ADDICTS OF VITRIOL

Jun 22, 2021 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News – What is your addiction? Most of us are addicted or in some ways attached to something or the other.
Not all the additions may be bad. Some persons are addicted to helping other people. Some are addicted to keeping their surroundings clean. Some are addicted to smiling and being friendly. Some are addicted to singing. Some are hooked on sports. Some love nature and bird-watching.
But there are other forms of addiction that can present problems. They may not always be bad but they can also eventually become terminal and acute.
An example of one type of addiction is substance addiction. For some it is drugs, for others it is alcohol, and yet often unrecognised for others, it can be cigarette smoking. Often these additions begin as casual usage. Then the user eventually begins to use these substances more regularly. Eventually, they get caught on these substances and often do not recognise their dependence and attachment to them.
There are, of course, other types of addictions. Some people are addicted to substances while others have a proclivity towards certain forms of behaviour and this addiction can be just as dangerous as addiction to substances.
For example, there are persons who are addicted to gambling, others to womanising; others to more deviant behaviour. These persons need help also. They suffer just as much, and their suffering is often just as recognised as those who abuse substances.
There is also a more dangerous addition in Guyana. It is the addiction towards vitriol. There are persons in Guyana who need their daily doses of vitriol. They need to indulge in their daily medication of anti-government vitriol. If they do not read, hear or blog something against the government, they often find themselves in serious distress.
Some of them suffer so much that if anyone dares say something complimentary of the government or says something that is perceived as critical of the opposition, it throws these addicts into a fit. They cannot control themselves and often are unable to offer any intelligent rebuttal, find themselves in a fit whenever they perceive even the slightest of praises for the government.
Each day, these individuals have to go to the sources of the news and commentaries to get their “high”. If they don’t, they end up walking around restless and grumpy.
When they do not receive satisfactory amounts of vitriol, these persons can end up becoming extremely bitter and anxious.
There are varying degrees of this “addiction” and varying reaction to triggers. Often, if someone takes a position in contradiction to the addict, that person ends up facing the wrath of the addict’s tongue.
These addicts need help. Even if they continue to receive their daily doses of vitriol, they will continue to suffer and deteriorate. They need help but are often unwilling to accept that they are ill and they should seek assistance.
These persons are on both sides of the political divide and also in all ideological categories. They support all kinds of political parties; they can be communist or socialist and they are often intolerant towards criticism.
Whichever political party wins general elections usually have to address many problems including the problems of its citizens. But it should at least also try to address the problems of those persons who suffer so much each day, who cannot exist unless they receive their daily dose of vitriol.
The government must be sympathetic to these individuals even though some of them may not be supporters of the government. They have to try to find a way of weaning these persons off of their addiction. Please help them!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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