Addiction

Addiction is the hoary chestnut obscuring the path to what I referred to in the previous post as "the rather narrow and relatively simple set of conditions responsible for the creation of health".

People commonly refer to addiction as anything we are drawn to repeatedly. That however is an inaccurate definition: are we addicted to good healthy choices like water? Lack of clarity obstructs understanding. A clear definition of addiction is simply a self destructive behavior repeated compulsively. So let's be clear, in a physiologic sense addiction is one thing only: a metabolic/psychologic dependence on a toxic substance or behavior.

The fact many or most addictions are both metabolic and psychologic goes a long way to explaining why addiction is a complex problem. It is like being gripped by two strong forces instead of just one, it makes it much more difficult to break free.

Addiction obscures the path to "the rather narrow and relatively simple set of conditions responsible for the creation of health" due to the addiction response: a near term gain masking long term loss.

Another confounding factor is the "healing crisis", a near term response induced by nutrition and/or discontinuation of toxic input.

I recommend again a careful read of this brilliant book:

The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Undermines Health & Happiness