The Psycho-Emotional Roots of Addiction
Human body is imagined through different mental models and so are the diseases it experiences. In allopathic school of thought, a human body is imagined as a well oiled machine with various systems and processes coming together to form a whole. Anything that malfunctions within one system or a part of it affects other systems and in return the whole body due to the interconnectedness of these systems. The boundaries of these systems are well defined even though overlapping in their functioning. Ayurveda as a school of medicine sees human as a part of the universe where the mind, body and spirit live in harmony. This surpasses the rigid boundaries of systems which allopathy keeps the body in.
Introduction of a foreign element in the body can temporarily or permanently change the working of these systems and produce a new system dynamic within the body. Alcohol as a foreign element, when introduced in the body in toxic amounts, affects almost all the systems within impairing their functioning. Misuse of alcohol overtime can impair the body functions permanently leading to irreversible conditions, deteriorating the systems.
The affect of alcohol on the human body isn’t just physiological but also psychological. The emotional state of the body is often neglected or paid heed to while addressing the physical ailments. Our mental state is manifested in our body through various ways. The personality, childhood experiences that form it, behavioural patterns, attitudes and emotions also take part in the development of a physical ailment. These connections between what is going on in ones mind and what is happening in their body, form the psycho-emotional roots of health and disease. Different mental states can have a positive or negative affect on physiological and biological functioning. Because the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems share a common chemical language, which allows constant communication between the mind and the body through hormones and neurotransmitters. This has an affect on other systems and in turn, the overall physiological and mental health of the being.
Taking in a foreign element like alcohol disrupts and changes the functioning of the system temporarily but this temporal change becomes an escape and gives birth of addiction. Due to the mind-body connection, the way one thinks and feel and the deep-seated belief patterns one holds can all contribute to the development of addiction. Strong emotions such as anger, fear, and loneliness tend to hasten impairment. The psychological and social effects of alcohol are magnified by these factors. Ingestion of alcohol reduces tension, presumably by directly affecting the central nervous system, and therefore that humans (and animals) consume alcohol to experience this effect. If we see this psychoanalytically, addiction provides temporary relief to the haywire emotions, in a way regulating them. The first such regulator in one’s life is their caretaker, often times the mother who attends all the needs, anxieties and desires of the baby. The mothers and the baby are an interdependent system. When this system doesn’t functions properly, with one part being neglectful or erratic, the child experiences it as chaotic and punishing. The child feels that all parts of their being, their desires and needs are to be not spelled out, kept hidden, they are not worth the time of others. This becomes trauma and is triggered later in life as it makes an imprint on the nervous system that is immune to change. A traumatised child develops dysfunctional behaviors and beliefs to survive, to not be dependent on others for their human needs. The soother ,thus, is found in drugs or alcohol, even consciously. Alcohol intoxication becomes a way to regulate one’s emotional being. The physiological changes here take the back seat as the emotional changes are what is sought, satisfying oneself.
