Addiction and Recovery

Addiction was once defined as a term that described attachment, dedication, devotion, or inclination.  Today it refers to any compulsion (on a recurring basis) of an individual to partake in an activity or practice, regardless of the harmful consequences relative to mental and physical health as well as social life.  Normally, the terminology is applied where alcohol and controlled substances are concerned.  But addictions come in all shapes and sizes --- e.g. gambling, overeating, pornography, etc.

There are four factors known to contribute to addictions:

1. biological
2. genetic
3. pharmacological
4. social

The word recovery is defined in many and varied, but the two main definitions are a restoring of one’s health from injury or sickness, and the restoring or return to a former and/or better state or condition.  When discussing any types of addictions, these would be the two definitions of recovery that best apply, especially where alcohol and drug addictions are considered.

Recovery is sometimes associated with the rehabilitation process wherein the individual is institutionalized in a variety of settings to aid in the recovery process.  Depending on the severity of the addiction, the recovery process can be conducted on either an out-patient basis, or under full, institutionalized surroundings.