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The spaced-out junkie with
needle marks up and down both
arms and legs, the wino on skid
row, the foodoholic who can 't
get through the day without his
coffee and candy bars-a/1 these
negative images are conjured
up at the mention of the word
"addict. " But there are habits–
and, yes, addictions-that we
might al/ do we/1 to cultivate.
A
Thoreau put it, most people
live "lives of quiet desper–
a tion" punctuated by occa–
sional periods of happiness, ecstasy,
delight and joy. l t's only rarely that
you come across someone who is
really "high on life"- who deeply
enjoys and savors every experience,
who seems to perpetually live in the
present moment.
Instead, most of us slog through
our daily existence trying to avoid
as much pain as possible, rarely ris–
ing above the routine. And for sorne
of us, the pain- physical or emo–
tional - is overwhelming. When it
becomes extremely difficult to cope,
there is a real temptation to take
any easy way out. And when fast
and pleasant relief is available in
the form of a needle or a pill or a
quick drink, such relief can quickly
become a desperate need.
But pain of aJI kinds is a fact of
life for many of us- yet not every–
body ends up an add ict or on skid
ON
BECOMING
AN
ADDICT
by
Carole Ritter
23