One of the reasons I've been drawn to the field of addiction is because, as stated by Dr. Gabor Maté, we all have one (or several) addictions. The chemical process that causes someone to exercise too much, collect classical music without reprieve, or "need" to hike every Colorado 14er (14,000 foot mountain, of which there are 54) isn't much different than the wiring that causes one to become addicted to alcohol or heroin. Rather, the hiker, music lover and exerciser have just picked "addictions" that are more socially accepted by society. The brain physiology is the exactly the same. The craving, is the same.
I tell you this because very recently, it was mentioned to me, after a somewhat heated debate, by a rather educated and appropriate figure, that I - yes me- have an addiction... to romanticism. That I tend to seek out the beauty in everything, and ponder to perpetuity. If I didn't do so, it was therapized, then life would be too drab for me to go on, and on....
I believe this. Yet, don't know what to do with it. I will definitely seek out the exquisite romantics of the statement and surely write a poem about it. At the very least. After telling a few friends of mine this one stated that, "We are all born romantics. But, society is the cure for romanticism." He went on to say that he also finds romance or beauty in everything. Since everything that matters to him is romantic, everything, to him, matters. I like that.
If an "addiction" is a normal adaptation or response to an "abnormal" situation, then we all have one. Or many. Each of us.
Can you identify yours? And, perhaps, more importantly, do you know where your addiction will take you today?
