Is it true you never get over addiction?

[RichnNL]

I am referring to typically how western society defines as addiction with substance like alcohol, heroin, or gambling etc. 

I often hear from ex addicts that every day is a struggle and you never really get over it, but to me there seems to be a type of personality where that stereotype revolves around. Has anyone here been an addict before and is at the point where its seemly not a struggle or that you can drink a beer or whatever a thing back oh yeah i used to struggle with this and now its simply not an issue?

[Rilles]

According to Gabor Mate hardcore addicts have a deficiency in their neurotransmitters from sometimes severe adverse childhood experience, for example as a normal person your dopamine is at 100 but a heroin addict might be naturally at 90 so when he does heroin for the first he goes up to 110 and for the first time he feels "normal" and thats why its harder for some people to quit drugs while others its not. If youre "naturally" depressed you will need to self-medicate yourself everyday, some do it with alcohol and weed and some with heroine and cocaine. Some dont need it at all.

Now imagine how hard it is to quit addiction if you are constantly walking around feeling not normal with a black empty hole in your soul. Of course they are gonna want to medicate themselves.

Btw, that number 100 is not dopamine units, its just a number I made up as an example. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Rilles

[Someone here]

Obviously and evidently you can overcome any addiction with enough discipline and willpower. But needless to say it's difficult and hardly possible to quit drugs and substances like what you mentioned. So possible to get over but extremely difficult. Which is why you get addicted to them in the first place. Better to not get addicted to anything to begin with. A self actualized person is definitely addiction free. Stoics are wise people. Don't get used to live in comfort. That's hedonism. and it is a trap.

[Epikur]

I guess it is like never getting an orgasm again. For most it would be extremely hard. Mostly if it destroys your life people put in the effort to fight the addiction.

[Inliytened1]

@RichnNL  what I have found on overcoming addictions is its all about changing your overall mindset around it.  Let's take alcohol for example...is it's not really whether one can just have a beer and stop every now and then - it's that you no longer have any desire for it so having a beer every now and then has no meaning...see the thing is many who have a problem with alcohol are seeking something from it and drink to get drunk - to hit a certain high.  They will drink until they are at this high and then drink to maintain it..not realizing that maintaining is futile.   And we all know how damaging alcohol can be on the mind and body...so In order to break this cycle they have to ideally change their entire mindset around alcohol...to the point where they no longer have any desire for it.   You see if you try to use willpower without changing your mindset, it's really like swimming against the tide.   Changing your mindset can happen on its own too if you have experienced so much suffering around that addiction that it changes your mindset to where you can no longer see any benefits whatsoever.  The negatives so outweigh whatever positive you thought were there in the first place.

[Meditationdude]

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

A self actualized person is definitely addiction free. 

@Someone here Do you have direct experience of this? Because it’s completely false. SA will not cure your addictions or prevent you from having any. Not only did Leo mention this I’ve also experienced it directly for myself. You can have addictions and be fully aware of them. 
 

Any addicts out there reading this please don’t give up on this work because you think it’s not possible to self actualize. In addition if you’re an addict please don’t think this work will cure you of addictions!

[Bodhitree]

Challenge yourself to do six months without sugar and find out. 

[Someone here]

@Meditationdude what is a self actualized person in your opinion? A drug head?

Edited April 11, 2021 by Someone here