Hooked

When we think addict, we think drugs, alcohol, even sex. When I think addict, I think each and every one of us. We're all addicted to something, because the reality of life is, addictions are so easy to form.

It begins with a habit - That Dunkin Donuts trip you make every morning for an iced coffee, that run you go on after class every day, even that television show you drop everything to watch at the same time every week. Pretty soon, those habits mold themselves into addictions, of sorts. They may not be the most common example of an addiction, but when one is addicted to something, the brain generally does the same thing.

You see, an addiction is simply a response, when we repeatedly do something in which the outcome is registered in our brain as rewarding. For example, the fact that without your iced coffee you feel sluggish, tired, cranky, or even a bit off, means that your brain as grown to associate that iced coffee, more particularly the time that you get it (if it is consistent every day), with feeling awake, alert, and happy. Anything we use to boost our mood can become an addiction, if we let it.

It's not to say this is a bad thing, I'm just simply educating those of you who are curious as to why caffeine and sugar can be considered addictions, as most people make the false assumption that an addiction has to be 'bad.'

The sad truth is, even people can be addicting, or rather, the feeling that they give us. If you've ever been in love - head over heels, do anything for this person, can't sleep at night when things aren't right between you kind of love - you know exactly what I'm talking about. This person is the fuel you use to drag yourself out of bed in morning; they are the driving force that makes you want to be a better you. Just knowing you get to see them later is all that you need to keep a smile on  your face. One argument and it seems as if your world is crumbling around you. Suddenly, all you want to do is crawl into bed and sleep because the reality of them being upset with you is more than you can bear.

I like to think of love as a unique kind of drug, one that has the ability to give us a thrilling, endless high, like we're weightless, floating above the rest of the world in a place where everything fits, operates perfectly, moves together like clockwork, smooth and peaceful, almost melodic. Then, in a matter of seconds, it's as if gravity has been turned back on without warning, sending us crashing back to Earth, bruised, and broken, any hope for happiness seemingly millions of miles away. Yet, we lust for it after it's gone even though it hurts. Even though every fiber of our being is telling us we're better off without it, our heart rules over all and we find ourselves seeking a replacement - We just want that feeling back. Much like a withdrawal, we're sick, bedridden, too tired and sad to do much of anything. We barely recognize ourselves anymore. If only they would come back.

That's beauty of life though, the pain never lasts. In time, our motivation will return to us and we will begin to go about our lives without feeling as if by force. Days will go by without shedding a single tear and soon enough, we'll start to notice they don't cross our minds nearly as much as they used to. We'll start to smile and laugh again, and we may even catch ourselves glancing at a fresh face, wondering if maybe, love could feel the same with them.

Addictions are so easy to form.