Why do it if you end up hurting yourself? Why eat the poison if it kills you, just because it might be sweet for a second? See more about vices. Why do people do things if they know them to be harmful? When they drink alcohol or smoke, people do nothing but take drugs, in fact. And they justify their consumption with the pleasure such substances give them; they associate these substances with relaxation, with keeping them alert and awake, and so on. So either consciously or unconsciously, these people have some reasons for their vicious actions. It is very interesting to study people’s behavior and their vices. Vices are not normal, they are not ordinary, and they are most often addictive and destructive. And while some might seem to be limiting their behavior to things that are pleasant, and not painful, this is not valid for people who tend to have bad, destructive habits. Addicted people are likely to make great sacrifices to satisfy their needs for vice. They might even act strangely, and wake up in the middle of the night just to buy a pack of cigarettes, an alcoholic beverage or a pornographic magazine. They usually do it at such strange hour because they are afraid not to be seen by their neighbors, or other acquaintances. Addiction takes up many forms. For instance, the computer in itself is not a bad, or immoral thingy. However, it was recently discovered that more and more people are addicted to it. And in this respect, Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack, an expert in the field of addictions, has made a study of the common traits who characterize the typical computer addicts. It can be sometimes hard for some mothers to get their children to play outside, because they are too busy using and playing on the computer. Some wives may have problems doing their daily housework, they are irritable when they come to family meetings, and they have to pay enormous amounts of money to pay the fees for some obscure online phone. Some people may connect to the internet in the evening, and then find themselves still in front of the computer when the morning comes. Computer addiction may cause a student to get lower and lower grades, or to make the student fall asleep during classes. Company managers may spend an enormous amount of time in front of the computer, too, to get every detail of their business. Some other perils of computer overuse would be that of accessing sites with improper content, such as pornographic sites. People may have all sorts of vices. They often feel they have to hide them from others, especially from their beloved ones. The way in which the brain functions in addictions is studied every day, so more and more information is given on this subject. According to the research made in the field, there are two different systems responsible for “pleasure” and “desire”. Some researchers consider that the drugs that are addictive for the human brain firstly activate the system based on “desire”. That is why drugs cause very strong desires. Other researchers suggest that there is a system in our brain responsible for the consolidation process. Stimulating this system, which happens the very instant a great quantity of drugs is ingested, or to the exposure to pornographic images, makes the human brain produce a substance similar to heroin or morphine. This substance may release dopamine, a chemical substance which is associated in our brain with the idea of pleasure. This suggests the fact that some people use some harmful substances or drugs in order to stimulate the consolidation mechanism in their brain and generate pleasure. In other words, people take drugs because they give them pleasure, in spite of the negative consequences. Scientific studies have also been made to determine whether addiction is genetic. Thus, it has been discovered that different guinea pig breeds are different when it comes to alcohol consumption. In those studies, both guinea pigs breeds who liked alcohol and those who did not tolerate it where raised under laboratory conditions. In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence concerning the genetic contribution to the risk of becoming an alcoholic. Yet this genetic tendency can be extended to other addictive substances, such as cocaine or other such drugs. So, the idea is that, whether the addiction may be genetic or not, it is best to avoid the consumption of any addictive substances.
