What do you picture when you hear the word addict?
Is it a sweaty, skinny junkie handing over a crumpled bill in exchange for a bag of white powder? Or is it a suburban mom frantically uncorking a bottle of rosé? How about a man pulling an all-nighter to watch pornography? Or a college sophomore who can’t put down her smartphone long enough to study? 
Broadly speaking, addiction is the sustained, compulsive use of a substance or behavior –such as gambling, sex, video games, any belief/ideology, television, drugs, alcohol or social platforms that can cause harm to you and those around you.
PLEASURE ADDICT means  "strong appetite toward pleasure"
Unfortunately, this pleasure will push you towards pain!

BUT how pleasure inevitably leads to pain?

One of my collegue Dr.X, readily admits that she was an addict too – hooked on derivative romance novels like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey – compulsively reading them on her Kindle in between sessions with patients. 
She was so hooked that she read the entire Twilight saga/romance novel four times.
Unfortunately, the second time was not quite as good as the first – and on her final pass, the pleasure was pretty much gone. Ultimately, she sought out stronger forms of vampire-based entertainment. But her experience succinctly illustrates the pleasure-pain balance. 
That’s because all that pleasure isn’t free. The brain regions that process pleasure and pain overlap and actually act to balance each other. So as soon as you get that dopamine hit and tip the scales to the side of pleasure, your brain reflexively kicks in to level things out again. However, the balance keeps going and tips equally to the side of pain.

Typically, this pain comes in the form of craving – one more bite, one more episode, one more hit. If one felt good, two would feel even better, right? However, there’s a problem: ‘’neuroadaptation’’ - In other words, we build up a tolerance. And the more we expose ourselves to a pleasurable stimulus, the weaker the pleasure and the stronger the pain. 
This is why addicts increase their drug intake over time and that’s why Dr.X sought out even crazier romance novels. Eventually, the scales come to rest on the side of pain in a dopamine deficit state. This means that not only is our ability to feel pleasure decreased, but we are also more sensitive to pain. 

For Dr.X, reading had always been her greatest joy, but when she went down the romance rabbit hole, that pleasure stopped working. And yet she kept reading, just like the drug addicts who get high to avoid withdrawal. She was permanently stuck on pain is what leads people to relapse, just to alleviate the dysphoria of withdrawal. 

Interestingly, Pleasure gets balance with pain by our brain itself, but how?

However, the good news is that if we simply wait a bit, the brain balances itself out, and we’re again able to enjoy life without the need for that drug or destructive behavior.
Tipping our scales toward pain can ultimately lead to pleasure.
Just as pressing on pleasure can cause the scales to be stuck on pain, gradual use of painful stimuli makes us more immune to pain. This idea dates back to the time of Socrates, who mused on the pleasurable feeling that follows pain. And we’ve all had the same feeling. Just think of a runner’s high or the thrill of watching a scary movie! 

Studies also show that moderate exposure to painful stimuli can make organisms more
resilient. For instance, worms that were exposed to higher temperatures were later more likely to survive such exposure than those that weren’t.
And Japanese citizens who were exposed to low-dose radiation back in 1945 actually
showed a slight increase in lifespan and a drop of cancer rates was observed.
Intermittent fasting is a less extreme example and has been linked with a longer lifespan, reduced blood pressure, and stronger resistance to age-related diseases. Likewise, exercise itself is painful and, in the short term, traumatic to our system. And yet, it also increases dopamine levels and it’s one of the easiest ways to promote our well-being. The intentional use of pain as a pain-reliever goes all the way back to
Hippocrates (Father of modern medicine) , who wrote, “Of two pains occurring together…the stronger weakens the other.”

Acupuncture is a familiar example of this idea in practice and a study, published in the
medical journal Pain, backed this up with neuroimaging, showing that the effect of one painful stimulus could be reduced by another.

Role of homeopathy in balancing pleasure with pain:
What a general physician/surgeon does?
In the 1800s, surgeons would perform operations without general anaesthesia – the thinking was that pain increased the immune response and speed up the healing process.
Doctors today take a much different approach, focusing on healing, compassion, and
eliminating pain. This aversion to pain has caused doctors to reach for their prescription pads more often than their stethoscopes. Now, one in four Americans takes a psychiatric medication daily and one in ten uses antidepressants – with global use rising also. Between 2006 and 2016, the use of stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall doubled in the United States. And the use of sedatives like Valium and Xanax rose by 67%. In 2012, opioid prescriptions rates equated to one bottle of pills for every US citizen. 
Clearly, we’re trying to numb the pain. But if we’re living in a time of unparalleled freedom, wealth, and progress, why do we all hurt so bad? 
Now the question comes is that ‘’can we remove the person from their addictions? ‘’
Answer is neither YES nor NO, then what?
Can understanding addiction could become their gift; can yield you towards health, sounds interesting right but how can we do that?

