I Blog Poetry and Prose

Addiction Verse Attachment

Jalál (Glory), 10 Bahá (Splendor) 176 B.E. - Saturday, March 30, 2019

GROUP

Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise  (E) Blog City - Every Blogger's Paradise. #1972895 by Lyn's a Witchy Woman

DAY 1929: Everyone's addicted to something in some shape or form. What are the things you can't go without?

Addiction Versus Attachment

What is the difference between an addiction and an attachment? According to dictionary.com an addiction is "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma."1 While attachment is defined as (1) "an act of attaching or the state of being attached" or (2) "a feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal, or the like; devotion; regard."2 One can be attached to something they can't live without, but its not a full blown addiction until losing it causes trauma.

I've been attached to many things throughout my 72 years. When I lost some of those things I mourned them, but the lose wasn't traumatic. I learned to let go and move on with my life. I learned that I could live without them. I still have attachments--at present I am attached to my mother's prayer beads--which bring back good memories of people and places I've been. If I lose those things, I will still have the memories. It's the memories that are important rather than the things.

I learned the importance of memories, when I was taking care of my mother. The Alzheimer's disease stole her memories, and the things that should have brought those memories back didn't. She couldn't remember that her parents were dead. She couldn't remember where they were buried. She could remember she and my father were divorced. If I reminded her of those things, she cried. When Mom brought up either subject, instead of reminding her of the truth, I lied to her. I told her her parent were visiting Israel or were living in a senior citizens home in Blackwell. If she asked whether the her parents called, I told her they had called, while she was working or shopping. She didn't remember she was retired or didn't go shopping any more. If she asked about my father, I told her he was at work. She didn't question my explanation and she forget she asked.

Footnotes
1  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/addiction
2  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/attachment