Vulnerability and Addiction

Vulnerability and Addiction.

First off this is just some ideas and brain stuff I wanted to put down to see if it had any cohesion.

If vulnerability is the necessary birth place of the joy and the authentic whole happy self (Watch this if you don't understand), but is also deeply uncomfortable for a huge amount of people. To reduce this discomfort people numb (all feelings are numbed not only the good feelings robbing the person of the ability to feel happiness or joy,) and maybe this anxiety of vulnerability is the crux of addition.
We now know that the cage (in rat addition testing) is a greater determining factor in addition than the access to the substance.
What if the "cage" for addicts is vulnerability?
If so, this might be why the group therapies, like AA might have some success for some. They are giving both connection and force the addict to address their actions in a very vulnerable way.
The success would depend on whether they found their whole-heartedness, and learned to connected and be vulnerable, or simply found other ways to avoid shame or deal blame.
Shaming addicts, would of course, be the worst most painful thing for them to endure. This shame and self loathing is exactly what they numb to avoid.
The level of addiction may not be based on external trauma, abuse or tragedy, instead it may stem from fear of shame, low self worth, the need to control something within themselves they fear is unworthy or shameful.
All of this comes back to the culture. If the culture, country or family have strict lines of what is worthy/unworthy, acceptable/shameful and more importantly numbing behaviour becomes more extreme; this is a breeding ground for addition.
Britain is  particularly good/bad for this kind of culture. Repression, stiff upper lip, and an intense dislike of strong emotions (good or bad) it is the perfect breeding ground.
Add into that poverty (which is labelled as a personal failing not a social disease) and the narrow margins of acceptable feelings it is unsurprising Britain has an addiction problem.
Yet if this idea has any kind of truth in it we need to rethink addiction, numbing (alcohol in particular) and strong emotion. In particular shame and and blame.
Vulnerability is a bitter medicine, uncomfortable but needed for joy and fullness of life. If we could teach others to embrace it how different the whole world could be.

Bright Blessings xxx