Society says addiction is a disease. Worse even, addiction is hell. A prison. It will distract you from what's important. By making you selfish, it will destroy your family and your friends. Tarnish your reputation and your future. That is, unless you use another word - dedication - then, for some reason, people think they're talking about something entirely different. Are they though? And, if so, what's the difference?
Let's be pedantic about it. By definition, the difference between someone who is dedicated and someone who is addicted is whether their habit is based on devotion or dependence. Again, the dictionary defines devoted as "love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or activity" and dependence as "the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else". And here is where it all becomes a bit silly - because reliant is defined as "dependent on someone or something". So, dependence is reliance on something and reliance is dependence on something...and that's the kind of circular reasoning which can sometimes make dictionary definitions arbitrary. Let's rather throw the dictionary out the window.
I think, in reality, there is no difference between addiction and dedication. I think they're the same thing in that they manifest themselves as experiences that people choose to revisit - again, and again, and again. An entrepreneur is just as dedicated, or addicted, to making profits as a smoker is to smoking a cigarette. A heroin addict is just as addicted, or dedicated, to getting high as a world-class athlete is to perfecting his craft. It seems like an extreme example. But consider - for a moment - the parallels between them, without the preconceptions about what should be demonized and what should be idealized.
An athlete sacrifices time, effort and energy to train, travel, compete and fulfill responsibilities to their sponsors. They often leave their families for great lengths of time. They allow themselves to be judged critically through the public eye. They put their bodies - and sometimes even, their lives - at risk by attempting to push beyond biological constraints. An addict makes similar sacrifices. They forego comfort and convenience, they compromise on relationships, and they consistently push their bodies further than they were intended to go. People use a few other justifications for why they place addiction in a darker box...
For instance, the addict loses control over their habit. Or, the motivation for an addict's habit is impure - it's selfish. These are valid points. But, you don't need to look too far to see the opposing point of view. By nature, any habit leads to biological connections that drive it's repitition. Therefore, the line between controlling and being controlled is subjective. In addition, regardless of the habit - most people are just doing what they think will leave them happier in a future moment than in the current moment - and who are any of us to second-guess another individual's own personal thought about what makes them happy?
Funny. Here I am. Stuck on the nature of duality, again. It really has been a recurrent theme this year. In any case, I still think it's especially relevant to addiction. Because, for many people, addiction encapsulates their harshest judgements; or, their most intense fears. Therefore, if they can see the light on the other side of addiction, they'll be ready to see the light on the other side of most things.
I prompt you, if you're an addict, look at yourself again - maybe you aren't. And, if you're not an addict, look at yourself again - maybe you are.
And, for now, that's what I'll leave you with. Thanks for listening. Bye now, friend.
"My addiction was the best thing that ever happened to me."
- Tracey Ford