Addiction

Addiction is a topic I spend a lot of time studying. I think it has a genuine connection to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, genotype, phenotype, and culture. Further, I think it plays a critical role in sustainability. In many ways, addiction is the antithesis of a balanced approach to people, planet, and profit. 

For me, part of it’s personal. I’m the son of an alcoholic. Like a lot of large Catholic families, my dad wasn’t the only one in his family. Addiction, and its close cousin, depression, will be present in my life and your life. 

Addicts as Extremophiles.

One of the concepts I was taught in biology is that extremophiles (organisms that exist or even thrive on the fringes of what we understand to be survivable) can teach us a lot about ourselves. From the scientific perspective, extremophiles might use certain physiological, biochemical, behavioral, or other mechanisms to survive in extreme environments. Evolutionarily, we have common origins, so these mechanisms are often expressed in mesophiles/neutrophiles (organisms that exist in more average or “normal” conditions). 

To oversimplify this, think of every organism as a symphony. Mesophiles (like you and me) use the full suite of instruments. Extremophiles lean heavily on one instrument. It can be challenging to understand what a tuba does in a mesophile because it is surrounded by so much noise. An extremophile can help us understand what a tuba sounds like, how it works, its strengths and weaknesses.

Addiction is similar. It is a disease we all carry, and some of us are more likely than others to have to contend with it. To be clear, I am not talking about moral weakness (a damaging approach to addiction). I am talking about a part of our biology coupled with culture. What do addicts have to teach us? 

There are a lot of sayings about love. Virgil beat most authors to the punch with “Love conquers all. Love overcomes all obstacles.” To anyone who has lost someone to addiction, addiction wins most of the battles, if not the war. I know my dad loved me, and he gave his life to alcohol. This is a powerful insight into our psychology, physiology, biochemistry, habits, and sociology. Think of all the supposedly of the non-negotiable human drives (food, shelter, sleep, community, progeny, love, etc.) that are exchanged for an addiction. Addiction is a potent force.

I have been particularly interested in the opioid epidemic. I think this chart from the National Institute of Health (NIH) sums it up:

There are clearly other negative trends for methamphetamine and cocaine. Why is one of the most prosperous populations in one of the most prosperous countries in humanity’s history killing itself? It feels too obvious, but is a nation killing itself with painkillers experiencing immense pain? I think so.

Steering around specifically treating addiction (where there are some incredible breakthroughs and an unfortunate amount of fraud). I see a critical role for sustainability professionals to create whole, healthy, and even happy communities.