"My Strange Addiction" good to have?

I was watching the show “My Strange Addiction” for the first time this week and was amazed at what the subject’s addictions were.  One woman ate and ingested thousands of feet of tape throughout the course of a year and another woman drank nail polish.  One man had a creepy love affair with his car that goes far beyond any rational thinking or understanding.

Addiction is historically defined as a psychological or physical dependence on psychoactive substances which alter the chemicals in the brain.   The term addiction is also sometimes applied to compulsions that are not substance-related, such as compulsive shopping, sex addiction/compulsive sex, overeating, problem gambling, exercise and computer/internet surfing.    Personally, I think that sex addiction is over diagnosed within men and some of that may have to do with the predominately “gender neutral” therapy being practiced.     

Have you ever had an addiction?  What if you had a good addiction?  Is there such a thing?  Why is society so fascinated by shows like “My Strange Addiction” and “Hoarders?”  Maybe it makes us feel “normal” in comparison. 

When I worked in Real Estate Development in the Washington D.C. area I experienced a hoarder first hand.  I walked into a penthouse condo that had only been purchased two or three months before.  My eyes could hardly believe the mess that lay before me.  This woman called me in to look at a stain on her marble bathroom floor.  I could barely get to the bathroom through the garbage and cat waste.  Boxes and things piled up six feet high, beautiful kitchen granite counters could not be seen under piles of dirty glasses and dishes.  When I finally arrived in the bathroom I thought I needed the tetanus vaccine.

This poor woman was concerned about a few stains on her marble floor amidst total chaos and filth.  If ever I saw someone with a lack of Observing Ego this was it! 

Being addicted to something that’s good can be a bad thing, like working out for example.  Runners get a high from endorphins that are released from the brain.  Those who are addicted to running will battle through injury causing further damage just to feel “high”.      

A lot of addiction has to do with personal boundaries and the lack of controlling anxiety.  Anxiety is controlled using confidence as shown in the anger anxiety map. See: Mind OS.  What if we used an addiction for good – as in our quest for knowledge to have better relationships?   Think about the moment after you get DUMPED and how you think, feel and act.  People can become obsessed with getting back in shape and trying to “figure things out”.

I am not being at all cavalier about addiction but I know it was addiction that brought me to Men’s Psychology in sort.  Using pain and loss to guide ones addiction can be a powerful force if:  We use Observing Ego along the way, get the nurturing we need through or even by the process, alleviate and overcome anxiety using our courage and confidence while wrapping personal boundaries around it all.

No one decides to be addicted, obsessed or in love for that matter, you’re just there.  When you are there how about aiming your addiction like a guided missile.  But instead of ailerons you use your Observing Ego to guide yourself to the target.   When I was in special operations I never took my eye off the prize.  I was addicted to what I wanted and it had to be that way.  Battling through injury and living a masochist dream, I knew rational thought would not see me through to the end.  It was a strange addiction to an idea that was born inside me.

Go live the dream.