Addiction is something that many people have been struggling with, but not everyone understands it. Some believe it's a personal choice, while others believe that it is a disease that slowly takes control. For me, addiction actually begins with a choice and eventually becomes something deeper and harder to escape from. I remember a friend back when I was serving who used to carry a water bottle everywhere he went and was always on his own. He always looks lost in thought, a very vibrant young guy.
While everybody was busy making new friends. He was avoiding everybody. Then one day we had an argument that made us become friends. I found out that he smells of drink each time I come close to him. I told him he would just laugh it off with a joke. Then one day I was very thirsty and needed water to drink. I picked up his water bottle to drink, and the smell that hit my nose was alcohol.
Immediately he rushed and gave me a bottle of water and warned me not to touch his water bottle again. I later found out that he was addicted to alcohol since he lost his mother and life became very hard for him and his siblings. He took to drinking, and gradually he found himself lost and struggling to quit but couldn't. I try as much as I can to help him to come out of his denial. Because he believes that he doesn't misbehave whenever he takes it, and so for that reason, he believes he's not addicted. His addiction started little, and that is how many other addictions started very quietly.
Most addictions started out of curiosity, stress, influence from friends or family members, or as a way to escape whatever is bothering them. One bad thing about it is that at first, it feels harmless and easy to stop, so even when someone warns you about it, you won't see it. Before you know it, you start craving it every day, and it becomes a permanent habit.
I know a colleague who has a habit of drinking garri anytime he finishes eating. I have tried to talk him out of it, but no way. He said without that pattern he will still feel like he hasn't eaten. So I left him.This is where choice fades and the struggle begins. Addiction can affect how one thinks, behaves, feel, and even how you see yourself. I guess that is why some people call it a disease . Imagine the people who take ice (mkpuru miri) and how they behave; some end up having serious injuries .
It's important to know that in all addiction doesn't define anybody. Anyone can fall a teenager dealing with peer pressure, an adult facing some challenges, or someone trying to cope with emotional pain. If only they will choose to recover and seek help. Addiction can be overcome when the person involved decides to seek help; that's courage, not weakness. It means you decide to live instead of dying. At the end of the day, addiction is both a choice and a disease. Acknowledging you need help is where healing comes in.
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