Addictions

I was thinking about the word addition today.  It seems to be easy to see addictions as relating mostly to a drug addiction.  Yet there are many other sorts of addiction.  Gambling for example.  Or food.  Or even social media.
I really like the Merriam-Webster definition of addiction.  “A compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behaviour, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms upon withdrawal or abstinence  2 a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly.”
In my mind, addictions seem to have one thing in common.  A compulsion.  A desire to fill a perceived need.  A putting aside of all else until the addiction is satisfied.
I was watching a show where the person talked about their gambling addiction.  They said they would be driving past a place they knew they could gamble and find they had turned to the place.
I think those who have never known addiction would find such a thing hard to understand.  In many cases it seems the need is seen to be only for self-control.  Self-control is necessary but it has been forfeited long ago.  Instead of controlling something the thing controls the person.
For me it has been a matter of surrendering control.  Not an easy thing.  A lifelong battle.  In the first instance it is knowing the habit or substance is destructive and wanting to see it as a thing of the past.  It is good to know winning is everyone’s inheritance and not just the domain of the strong willed.
Some win and walk away.  For the majority though, that seems a dream.  I really feel for people that battle with an addiction.  In so many cases there is a real desire to see something gone but a sense of continual inadequacy when trying and failing.
It does not help to beat oneself up to the point of giving it all away.  A real desire for change matters though big time.  And replacement.  I honestly think being honest with oneself is vital.  Addiction is hard to admit.  Addiction implies inability.
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I see as vital many little wins.  Sometimes a big win is too much to ask.  Rather than the experience of failure causing a walk away, I am better off to fight the war in parts.
To me a win is a win.  It does not matter if it is achieved in many parts or all at once.  The important thing to me is wanting to win.  I know what I am capable of, and it is ok if disappointments are mingled with victories.
It is the direction I head that counts.  I would rather have lots of wins in other areas while fighting a hard battle, than give up on everything because one battle is hard.  It definitely helps to get help from someone who can help.