Expansion on a Though

Before going to bed last night, I felt compelled to leave the waking work with a tweet

Okay, one last thought/question. Does #addiction challenge a negative or chase a positive?

At this juncture I just want to clarify what I mean (and use more than 140 characters to do so.) A crux of addiction, and it’s treatment as a psychical issue, is the question of whether the addiction fills a void for the addict or whether it offers a state of advanced pleasure (or orgasm) that can be achieved only through abuse of a certain substance or activity.

On the outside there are similarities in both positions – the addict seeks to use their addiction to obtain something – something to fill the void or something to give them pleasure. However, their differences are far more worrying.

For the addict who abuses to fill a void there is only despair or ‘normality’ (an imperfect term but something most aim toward.) That which is abused offers only to stabilise that which is already broken. As such, treatment of such an addict must surely centre on what is causing the void in the first place.

Conversely, if the addiction is the method by which the addict achieves excitation/nirvana/orgasm then it must be treated in a manner that recognises this. In such cases might we not instead try to understand why the specific addiction was chosen (perhaps not consciously) and focus treatment around this?

I hope that in some way helps decipher the ideas running through my head when I posted that tweet.

Taking Charge

When does doing something for yourself stop being walking away and start becoming doing what's right for yourself? Today, or more specifically over the past week, I made the decision to cut my ties to the local football team. Since the end of last year, I've found myself getting an increased workload within both the player rep. and webmaster positions, even though I only took up the former for an interim, that was to last only as far as the club AGM (which seems to be getting pushed back and back.) It was always my intention to give up the position at that point, but I've been stuck with an extra workload that I neither need, nor want.

On top of that, I've had the past week off work and I hoped to spend the time relaxing so I informed the club that I'b be taking the week off from football related things as well - those who read my last posting will know ho I've been looking forward to the week off. Instead, I received numerous texts and emails over the week with a "get this done now" vibe that I didn't appreciate in the slightest.

The result? I've cut down on the things I need to get done, which should improve my mental health. ;-) Also, got accepted into the MA course I wanted to do. Things are coming up roses.