Addictions Say My Name - New Art For You (NAFY)

Addictions – Say My Name!

Most addicts do not begin their lives as addicts. When I held each of my children for the first time while in the hospital nursery, I marveled at the size of their hands and feet. Ten little fingers and ten little toes! Like most parents of newborns, their mother and I wanted each child to grow up, make history, and somehow transform the world. And it was our mission as parents to help them turn our dreams into their reality. Nevertheless, the one thing that stands out to me about raising children over the years is, while you cannot always tell if they are listening to you or not, they are always watching what you do. Fast forward to the present day, we now have fourteen grandchildren! Therefore, I can state with all certainty that the “make history” box can now be checked from that reality list. And, with such a prosperous lineage, my wife and I have a sixteen-year tradition of hosting a Christmas eve party with our family and friends that features an event that is extremely popular with the grandchildren, the opening of only one gift before Christmas day!

Again, most substance abusers do not begin their lives as an addict. While there are many imperfect conditions, circumstances and events that contribute to many outcomes of our imperfect lives, there is one especially important event that we all share soon after we are born. Our parents (or guardians) give us our name. That given name also represents their hope for us to continue the legacy and admirable works of the person to whom we are named after. Furthermore, no parent envisions their child falling victim to substance abuse. So, while scholars, psychologists, physicians, government officials and politicians continue to debate the causes, punishments, and treatments for many forms of substance abuse over the decades, shortly before graduating high school, I decided to highlight the effects of drug and alcohol abuse on my community (in Oakland, California) by creating a new (four by four feet) oil on canvas painting that I named, “The Man in the Bottle.” At that time, I had no practical understanding of drug or alcohol abuse, so the name did not adequately describe the circumstances of the central character of the painting. And, I did not understand why most of the subsequent viewers of that painting did not connect all objects in that painting to the underlying substance abuse theme. They often asked questions such as “Why is a needle sticking into the cork of that bottle?” or “Why is there a window in the middle of space?” Unfortunately, that painting was destroyed in the early 1990’s during a move from California to Maryland. However, some 20 years later and armed with a practical understanding of the impact substance abuse has on families (and the society as a whole), I decided to create a new (six by four feet) oil on canvas painting that would also include a man in a bottle, a needle and would highlight the top addictive human behaviors (including alcohol, gambling, and sex abuse). Its name and theme are one in the same, Addictions ©.

Today, more than 40% of the U.S. population above the age of twelve suffer from at least one form of adductive abuse during their lifetime. And the problem was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an increased number of people misusing drugs and dying from drug overdoses. According to a report published by the United States Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC), in the first year of the pandemic drug overdose deaths in the United States increased 30% when compared to the predecessor pre-pandemic year. Furthermore, a report published in 2021 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stated that 27.2% of Americans above the age of 12 suffer from one (or more) type(s) of Substance Abuse (SA) disorder, with Alcohol Abuse disorder, accounting for 10.2% and Drug Abuse disorder accounting for 23.5% of the American population. Drug abuse disorder includes the abuse of Nicotine (8.5%), Marijuana (5.2%), Opioids (1.1%) and other substances (e.g., Inhalants, Cocaine, Heroin, Benzodiazepines, and Barbiturates) 2.3% of the American population. But that is not the whole picture. In 2018, The World Health Organization (WHO) added “gaming disorder” (the extent that gaming increasingly takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities despite the occurrence of negative consequences) to its International Classification of Diseases. The WHO estimates the number of people throughout the world with this addiction is 3-4% (about 280 million people). Furthermore, according to the American Psychiatric Association 6% to 8% of U.S. adults could be classified as addicted to sex while 1% to 2% of U.S. adults suffer from a gambling disorder.

To visualize each of the above disorders, the Addictions painting is organized into nine distinct regions that are adjacent to one another, and a 10^th floating region that touches each of the nine adjacent regions. Throughout the painting, the colors of select objects often symbolize a given substance or behavior disorder as represented by that object within that region. For example, the green moon (located in the lower right corner of the upside city-scape region of the painting) symbolizes the use and abuse of marijuana. While the green substance within the syringe (that appears in front of the fireplace region) represents a drug class called anticholinergics, used in medical procedures to block the actions of nerves. In a future post on the Addictions painting, I will describe the purpose of each region and explain the symbols of a given substance or behavior disorder that is not readily obvious to the viewer. For now, I will provide an overview of a few of the substance or behavior disorder symbols found in the left side of the table surface region. The obvious symbols for the gambling disorder are the pair of dice tossed into the air during a game of craps and the cards a gambler does not want to have when forced to draw another card during the game of blackjack. But what disorders (if any) does the weird place setting (a broken plate, a broken knife, and a broken fork) symbolize? Let us explore.

In some cultures, a broken plate represents the destruction of something old and the beginning of something new. It also signals the end of life or the act of mourning. However, the broken plate in the Addictions painting symbolizes the hallucinogenic substance dimethyltryptamine (or DMT), that is known by its street name “the 45-Minute Psychosis” because it takes 30 to 45 minutes for its psychoactive properties to take effect. In the Addictions painting, the plate is broken at the fourth rectangle of the top of the plate and at the fifth rectangle of the side of the plate. Combining those two numbers yields the number 45 (I suppose you did not really need to know that to enjoy the painting, but now you know).

Next, the broken knife is not really a symbol of a substance disorder, but rather, the negative (or broken) effects the substance disorder has on people who are closest to the substance abuser (in this case, the woman and the three children). Finally, the broken fork, signifies the awful situation that the abuser (in this case, the man in the bottle) is going through, a situation that is extremely difficult for him to overcome by himself.

Okay, I will talk about the other substance or behavior disorder symbols found within the Additions social commentary painting in a future post. In the meantime, use the “Contact Us” form below to let me know your thoughts on this colorful and complex painting.