Which do you think is a more difficult addiction to break: one in which a person is physically dependent on a drug, or one in which a person is psychologically dependent on a drug?
1 Answer
I have no data, but an opinion based on personal experiences.
Explanation:
A physical addiction is unpleasant (the mildest term I can use) but a psychological addiction is in a whole different league.
The example of nicotine will suffice - the physical addiction lasts a few days (certainly less than a week) but the psychological addiction will draw you back (typically in times of sudden or peak stress, though ennui can do it too) years after you last smoked. The ‘hooks’ are deep within one’s psyche, whether we admit it or not.
My maternal grandfather stopped smoking about 10 years before he died of emphysema, but was still lifting his right hand to his face as he died, mimicking the gesture of smoking, trying to relieve his craving.
No doubt in my mind ...
