For the many addicted people in America – Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling mainly – They all have one thing in common: They are “hooked”, unable to give up these habits which can be so destructive. More than 10 million Americans are estimated to be alcoholic; One recent study said over 400,000 people dies each year from smoking related illnesses and many more are addicted to prescription and “street drugs”, and gambling.

But what lures people down the road to addiction; is it more than the need to get “high”? Addiction experts say people who are addicts, indeed, get a sense of excitement and euphoria when they are using drugs, drinking and gambling, and that is what makes it so difficult to stop. But you cannot pick these people out of a crowd , either, because the addicted are the everyday people of this nation today, it seems.

People miss work, school, and family activities to indulge in their habits, and spend money on them instead of food, rent, and other necessities, too. Addictions can ruin relationships and are reported to be a major factor in violent crime; Addiction also transcends age, race, and socioeconomic groups as well.

There are addicts rich, poor, and middle-class alike. Is there an answer to these problems? Well, besides “AA”, {Alcoholics Anonymous} there is Gambler’s Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous also. These problems are recognized as a sickness today, and these groups exist for the sole reason of helping people who suffer from them. You hear the saying “One Day at A Time”, about alcoholism and it is the same for any other addiction.

We need to have more educational programs in schools to teach the young about the dangers of addiction, and it can rob us of what we can be. Maybe if we finally begin to see the addicted as the people next door, or friends and family like they really are, we can ultimately understand what makes our society “hooked”.