The Devil's Tonic

Addiction is the perfect way to control other people.  Once a person becomes enslaved to anything, then whoever controls the focus of his addiction controls him.

Thus, the addict will do what is necessary to preserve his relationship with the subject of his obsession.  If the trace is broken, then the power relationship of the addict and his manipulator are exposed.

Modern life requires addiction, because what is happening to us as humans is becoming more and more inhuman.  We are being pushed beyond our limits.  Our tolerance for the pain of our lonely existences is running out.

We need the 'pain relief' of addiction.  This is why even oppressive regimes like the Stalinist USSR made sure the vodka flowed freely.  Now, with the suppression of the family and Christianity in America, we are seeing dependence grow and metastasize into more versions than we can track.  Sure, one addiction in itself does not look overwhelming, until you see the many ways that we are imprisoned by our 'needs.'

We are being kept needy and hungry, because needy and hungry people do not question what is being done to them if they think they will be fed and kept.  Our addictions don't look so bad if we can keep at them without a cost.  

The costs of addiction are usually paid at the expense of personal responsibility.  Now, where is that going?  No, you don't need that... even though it is part of human dignity.  No, you don't need that either.  Here, drink this and you won't mind losing either one...