Addiction

Addiction is a compulsive, harmful activity. Addiction typically starts out as a seemingly innocent pleasure, often seduced/initiated into by liberals, only to consume, harm, and even destroy its victim. Displacement of harmful conduct with good alternatives helps conquer addiction. Conservative/Christian values are an excellent way to combat addiction.^[1] because most addictions have mental and emotional components. Beware that repetitious addiction, such gambling, football watching, or substance abuse can change brain functions.^[2] The Bible is the leading and easiest way to overcome every addiction - studying the Bible is a terrific alternative to any addictive conduct.

Virtually everyone faces challenges from some type of addiction. Conservative principles and activities are highly effective in overcoming addiction.^[3] Atheism, libertarianism, and Leftism, are unlikely to help conquer addiction. Romans 1:29 ("Being filled with all adikia,"^[4] translated "unrighteousness") warns against destructive addictions. Christianity and the Bible help set positive goals. See also 1Corinthians 10:13 ("No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.").

The root of nearly all addiction is deceit. Therefore, recognizing the deceit—and even mocking it—can help overcome it. Good habits and healthy activities (e.g., religious services, mental and physical exercise, community or political activism) can be helpful in driving out harmful ones.

Addiction	Comment	Conservative help
overeating and poor diet	shortens lifespan and causes many diseases, such as diabetes and even Alzheimer's	notice the shorter lifespan of obese historical figures, practice portion control, frugality, self-control, and the "don't work, don't eat" mantra of the work ethic all help. Fasting on Fridays in honor of Good Friday is way to start. Eat less during Lent in honor of Christ, and avoid consuming fatty foods produced by liberal companies like Ben and Jerry's or associated with liberal countries like Canadian Bacon. "Many studies show that drinking more water [but not in excess] may benefit weight loss and maintenance."[5] "And don’t stuff yourself; bridle your appetite." Proverbs 23:2-3 (MSG)
media	wastes many hours weekly, or even daily; causes stress; distorts and misleads	recognize the facade of it; notice how it is declining, and how few people (particularly in younger demographics) actually read newspapers or follow the media; the average age of Fox News Channel is 68 years old, and much older for its evening talk shows.[6]
Television, including watching many NFL games.	causes dementia, according to at least one study; also wastes many hours each week in lost time, interferes with marriages, fosters emotional gambling, and can lead to obesity and time away from God	unplug the NFL; mock how delusional some are in pretending that there is meaning in the outcome of senseless head-bashing NFL games; that many of its "fans" are actually gambling addicts who could be betting on any outcome of anything; recognize that the NFL is less honest and less merit-based than even professional wrestling; the NFL fleeces taxpayer of billions in subsidies; the NFL has become a Leftist tool to bully States against passing conservative legislation; and the NFL even discriminates against the best athletes (such as Herschel Walker) while over-hyping mediocre, unhealthy athletes. Many observe a demonic aspect to professional football, particularly the much-promoted Super Bowl. See also Beating NFL addiction.
depression	reduces quality of life, severely afflicts at least 10% of the population and a much higher percentage at least marginally; depression increases four-fold the risk of a heart attack	recognize from the miraculous catch of fish that God's paradise is always very close with a small change in outlook; reject false atheistic theories like evolution by recognizing the many counterexamples to evolution, and break free of despondent habits like gambling; instead recognize the unlimited emotional and logical power of God; using the more precise translations of "paradise" for "Kingdom of God" and "infinite life" for "eternal life" in the Bible can help in outlook
anxiety	wastes time, harms health, and hinders productivity; an estimated 40% of adults and 20% of teenagers suffer from anxiety	recognition of infinite time overcomes most anxiety; as does faith and reason, including powerful concepts like falsifiability, the Miraculous catch of fish that is always available by changing one's perspective, the Coase theorem, pro-life principles, and recognition that God Has a Sense of Humor
video games	causes dropping out from school, violence, and health problems; this addiction is far worse than generally recognized, with the "Global Video Games Market to Reach $293.2 Billion by 2027."[7]	liberals exploit teenagers with video games, turn them away from church and healthy relationships. Antidote is to recognize that by playing you lose no matter what the game tells you. Realize that video games are demonic in apparently inspiring and training many of the young mass murderers.
