Addiction Is A Choice And Not A Disease.

Hello, everyone.

I welcome you to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learner's featured post. People see the topic or conversations about addiction from different perspectives, but for me any perspective aside from addiction being a choice is a wrong one. Addiction in layman's terms can be defined or seen as as letting something control you instead of you being in control, one can be addicted to drugs, alcohol, gaming or even gambling, taking or being involved with all of these is okay but the moment you start feeling like you cannot do without them, then there is a problem and you need to take back charge.

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A week ago I had a heated argument with a friend; he was complaining about how he was addicted to sports betting and cannot do without it, and I set sentiments aside and told him he was not addicted and it was his choice to keep betting, and if he was really ready to stop betting, he would stop, but for now he is not yet ready because betting has not really done anything bad to him or put him in a position where he is forced to wake up and take back charge of his life. He got angry and started raising his voice, saying that he expected me to console him and not judge him or make it look like I was perfect, but none of that was the case; I only told him the truth.

I was once a gambler too, and to a point it felt like an addiction too. In 2023 I travelled home during the governorship and presidential election, and I told myself that before I go back to school, I must get a new phone and not go back with the one I was using then, and I started gambling and playing sports betting too. I bet every day, and every day I lose at least 5,000 naira, and on some days, especially weekends, I lose even more than that. The dream I had before I started betting and gambling began to shatter right before my eyes. All of my income, once it touches my account, is transferred to my betting account without wasting time.

In no time I started taking from my savings account, and before I realised what was going on, I had nothing left, no savings. The company I was doing a freelancing job for had a financial crisis and had to close down, and I was left stranded, no savings, no income on the way, and I still did not stop. I started borrowing money from my younger brother to bet and with the hope that if I win, I will be able to pay him back, have some left, and still get the phone I had in mind, but instead I was deep in debt before I realised what was going on. The day it dawned on me was the day my younger brother asked for his money back, and I did not have it, and he wanted to make a scene about it.

That day, the shame and the disgrace forced senses into my head, and I quit betting and went back to searching for freelancing jobs, got one, and was able to pay back. And I blamed myself for everything; if I was saving the money I was using to bet in a piggy bank account, I would have been able to get myself a phone without even gambling, but I never thought of that and settled for betting like my life depended on it.

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With my story I can tell you for free that addiction is not a disease but a choice; you chose to keep hurting yourself emotionally, mentally, and in some cases even financially. It is your choice to keep holding onto it for reasons best known to you; if you choose to finally let go and have your mind made up about letting go, there is nothing stopping you. There is no addiction that is beyond your control; you just have to take back charge and do what is needed to reclaim full charge of your life.