Addiction

Origins of addiction

• Addiction is about the insecure self
  • only considers own immediate desires
  • believes it must behave that way
  • can't rely on nurturing environment
    • no such environment exists
• childhood unmet needs
  • survival mechanism to worry about self

What it's like to be addicted

• constant worry
• soothed only by addiction temporarily
• scarcity: need to grab every bit of nourishment
• vigilant for every opportunity to get more
  • hasn't grown out of narcissistic phase of infancy
  • everything happens because of them, to them, for them

Denial of addiction

• "it's helping me destress, (some other need), bettering my life"
• AA: Step 1

Why can't we be with the pain

anticipatory pain - kids getting a flu shot and crying because they fear they can't handle it

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Last update: 2023-04-24