Life is almost saturated with addictions, much of it barely noticed, yet there are almost impossibly many kinds of addictions. 

Starting with the classic addictions, such as countless drugs or the socially tolerated ones like alcohol and nicotine, there are also the more inconspicuous ones, such as addiction to money, dealing with sugar, the attempt to escape one's emotional world with some kind of aid. 

Which addiction is the worst, how can you fight addictions, how can you become free again?

I would say the effect of the addiction is what makes it bad. 

However, this is not easy to classify, because addictions always have effects against the inside and against the outside. Depending on this, the damage is also different. 

To understand what is meant, here is a brief example. 

Inwardly, heroin is very destructive; outwardly, family members are affected; finally, the addiction has an impact on a limited circle. 

The addiction to money, towards the inside it has no negative consequences at first sight, towards the outside many people are affected by it, depending on how the addict behaves, thousands of people can crawl around at the subsistence level and the addict fills his pockets and stews in wealth and success. He is even admired by society, no one is bothered by the fact that this person exploits other people for himself every day in order to satisfy his hunger for addiction.  

Ultimately, the damage done is what makes it dangerous. 

The addiction to power is even worse, it has brought humanity a lot of misfortune and a very bad reputation. History is full of such people, and things are not looking good in the East at the moment. In the West, democracy is becoming a show, and in the East, digitalisation is needed for control. I always find it perverse that one person or a handful of people decide over millions of people.   

How dangerous an addiction is seen is also a factor in the danger. 

Sugar is a good example of this. Children are literally hooked on it and every company that wants to sell its product well and a lot simply adds an extra portion of sugar to its product range and that's it. 

The results of this addiction can now be seen everywhere, worst of all in children who at the age of 10 already have liver values like alcoholics and are overweight beyond all imagination. 

However, this problem has already become visible in society and it is to be hoped that measures against sugar will continue to grow steadily. 

As is always the case with addiction, not everyone reacts the same way. 

Those who are lucky enough to have an addiction centre in their head that is less reactive to substances can do practically everything in moderation, others would go to ruin if they did only a part of it the same way. 

Why is that? It's probably genetic, as it probably is with depression, although there are other mechanisms at work. 

How do you become free from addictions again?

The best way, as with depression, is with the help of specialists who, through conversation and guidance, can get you to get rid of the addiction over time with an ultimately zero tolerance strategy. 

Addiction only understands one language, no today, a little bit or only today, that is always doomed to failure with addictions or can only exacerbate the problem. 

I myself left alcoholism and a very strong nicotine addiction behind me. I smoked 3 packets of cigarettes, drank a lot 3 times a week and needed a long time to be free again. 

Getting away from nicotine addiction took me 3 attempts and finally more than 2 years until I realised that my head is now free.

What is also important, are you the addiction type? Once you have really left an addiction behind with the zero tolerance strategy, an addiction memory remains as a gift for a lifetime.  

A few glasses of red wine, a few cosy cigarettes and the whole Klim Bim comes back, stronger than ever, your brain will then say, awesome the mega stuff is available again, access it now before it's gone again. 

That is also the reason why you ultimately have to adopt a zero-tolerance strategy. You quickly run out of strength for a clear no. A yes does not let you break free from the addiction, and a little or less is a constant battle with the addiction that someone with a no does not have to fight as hard. 

My tip! Separate the environment and the addictive behaviour and try to get to zero via a reduction as quickly as possible. After that, it is a matter of enduring until the brain discards the addiction memory.