We have to take a glance from a holistic point of view; the ANSWER LIES IN TAILOR-MADE HOMEOPATHIC APPROACH; ITS HOLISTIC-HEALING PRINCIPLES.

Next question which comes to my mind is why HOMEOPATHY and how it will help?

Didn’t we heard before what Father of modern medicine said that “Of two pains occurring together… the stronger weakens the other’’, homeopathy works on the similar principle (when two similar energy comes together, stronger removes the weaker: law of similar).

TAILOR- MADE HOMOEOPATHIC APPROACH includes the following steps:
1. HOMEOPATHIC INTERVIEW COUNSELLING
2. AFTER HOMEOPATHIC INTERVIEW -
a. GIVING THEIR TWO SIDES
b. EXPLAINING THE IMBALANCE OF TWO SIDES
c. SUGGESTING ADVICES TO CREATE BALANCE OF THEIR TWO SIDES
d. DESIGNER DIARY FOR MAINTENANCE OF BALANCE OF TWO SIDES/being in touch with their being

To begin with the 1st step, HOMOEOPATHIC INTERVIEW & COUNSELLING:
Homeopathic interview is designed in such a way that 1st we give an unconditional space and begin with non-leading questions, then guide them in different stages; situations of their life, day to day conscious (personal and professional space) and subconscious(fears/dreams/imaginations etc) to get the TWO SIDE of them(ONE ORIGINAL SIDE & OTHER SIDE OF WHAT THEY HAVE BECOME, PAINFUL; PLEASURE SIDE of them).

TWO SIDE of them gives us the patient centric tailor-made design.
Once we understand their 2 sides, we give a tailor-made medicine based on principle "stronger similar removes the weaker’’.

After the homoeopathic interview:
1st - we show them their TWO SIDES- ONE ORIGINAL SIDE; OTHER SIDE OF WHAT THEY HAVE BECOME, PAINFUL; PLEASURE SIDE of them.
2nd - we show that how this two sides are in state of IMBALANCE!
3rd - we guide them that how can we BALANCE THEIR TWO SIDES -BY suggesting few patient centric activities/advices along with homeopathic remedy.
4th - DESIGNER DIARY is given once they start improving. We suggest to note down all their interest hobbies, likings, obsession, fears, dreams in same intensity to bring out where they have pushed to one side whether pleasure or pain.
This diary will make them aware of this obsession/ addiction and the more they see in
wholeness, more they become aware and more they balance their two side.

It’s vital that both of their sides gradually fall in balance because if we push only on one side it causes disease but if we maintain our both individual sides in balance we remain in health. It’s simply like balancing the pleasure with pain!

Finally, time will come where they gradually start attracting their INTEREST; HOBBIES, LIKINGS, PERSONAL /PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS in an appropriate way and will not lead to ADDICTIONS.

From homeopathic interview TO remedy TO advices/diary PLAY THE SAME ROLE:
WATCH (their two sides)----->BRING OUT (their two sides)------>BALANCE (their two sides)

Do you remember my colleague DR.X, I am sure you all remember!
She still watches movies and is keen to read romantic novels BUT NOW ITS ALL
APPROPRIATE; IN - BALANCE and not only this but she stays with those stories which matches her CENTRE, she is now keener to read similar stories but those which matches with her ORIGINAL BEING.

Now more importantly is that she is talking to her patients; picks up that appropriate story which matches with centre of patient and gift them which again act like a designer remedy. (Law of similar, right!)
Also, when she is explaining her relatives and loved ones, these stories helped them to be appropriate.
Gradually, she is attracted towards such stories and novels which conveys meaning, deep healing and message which will help for her growth!

So now if you hear the word ADDICTION, what picture comes in your mind?
I see in such a way that whether it’s a belief/ideology, business/work/profession, watching television/series, reading, doing creative work or spending hours on social platforms, ALL THIS COULD HELP FOR STAYING HEALTHY IF PROPERLY BALANCED!