Addiction Myth Busting

TMON-39: The Myth of Normal, Chapter 15*, Song 3
Alex Hickey ©2024
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This song is based on information in Chapter 15* of The Myth of Normal, a book written by Dr. Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté. You can find more information about this book on Dr. Maté's website: drgabormate.co...
I am writing a series of songs in response to the ideas in this book, sometimes in combination with ideas from other books by Dr. Maté and some of his colleagues. These are my interpretations of these ideas. I acknowledge that I can make mistakes, misunderstand and/or take poetic license when transforming these ideas into songs. I welcome questions in the comments section and refer you to the book itself as the final authority about what it is saying.
Lyrics:
If we listen when folks talk about their addictions we will hear
That the only time they feel like humans
Is when they are high or engaged in behaviour
That frees them from themselves for just a little while
Have you ever heard someone describe being ill
As the only time they feel normal?
That is not the way it works, and that is why “disease”
Can be a good metaphor, but it’s not the right description
Of addiction.
Chorus:
The pain lying under the behaviour
That’s what the addiction seeks to heal
The relief is temporary; the pain is never far
And we seek the next escape with desperate zeal
Genetics might contribute to a predisposition
But there is no predetermining gene
There is no way to develop an addiction
Unless and until trauma comes upon the scene
Many people smoke or drink or use drugs even many times
Yet they do not wind up hooked or out in the cold
It’s not the drugs that are addictive, although that’s the standard line
It’s the bodymind that needs relief from the horror that it holds.
Chorus
Then there are addictions we reward in our society
Like compulsive work and unrelenting exercise
Our culture says that’s normal, even virtuous
And no one asks about the pain we might be trying to disguise
Many of us have a manageable habit ¬- or two
That holds us back but doesn’t wreck our life
We’re getting by but underneath the pain is festering
And things can flare up; let me off some advice
Alternate Chorus
The pain lying under the behaviour
That is what each of us could heal
No matter the cause; no matter who’s to blame
We can find a way to be with what is real.
Chorus
*This song also drawns on some ideas in Chapter 16 of The Myth of Normal
#gabormate #addictionandrecovery #myths #mythbusting

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