School speaker demonstrates how addicts run risk of substituting one addiction for another

One of the dangers associated with addiction is the potential for one addiction to evolve into another. According to school speaker and addictions expert Scott Gallagher, addiction presents itself in numerous ways, all of which are unhealthy.

As someone who has struggled with addiction for many years, Gallagher first became addicted to bullying behavior. As the years went on, he also become addicted to sugar and eventually developed a crack habit that lasted off and on for 17 years. Gallagher said that all addicts turn to drugs, alcohol, food, or an unhealthy behavior because they believe that something is wrong with them. In turn, they use a substance or habit to gain temporary internal comfort. It is for this reason that Gallagher became a bully, because he believed that he was inadequate.

Over time, however, the bullying behavior failed to make him happy. Continuing his search for comfort, Gallagher began to seek out other addictions.

“That’s why I turned to drugs. I was feeling worse about myself,” Gallagher said during a bullying program session. “I wanted an easy way to feel good now, like all addicts. So the first drug I became addicted to was sugar. Sugar is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet. It’s more addictive than cocaine.”

To feed his habit, Gallagher would steal money from his mother, neighbors and even from a blind woman. When he couldn’t come up with money to buy candy, he would steal chocolate bars from a local store.

Gallagher’s actions speak loudly. He developed the same characteristics of a drug addict looking for his next score. At first, the sugar made Gallagher feel good. But as he faced challenges in his life, Gallagher increasingly made decisions about himself that made him feel like even more of a failure. In truth, Gallagher was not a failure, but this is how he saw himself. He chose to think less of himself and he tried to make himself feel better through his addictions.

After hearing Gallagher’s story, it is easy to see how dangerous addiction can be.
Addiction is a risky behavior that for some opens up the door for developing additional addictions that can ultimately lead to devastating consequences. An individual can start out being addicted to sugar and eventually develop an addiction to an illegal drug. Addictions evolve as a direct result of the addict searching for a way to make him or her feel better on the inside. However, the process ultimately creates an opposite result.