Addicted to Anger

If you had the ability to block pain would you use it?

If you could prevent yourself from hurting and feeling despair wouldn’t you?

Well that’s what many people do with anger. In essence there are a vast majority of people addicted to anger. When we are angry we don’t have to feel pain, we don’t have to feel anything but rage and disdain.

Like many drugs that block pain anger can also block positive feelings from flowing. It can stifle your creativity and your ability to process information correctly.

— Shannon Munford, Angry in L.A.

The change in brain chemistry associated with becoming angry is quite similar to the changes induced by methamphetamine. There have been cases of actual anger addiction where the addict would go on anger “runs,” becoming enraged as a way to avoid the come down into depression.

Addiction kills. Anger kills. Studies have shown up to a seven-fold increase in death rate for the most angry men. Ultimately, one must either recover or die. Recovery, from chemical addiction or from anger, means facing and accepting the pain we were medicating.

Anger management classes are one way of getting a handle on addiction to anger.