Start, Stop, Repeat — Again & Again
The Heartbreaking Cycle of Addiction
Addiction is like being trapped in a cage with a hamster wheel. The wheel looks pretty fun, so you hop on. And it is fun — for a little while.
Eventually, you remember there are other people and things in your life that need attention. You hop off the wheel. It’s easy the first time.
You go on with life as usual, but you start to miss that tickle in your heart that builds up when the wheel gets going faster and faster. You want a little excitement. You want to run free with your hair blowing in the wind. You think about it, knowing you probably shouldn’t, but the wheel is right there. You kept it just in case, and now is “just in case”.
So you hop back on the wheel for a short ride this time.
The cycle goes on and on, or rather on and off. It continues on repeat for weeks and months, until you decide to just stay on the wheel all the time. It seems to feel better in your mind.
Your little hamster friends and family don’t understand why you can’t give the wheel up. You look like crap. You obviously feel like crap. They don’t realize that crappy feeling only encourages you to want more time on the wheel. Because the wheel makes you THINK you feel better.
