Addiction in Buddhism

Addiction in Buddhism is directly related to the concept of Dukkha& nbsp;苦 [く] ku or suffering (read more about Dukkha in the three marks of existence). 

Attachment to things, concepts, experiences, sensations and states of beings are all attachments and are counterproductive in your quest for the end of suffering.

To put it simply, in Japanese Buddhism, as humans, we are always categorizing our various experiences as one of two things: desire (craving) or hatred (repulsion).  It would be similar to the concepts of pleasure and pain in modern psychology and in the NPL theory.

If we understand this, we can explain why an addict will crave his fix (craving) when he has problems at work or at home (repulsion).  The pain of dealing with the problem seems bigger than the pain of hurting oneself with substances that will alter your mind and hurt you and your loved ones.
As long as the addict will see it this way, it will be difficult to control the addiction.

What is an addiction?

An addiction is, according to www.dictionary.com:

1.  A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses. 

 

1. A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.

So any activity or substance that becomes compulsive (where you need to do it and cannot control the craving) is considered an addiction.
Note: adrenalin is a very common natural drug created by the body.  Strong sensations will trigger the production of adrenalin, potentially making it addictive..

Buddhism’s view on addiction.

First off, in Buddhism there is no Good and Evil.  There is only productive and counterproductive behaviors toward your goal of ending suffering for yourself and other sentient beings.
This being said, the Buddha gave us the Noble eightfold path as a guide to attain our main goal, the end of suffering or in this case, addiction. In it he mentions some precepts that demonstrate that any mind-altering substances should be avoided as they are working against our efforts to attain Nirvana.  

One of them is the Right Mindfulness. This is being aware at all time of what our body and mind is feeling, needing, doing.  

When we are taking drugs, alcohol or even watch TV, we numb our mind and even our body which stops the painful feelings.  In this scenario, Right Mindfulness is not observed.

Right Action

We should act in a way as to not hurt ourselves or others. It includes, not taking lives, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconducts and by extension, not taking substances that destroy our heath.  Tobaccos, drugs and foods in excess all endanger our health even if it is a very slow process.  Dangerous activities that endanger our safety or the safety of others like drunk driving, arson, fighting and street racing are all dangerous behaviors.

I am talking about addictions here but you have to understand that there are many types of addiction and not all of them are recognized.  We all consider addictions like alcoholism, heroin, illegal and legal drugs, gambling to be highly destructive.

What about TV, the internet, video games, sex, work, shopping, chocolate and other foods, love, co-dependency, junk collecting or even exercising?  All these activities when done passed a certain level are also addictions.

Addictions are simply desires and cravings (that we all experience as part of being human) on steroids.  They are big, strong and out of control.  

The addiction overshadows the sense of self and the sense of pleasure is twisted to the point that it can only come through the addictive behavior.  Thus addicts lose control of their lives and surrender to Dukkha, craving and suffering.

When questioned, addicts often deny any problems or, when aware of it will often blame it on external factors, on what other people have done to them or what life has given them (or failed to).  In this case, it is important to explain the concept of karma to them.

Thankfully addictions can be helped.  It is never easy and instantaneous, but neither is life.  There are many ways to control addictions and many rehab systems use Buddhism and meditation as tools to get a grip back on our lives and fight the addiction.

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