What is addiction?
Addiction is when drug use is so severe that the user cannot function without it. Use of the drug persists for long periods of time despite dangerous risks, social/family problems, or personal health. The drug use gets in the way of daily activities and prevents the user from completing tasks. If the user tries to end the drug use, he or she experiences withdrawal. Some people are more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol than others, depending on the chemical makeup of their brain, or past experiences.
About the artwork |
This piece of artwork (left) symbolizes reaching a high, and the concept is an arcade. When someone goes to an arcade to play games, they win lots of tickets. Those tickets are then taken to a counter to win prizes, but the prizes are often worth little to nothing. In most cases, more money is spent on tickets than what the prizes are worth. This piece is an analogy to the high someone gets when they are using. In the moment, the feeling is great. Once it has faded, the feeling means nothing and you are left with less of who you are than before you used.
The tickets wrapped around the hand are there to symbolize how someone can get wrapped up in their addiction, so much that they forget what is around them. The "100" at the top of the painting symbolizes what someone is constantly reaching for when they are addicted- the high. The more someone uses, the further they will go to reach that point. In reality, it never feels like it is enough, and that is why they continue to use. |