The Modern Plague of Addiction: Reflections on a Painful Subject

Addiction is more than a dependence on substances—it’s often a response to deep emotional or physical pain. In today’s overstimulated world, addictive behaviors are increasingly tied to everyday habits and technologies. This article explores the hidden roots of addiction, the brain’s pleasure-pain connection, and how integrative approaches can offer a path to healing and lasting change.

What is Addiction

Addiction is essentially the conscious or unconscious response to pain. A standard medical definition of addiction is that of a chronic, relapsing condition characterized by compulsive drug or substance-seeking and use despite harmful consequences.

Addictive behavior involves complex brain circuitry interactions, the environment, life experiences, and genetics (1). Truthfully, people have come to abhor, shun, and hide pain—a perception or feeling that manifests in many forms.

The types of pain that we can experience include physical cuts, scrapes, abrasions, sprains, fractures, muscle aches, headaches, burns, stings, or bites. These may or may not be associated with emotional traumas, such as rejection or feeling a lack of support, love, or kindness.

Depression and anxiety are both often associated with physical pain. The pain can be self-involved or induced, or may be inflicted by another or by others. The more emotionally involved the pain, the greater the chance of it becoming chronic, i.e., lasting months or years. Conversely, if the pain was “minor” or “a dumb accident,” one may argue that the pain is not an issue at all.

To What Do We Become Addicted?

When in pain (of one type or another), particularly a lingering pain, a person may become drawn to a substance like a drug, a food, object(s), sex/pornography, an ideology, animal/creature, or even another person for comfort and relief. The drive to the addictive item is dependent upon the availability and accessibility of the item. Please note that the addictive “substances” of modern life are too numerous to cover in this article. But one can ponder for a moment on how many drugs—both legal and illegal—foods, smoking materials, and such are being used/abused by multiple millions of people every day in this country.

Moreover, when we add in a cell phone—a very accessible object—to these other items, the combination of addictive elements is compounded. The cell/mobile/smartphone has become the most addictive item of them all! The powerful draw of a device of this kind is not only a sign of human mental vulnerability but a reflection of the neediness of people to belong, to distract themselves from pain, to unite with like-minded (a form of group think), and very likely to be disconnecting from reality altogether. The compulsion to grab, hold, and coddle the device is a disturbing issue that is literally breaking down human-to-human personal interaction. The very fabric of human connection—the presence of people together in a real space talking, laughing, playing, and exchanging—is fading fast.

Ideology, extremism, and violence have usurped the minds of many—especially the youth of today. The addictiveness of substances combined with technology is tantamount to a planet under siege. Human-animal and human-human addictions are also possible, albeit they are often not noticeable because people generally do not think of such relationships as being addictive. These are complex problems that will need further discussion that is beyond this blog.

The Close Relationship of Pain and Pleasure…

Remember, pain can instigate addiction.

As a society, we have become continuous pleasure seekers. And one of the key drivers of pleasure is dopamine. This neurotransmitter, along with others like serotonin, norepinephrine, and GABA, is secreted in response to pain. Nociceptors (free nerve endings throughout the body) perceive pain that is transmitted instantaneously to the brain and spinal cord for interpretation and action by the body. That action may resolve the pain promptly or it may not.

For instance, touching something hot elicits a reflex jerk away from the heat. In this process, if a person is given an opioid or decides to use alcohol or cigarettes to “numb” the pain, for instance, the surge in dopamine that ensues instigates a cycle of “seek and repeat.”

It is the dopamine that literally acts as the fuel injector to start the engine moving—to get the body going. The downside is that dopamine will start an addictive behavior. So, if alcohol is taken (alcohol can boost dopamine by 150%) to stop or numb a strong or intense physical or emotional pain and the experience of drinking accomplishes this, a sense of relief ensues. In one’s dopamine-enhanced mind, the alcohol is the answer, but it is highly destructive in reality.

The alcohol, or for that matter, a cell phone, or strong drug, or combination thereof, can lead to repeated cravings. Thus, we have addiction in the name of both pain and pleasure.

How to Avoid or Stop Addictive Behavior?

One needs to find the root of pain and imbalance. It is usually stored in the body’s energy field, which retains a “memory” of all disturbances to the balance and natural state of human life.

Now is the time to reach out for help. It is okay to reach out. It does no good to procrastinate or dismiss the problem. Understand that pain is not an enemy but a way to help you take steps to improve your life.

Stress education with coping strategies, therapists for mental health needs, and substance abuse programs are within reach by phone or online. To touch the pain and work on releasing it is the most important action in resolving addiction. Integrative Healthcare is available to assist you with gentle methods and alternative ways to handle your issues.

At Integrative Healing at OM, we can help you with stress and pain. Give us a call at (352) 254-8090 for an appointment.

References

1. De-Sola, J., et al. “Cell-phone addiction: A review.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, 24 Oct. 2016, 7:175. DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00175.
2. Leknes, S. et al. “A common neurobiology for pain & pleasure.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 9, pp. 324-320, 2008.
3. “Definition of Addiction.” ASAM.org. https://www.asam.org/quality-care/definition-of-addiction
4. “5 Ways to Break a Mobile Phone Addiction.” RecoveryRanch.com. https://www.recoveryranch.com/addiction-blog/5-ways-break-addiction-mobile-phone
5. “National Helpline.” SAMHSA.gov. 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

source https://wellcomeomcenter.com/understanding-addiction-and-pain/