Addictions are mental engrams. A habit has to be learned and several factors have to come together. Time, place and readiness. My smoking habit started because I wanted to belong to the group ( everyone smoked) and I discovered that it made me alert and  awake (I worked night shifts). It was a reward after having taken difficult decisions or having mastered stressful situations and it was a signal for taking a break ( let’s go for a cigarette). I never liked the taste of cigarettes, but I liked everything associated with it. It made me part of a group, gave me more energy, made me alert and relaxed me, when I needed it. Soon it grew to be my reward, my comfort, my companion and it was the one constant in an ever changing environment. Addictions are like cancer of the mind. They start with seeking for improvement, but soon they take a life of it’s own and build a strong defense line, spiked with fear. Addiction is the illusion the ego has of it’s own omnipotence. Addiction means to hold on to what we know, not wanting to change and to hold on to the illusion.

The only cure for addiction is Truth.