danger would be essential to survival. 

It is only very recently in evolutionary terms that our modern culture has evolved. We could say that for at least 300,000 year of human existence we lived in a dangerous world where survival was the main imperative. Only within the last century have we developed the ability to satisfy our basic needs for safety and food to an extent where other concerns take more priority. The short term has always been our best friend, and we are evolved to be addictive in that sense. 

Exercise: Look at product advertising and see whether it is offering a short term boost or a longer term one. Start noticing what the wider culture promotes as normal, and see how many examples you can find.