Addiction Traps

Dr. Rajesh Bhola

India

Aug 03, 2012

People indulge in alcohol and drug use, and seek pleasure in late night parties, basically to seek a change in ‘sensation’. We look for a more compelling sensation, that will pull our attention away from what ails us. We want to be distracted. Thus, a very common habit for many people, when trouble or anxiety arises, is to eat excessively, drink recklessly or take to drugs. There is a long list of eminent persons who have lost their lives due to drug overdose. The list includes the noted American wrestler Brian Adams, the well known singer and actress Whitney Houston, the most agile martial artist Bruce Lee, and the melodious Michael Jackson. Very recently, Sage Stallone, known for his role in Rocky V, and son of Sylvester Stallone, lost his life due to drug overdose. And it is just not restricted to times of ‘failure’; even during moments of jubilation we are prone to do something rash, which can bring more trouble to ourselves, and to those around us. 

I recently visited Leprosy Mission Hospital in New Delhi, with a group of young medical students, who were doing a study on the “Impact of Leprosy on the Minds of Leprosy Patients and the Careers of M.leprae (the bacteria causing leprosy)”. During interaction with the lepers, we were made aware of some facts that were real eye openers. Lepers sometimes experience terrible itching; and there is nothing they can do to prevent it. The craving to be free from it is so powerful, that sometimes you may see a leper put his arm into a fire – because, for a short time, the sensation of having their flesh burnt away is actually less ‘painful’ than the itching. In order to  –escape from one suffering, the leper inflicts something far more terrible upon himself, something which will cause him further suffering for many years to come.

The image of the leper putting his arm into the fire applies to our lives also. We may not be lepers, but we are all afflicted in some way. In dealing with obstacles and provocations, we finally take resort to some craving, some itch. This itch may take us to a bottle of alcohol or drugs; and in the grip of this craving we may act in ways that may seriously burn us. We try to cut off the troubles – which is not possible. We cannot avoid the typhoons and tsunamis in our lives. While we cannot help responding, we do not have to let this response play havoc with our lives. An unrealistic attempt to extinguish obstacles, just like the leper trying to extinguish the itch by burning his arm, does great damage.  

We think that the pleasure of eating, drinking and drug abuse will make us feel better; and, temporarily, like for the leper, it does. But it is no solution; and it not only has harmful side effects, but can be fatal. It is when we are in flight from troubles that we do ourselves the most serious psychological–and sometimes physical–injury. 

In life, we never know what is round the corner. We should try to be unmoved by what we meet on our journey. Importantly, the obstacles and failures cannot be substituted with any kind of indulgence. Whatever we encounter, we must meet it with the fullness of spirit.

Dr. Rajesh Bhola is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause of children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities for more than 20 years.