Why do some people develop addictions, not just to drugs and alcohol, but also to things like food and games? Is it simply a biological process, or do social, environmental, and psychological factors influence such dependence?
Addiction is the result of a rewarding experience. In other words, people who become addicted are people in need of pleasure. They might be experiencing depression, frustration, anxiety, or stress, and need a distraction from these negative feelings. In such a crowded, noisy, polluted, impoverished and underdeveloped country, it is easy for any of these feelings to arise, if not all, and so people turn to substances or distractions from reality for pleasure. When they experience the pleasing effects of ingesting a substance or practicing behaviour that releases dopamine in their brains, be it something as simple as eating chocolate or watching TV to something as harmful as smoking a cigarette or sniffing cocaine, they will usually want to come back for more.
The problem of addiction is as serious in Bangladesh as it is neglected. People of all ages and backgrounds develop addictions to a wide variety of chemicals and things like fast food and video games. We see the effects of this widespread problem as the rate of obesity increases exponentially within the country. We feel the effects of this it in terms of lack of safety, as addicted teenagers and young adults in need of money for drugs rob civilians by either snatching their possessions while driving by or hijacking them and stealing their debit cards.
For extreme substance addiction, very few, if not any, professional rehabilitation centres are available in Bangladesh to treat this problem. Those few available mostly treat physical withdrawal symptoms and neglect treatment of psychological dependence, which would include dealing with family dynamics and social aspects causing the urge for substance abuse. While those who can afford it go abroad for treatment, the majority of addicts end up hostage of illegal rehab centres running without licensure, where there is no monitoring over how patients are treated or accountability if something goes wrong. Most addicts are mistreated within these centres, but as they are considered psychologically unstable, their voices remain unheard by society.
Only a change in the way society thinks about addiction can improve the way addicts are treated. Addiction is not a taboo or a sin that must be hidden up in shame, it is a disorder caused by a lack of wholesomeness, and those with the disorder require love and care to heal.
