Socratic vs Platonic Theories of Addiction

Came across a very good article about how we approach addiction can affect how successful we are in dealing with it.

https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/20...-blame-choices-medication-crutches-philosophy

Many view people who give in to cravings as morally lacking. That our actions are showing what we truly care about, and because we choose to engage in these behaviors, we are bad people.

But the truth is that our brains have two sides to them. One is the side that says who we want to be and weighs long term risks and consequences. Unfortunately, there is also an often stronger side, that cares only about immediate needs.

We have cravings that are more difficult to ignore than those that other people experience. We may be able to ignore them and deny them for a period, but if we do not address these cravings, they will always win in the end.

I've been finding this true myself, that I can resist for a little while, but always fall off the wagon. However, by addressing the cravings, I'm able to no longer have to struggle with resisting them.

Luckily for me, I was able to find a mild SNRI to help deal with my anxiety and reduce the strength of my pornography cravings to the point where I can easily say no.

I've seen many people here lamenting their inability to stay on the wagon. I urge everyone who struggles with their own ability to say no to think about these desires from another angle, and try finding methods of reducing the cravings rather than trying to hide and deny them.

- Ozatm