marijuana and other drugs, also prescription drugs	undisclosed medical harms; deadly car crashes that kill innocent victims; entraps victims into the addiction; causes violent paranoia	conservative concept of slippery slope cautioning against "just trying something"; also, reject peer pressure and self-indulgence. Some who have conquered drug addiction attribute developing a hobby such as chess, where the consequences of one's choices are repeatedly reinforced, as being very helpful.
pornography	inherently fraudulent in concealing the deadly diseases and injuries caused; does to the mind what drugs do to the body, enslaving and destroying the mind; dehumanizing people to the level of dogs; degrades self-esteem; leads to horrific crimes	two approaches vanquish this addiction: (1) recognize pornography as merely a disease-spreading charade on a fake movie set, and (2) pursue instead rival images, such as competitive chess. Pornographic images in the mind can be erased by associating them with nausea and repulsive images. Pornographers are liberals who profit by exploiting weaker people, and by being deceitful in denying the actual pain and suffering they cause. Supporting pornography means endorsing the liberal media, and condoning exploitation by the media. Like drugs, gambling and other addictions, pornography incites a demand for increasingly extreme versions. There are also online communities like NoFap which helps people struggling with pornography addiction.
pharmaceutical addictions	Pharmaceutical addictions to prescription medications such as oxycodone in most cases result from a blind faith in science, medical doctors and technicians, and a rejection of God. Many physicians as a result of incentives provided by Big Pharma have ceased treating illness and focus on "pain management" with pharmaceutical prescription drugs.	Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
gambling	1 in 6 Americans are addicted to some form of gambling, and an estimated 2-4% of adults and 4-6% of teenagers are severely addicted. Higher percentages, such as the 50% of Americans who buy lottery tickets, lose money from gambling.[8] Additional addictions, such as spectator football, are a form of emotional gambling. Gamblers have the highest suicide rate of all addictions.[9]	gambling is inherently demonic, and was part of the Crucifixion as Romans gambled for Jesus's clothing;[10] state-run lotteries are government at its worst: expanding the revenue of government at the expense mostly of the poor; private gambling is often based on taxpayer subsidies or deceiving the public; the powerful concept of infinity helps put gambling into perspective as a meaningless waste of time.
alcohol	destroys the liver and causes tens of thousands of deadly car crashes annually; about 14 million Americans are alcoholics[11]	nearly all beer companies are supporters of the Left; recognize that a mere pint of beer wastes up to 10 gallons of scarce water, and dehydrates the drinker so that he needs more water too. See beer water use.
smoking	very difficult to stop once one starts; shortens lifespan, causes heart disease and numerous other problems	second-hand smoke interferes with others' rights and well-being; also, tobacco companies are supporters of liberal projects
stock market	wastes billions of hours each week, far more than the market is worth; also even professional stock traders advise against trying to "time the market" (i.e. trying to determine when the market has reached a new high or low, and investing or de-investing accordingly) as they admit even they—with all their powerful tools and understanding—cannot do so; recognize that much of the stock market is boosted by wasteful government spending, such as "stimulus" bills	stock market addiction can be conquered by recognizing that amid infinite wealth, which is merely having more money than one needs to survive (which is not much), there is no significance to increasing investment wealth further. In addition, those who invest in the market typically make more money by spending less time following their investments. Also, an implication of the Coase theorem is that the amount of one's assets, in the stock market or otherwise, is irrelevant to his productivity in society.
regret	unproductive waste of time, and can even harm one's physical health	regret is not "falsifiable", which is a powerful concept useful to defeat this addition. Regret is also a tool of the Devil to detract from seeking Christ, and Luke 9:62 helps: And Jesus said to him, “No man who ploughs ahead but then looks back is fit the Kingdom of God.”
guilt	unproductive, but addictive for some people; false confessions to the police are more common than expected	religious confession, pro-life work, penance, charity, reading the Bible, and faith

Other addictions[edit]

Other additions include consumption of caffeine and excessive internet use. Excessive internet use now extends to social media and mobile phones, where people are compulsively checking for notifications.

