HEALTH HINTS

from GOOD SHEPHERD’S  “HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE”

Addiction: Part I   A Deviation from Holistic Health

“And above all, have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.  (I Peter 4:8)

            In this series of articles, we are presenting some general information about addiction, a common health issue in our society.  The focus for this presentation is on the general nature of being addicted. 

            Definitions.  Addiction is defined as giving yourself up to some strong habit which is detrimental to your health, relationships, and occupation.  We commonly think of addiction to narcotics and drugs, but it is much more than that.  The literature shows that people have addiction not only to drugs, but also alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, shopping, video games, gambling, food (especially chocolate, sweets, hot chili pepper and coffee), sex, pornography, and even the Internet.

            Holistic Health means to be at peace, to have harmony in and between body, mind, and spirit. To be “whole” implies completeness, undivided, uncut, unbroken, and perfect, all in one piece.  To be healthy implies fitness, vigor, strength, and hardiness. 

            However, you can appear to be physically “healthy” yet not be “whole.”  Holistic discord is diagnosed by responses of anger, resentfulness, guilt, hopelessness, despair, depression, and a bland facial affect.  Holistic discord is related to being spiritually disconnected with your Creator, with your significant relationships, with the goals and purposes for your life, and even with your awareness of your own bodily cries of distress. 

            Holistic discord is evidenced by negative responses to life which includes a noncompliance to values, just “sticking it out,” crying, whining and complaining, grieving over losses, and/or just no response at all . . . withdrawal into oneself.  There is no peace.  There is only discord.   It is proposed that addiction is a deviation from holistic health, a problem of mind, body and spirit.

            Incidence.  How widespread is addiction?   According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 25 percent of U. S. adults report drinking patterns that place them at risk for developing alcohol problems or currently have such problems, including the more than 7 percent of adults who meet the medical diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence and abuse.^[1]

“Addictive disorders represent a major health issue both in the United States and worldwide. Because alcohol and drug dependence are likely to co-occur, exploring how alcohol addiction may relate to and interact with other addictions is important.”[2]

 About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.[3] Alcoholism, obesity, and cigarette addictions commonly occur together and compound the health threat of increased incidence of cardiovascular mortalities.^[4]   Historically, some have suggested there is an addictive “personality,” indicating the individual somehow cannot help but become addictive by nature.  Rozin & Stoess (1993) found little evidence to support this idea.  Rather, the data showed three components, craving, lack of control and withdrawal to be highly correlated with addictive behaviors.^[5]