Therapy and Addiction

Any pleasure (alcohol, food, sex, love, making money) can be addictive and thus dominate a person’s life, emptying it psychologically and perhaps endangering it. Where there is addiction, a pleasure ceases to be embedded in a structure that holds it and gives it meaning. Instead, the pleasure becomes a necessity, and all other values and pleasures lose their weight in the person’s mind. The loss of control accompanying addiction can lead to depression and despair.

There is probably a genetic component to most addictions, but my experience has been that some combination of talk therapy, active participation in a 12-step program, and/or pharmacological assistance can help addicted persons reassert control over their lives.