• There is growing concern that as well as addicting users, technology is contributing toward so-called “continuous partial attention”, severely limiting people’s ability to focus, and possibly lowering IQ. One recent study showed that the mere presence of smartphones damages cognitive capacity – even when the device is turned off. “Everyone is distracted,” Rosenstein says. “All of the time.” [1]

Conservative power over addiction[edit]

Many addictions are promoted through the media, but conservative principles promote a healthy skepticism of the liberal media. The media do not exist to help anyone, but exist to make money for themselves and to promote a harmful liberal agenda. Without the media, gambling in lotteries would almost disappear, for example. In addition, lotteries are run by government and much of the proceeds go to government, which is not something conservatives support. NFL games would require going to the stadiums, paying a fortune in tickets, and freezing in the stands before becoming addicted to them.

Many approaches to addiction are entirely defensive in trying to resist the tendencies. But as in chess, an offensive strategy is as important as a defensive one. Developing positive habits and hobbies can be very effective in overcoming negative ones.

History[edit]

Historically the term addiction was defined in terms of physically measurable symptoms of repeated drug use, such as tolerance (more drugs for the same effect) or withdrawal symptoms (illness caused by stopping use). Habituation referred to drug use that was psychologically habit-forming, but not necessarily physically addicting.

In the past 20 years, doctors have reversed the meaning of these words. Habituation now refers to using a drug that causes physical withdrawal symptoms. Addiction has become a term that refers to compulsive behavior that continues in spite of adverse consequences.

A consequence of these new definitions is that it is impossible to be addicted to a drug like Ritalin or Prozac if it is prescribed. It is not compulsive behavior if used as prescribed, and it is not adverse if a physician says that it is beneficial. It is also impossible to have "crack baby" or a "meth addicted baby."^[12] It also means that a marijuana smoker is not necessarily addicted. If he likes what he is doing and he is able to function, then these experts would say that he is not addicted no matter how much marijuana he consumes.

More recently the definition has been expanded to include almost any type of compulsive and potentially self-destructive activity.

Examples of addictive drugs include: Heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and nicotine.

Examples of addictive behaviors include: work - work addiction, using the internet - internet addiction, excessive interest in sex - sex addiction.

Psychiatric diagnosis[edit]

The American Psychiatric Association lists two related diagnoses: substance dependence and substance abuse. To meet criteria for a diagnosis of substance dependence, at least three of the following symptoms must occur in the same 1-year period:

• (a) tolerance (larger doses of the substance are needed to produce the same effect)
• (b) withdrawal during periods of non-use
• (c) using the substance more frequently or for longer periods than intended
• (d) long-standing desire or unsuccessful attempts to stop or reduce use
• (e) considerable time spent using the substance, making efforts to acquire the substance, and or recovering from its effects
• (f) important activities are reduced or given up due to substance use
• (g) continued use despite related negative physical or psychological effects.

A substance abuse diagnosis is given when one or more of the following symptoms occurs during a 1-year period:

• (a) substance use leads to failure to fulfill important responsibilities
• (b) substance use in situations where it is dangerous
• (c) chronic legal problems stemming from substance use
• (d) using despite related relationship problems^[13]

Loneliness[edit]

Addiction is often associated with loneliness or a lack of connection to others, which was illustrated in two experiments. In the first it was found that a rat placed in a cage with normal water and drugged water (usually cocaine or heroin) would become obsessed with the drugged water. Professor Bruce Alexander, however, tried placing many rats in idyllic conditions with many other rats and, when given a choice of water, these rats would mostly choose the normal water. This showed that addiction in more related to the bonds around use rather than the substance itself. Thus loneliness coping is necessary for addiction recovery, and the path out of unhealthy bonds is to form healthy ones.

We must forget about ourselves and serve others, watch over others as a shepherd watches over sheep. Loneliness is caused in part by thinking only of ourselves.^[14]

Atheism and loneliness[edit]

See: Atheism and loneliness

See also[edit]

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Atheism and drug addiction
• Opioid epidemic

References[edit]