BY KITI FREIER AND TODD BURLEY

or what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do" (Rom. 7:15, NKJV).

THE STATEMENT RESEMBLES THE WAY an addict thinks.

For most of us, our psychological understanding of addiction relates to our beliefs about those whom we think are addicts. Unfortunately, gossiping and judging are what most of us find interesting when we think of addicts and their addictions.

Most psychological interventions for addictions have their roots in social learning theory, which proposes that addictive behavior is maintained by a well-organized but biased belief system. These beliefs vary, depending upon the person and the addiction. In this model of the psychology of addiction, interventions are often created to change the belief systems that guide and motivate the behavior. This is why it is so tempting to think that if someone would just change their thinking or were more motivated, they could overcome their addiction. But digging a little deeper into some aspects of psychology, such as neuropsychology, we find that we are not designed for such simple solutions. A number of studies remind us that it is not just changing our thoughts that will "cure" us. A number of scientists have made it very clear that memory is an important weakness in regard to behavior.

For example, addicts are frequently able to tell you all the negative aspects of their addiction. So, like the apostle Paul, we find ourselves surprised when this knowledge does not stop what appears to be self-destructive behavior. But what has been found is that while addicts can enumerate the negative outcomes of their addiction,¹ if they are asked to remember experiences they have had related to their addiction, they typically have more memories of the positive aspects of their addictions. So again Paul seems to be right, in that knowing better is not the same as doing better. Thus, what comes immediately to mind for the addict is the pleasure, the relief, and the fact that for a few moments the world is finally right.

While this fight between knowledge and behavior may seem wrong and perhaps even a flaw in God's design of humankind, it is in fact an amazing and fascinating part of our neuropsychological makeup and reflects the magnitude of memory.

Research in the area of memory has made us realize that much of our behavior actually goes on without conscious awareness or intentional control.² The brain is designed to do just such automation of behaviors and cognitive processes because of the brain's inability to regard every situation as fresh and new. It must reserve its processing resources for that which is unusual and has not been encountered before. If a present situation is similar enough to an older situation, procedural memory will affect the new situation. Procedural memory is without consciousness. One simply is not aware of processing one's response at a conscious level.

For example, when one acts obsessively, one acts without awareness of what one is doing. One carries out the obsessive process without reflection, automatically and without planning or forethought. This means that if one has been in this situation before, one will go on "autopilot," without even needing to be aware of all the steps necessary for the behavior. One just does it. S. T. Tiffany has likened addictive behaviors to other highly skilled and automatic behaviors such as playing the piano or driving a car.³ An addiction is under the control of automatic behaviors and judgments, which are assumed to be out of conscious awareness, and thus may not be easily changed, especially if information is the only intervention.

This then begs the questions: When/how did this procedural memory begin? Can you change a procedural memory?

It is necessary to reckon with infancy and early childhood in any serious discourse on memory and the addiction process. During infancy and early childhood a considerable amount of procedural memory is encoded. Procedural memories laid down in infancy and early childhood are significant through life because they direct and influence the behaviors, cognitions, and emotions of the adult. This is most specifically seen in how these early experiences of procedural memory form the structure of interpersonal attachments and relationships. Procedural memory for an addiction can be laid down as early as in infancy, when an infant or young child is "taught" negative self-concepts or self-destructive ways in which to meet basic human needs for belonging and meaning. It is important to change the behavior that is necessary for meeting needs. It is not enough to merely do less self-destructive behavior.

Since it was relationships that initially laid down these procedural memories, it then makes sense that it is relationships that become important in raising an awareness of the addiction and in allowing or helping to develop procedural and behavioral options. Once again we are taught the importance of human relationships and connectedness.

Traditionally, when we thought of an addict or an addiction, we thought of a smoker, drinker, or drug user. More recently public awareness has risen concerning the devastation and destruction of addictions such as gambling, pornography, and food. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that each of us is an addict, making this topic of vital importance to us all. In his book Addiction and Grace Dr. G. May elucidates the fact that we are all addicts and that no addiction is good. He writes, "To be sure, some are more destructive than others; alcoholism cannot be compared with chocolate addiction in degrees of destructiveness . . . . But if we accept that there are differences in the degree of tragedy imposed upon us by our addictions, we must also recognize what they have in common: they impede human freedom and diminish the human spirit."⁴

Addiction is complex. Thus, the psychology of addiction must integrate the "wholeness" of who we are (cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual). It must account for the fact that our addictions are not behaviors to fulfill illegitimate needs, but learned behaviors to fulfill legitimate need. What must be addressed, then, is that the addiction is not the way to fulfill the need. It is the manner in which we fulfill the need that must be changed. What the apostle Paul discussed in Romans 7 is procedural memory, and what is required is building new procedural memory.

Building new procedural memory requires healthy relationships. Much research demonstrates that persons who have changed behaviors have done so because of connections with or mentoring by others. Thus, we must be careful not to judge and repel those whom we see are addicts, and it is equally important not to become so "helpful" as to perpetuate the continuation of the addicts' current procedural memory. Further, as a result of the intricacy of addiction it is important to remember that often a professional therapist will be required in order to help the addict and his or her family with the process of bringing these procedural memories into awareness and assisting in encoding new ones.

Dr. May writes, "Understanding will not deliver us from addiction, but it will, I hope, help us appreciate grace."⁵ May we all accept and grant grace as we connect to others on our journey.

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¹ C. G. McCusker, R. McClements, and U. McCartney, "Cognitive Bias for Addiction-related Stimuli in Smokers and Problem Drinkers," Conference Proceedings of the British Psychological Society (1995).
² E. Tulving, "How Many Memory Systems Are There?" American Psychologist 40, no. 4 (1985): 385-398.
³ S. T. Tiffany, "A Cognitive Model of Drug Urges and Drug-use Behaviour: The Role of Automatic and Nonautomatic Processes, Psychological Review 97 (1990): 251-268.
⁴ G. May, Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1988).
⁵ Ibid.

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Kiti Freier, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology and pediatrics at Loma Linda University and Children's Hospital in California, and associate director of the Center for Prevention Research in the Institute for Prevention of Addictions at Andrews University in Michigan. Todd Burley, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Loma Linda University and a member of the core faculty at Gestalt Associates Training in Los Angeles.