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Addiction, Part One

All those who spend their time working with people-problems sooner or later recognize that the whole human problem of misery is the problem of addiction.
Everyone is, of course, aware of addiction in cases of drug addiction, alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction. As serious as these addictions are, they are merely the top of the iceberg, so to speak. Most addictions aren't recognized by the person addicted, their friends nor family, nor society as a whole, nor by the people-serving professions.
First let their be consideration of what addiction is, how it may be recognized. Addiction is the human condition when something is craved and a justification is found to justify the craving. The person will go to great lengths to gratify it, and it must be repeated constantly. The person so addicted never seems to recognize that they are addicted; it's just something that is enjoyed, just human nature, etc., etc.
Addiction can be recognized by the objective observer by simply seeing that there is a constant pattern to the person's activity. It can easily be seen that the person is continually buying the gratification for their addiction with all their reserves, their health, peace of mind, and in the end with their life.
Now for some addictions not usually recognized as addictions but which fit all the criteria of addiction. Please note that all of these have the same signs of addiction as alcohol and drugs.

ATTENTION Just look about to see how many spend all their resources, their energy, their time; then neglect their family, their business and their health in their attempt to gratify the addiction to attention.
PLAYING THE BIG SHOT Same as above.
BEING A VICTIM Just look; no matter what's going on the person proves self to be a victim, repeating life situations wherein they are beaten, abused, mistreated, frustrated. When one has certain emotions, corresponding hormones are produced in the body, and one becomes addicted to the presence of the hormones and produces circumstances to produce these hormones--plainly addicted.
COMPLAINING Same as above. The person finds all sorts of things to complain about while saying,"I'm not complaining, BUT..."
FAULT FINDING Same as being a victim.
EATING DISORDERS Same as Attention. Addiction to dieting, fasting, eating. ("I'm a victim of food")
SELF-CONDEMNATION A variation of the Attention and Victim syndromes.
INFERIORITY FEELING Same as self-condemnation; a variation of Justification.
DISCRIMINATION SYNDROME A common variation of the Victim addiction. "I'm discriminated against because of sex, race, religion, occupation," etc. etc. Very common.
DISTRACTION Must have constant distraction, noise, music, sex as entertainment, taste for some substance. The start of most chemical addiction.
WORK Attention, Victim, and Complaining. "It all depends on me."
EXERCISE Combination of getting attention and addiction to the chemical changes in the body produced by intense activity.
BEING SICK Combination of Attention and Victim.
This could go on with enough material for a textbook but this is enough for the present.
Now what can be done about it?
Before the person addicted can do anything about the misery-producing situation, there must be recognition that one is addicted. This is the first step. Without recognition, nothing can be done. Once it is recognized by the person addicted, real work can be done very quickly. But without that recognition, nothing can be done. X