You're going to the nature of addictions, why they

are so powerful, why we turn towards them, and how we can turn away from them because of the consequences they ultimately deal out.

Addictions come in all shapes and forms.

We can all think of stories about people who are addicted to alcohol and drug abuse.

They're very common throughout the world.

One of my uncles who I grew up with and I was very fond of struggled with alcoholism. I even lived with him one summer. He was a very

giving loving loving person, but after years and years of drinking alcohol it

truly destroyed his life. He was a very handsome, loving, fun person to be around.

He used to train animals for Hollywood. And one summer he drove all the way to Iowa with a lion that he pulled

in a trailer behind his car and visited me as a little boy. It was so exciting, but his daily use of alcohol shriveled his body, aged him, took so many good years off his life, and before he died prematurely, he lived by himself and turned into a mean, unhappy man.

My memories of him go back to his good years, but it is sad to think how his life

life was so cheated by his addiction to alcoholism.

So what are addictions?

Addictions are basically emotional painkillers. When we have something inside of us that is

upsetting, disconcerting, and emotionally charged, we have two options. One option is to feel it, get over it, heal

it and get better. The second one is to stuff it, repress it, keep it inside of us, and distract ourselves.

It's a lot like physical pain, if I have a horrible cut, and I don't want to feel the

cut and go to the doctor and get stitches and heal it.

I can shoot painkillers into my arm and the cut won't hurt anymore, but it will get worse.

It will ultimately turn to gain green and it will kill me.

Emotions really work the same way. They're just slower. We need to feel our feelings,

get over them, heal, and move on. It's pretty simple, but it's very hard

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