School speaker and addiction expert reveals why people become addicts or bullies

Addicts and bullies all have one thing in common, they believe something is wrong with them. This article explains the root cause of such activities and how addicts and bullies can begin to overcome the challenges they face. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, one in every 10 Canadians is addicted to alcohol or drugs. While this is a large figure, it does not take into account the number of individuals who struggle with addiction to non-related substances such as food or cigarettes. In today’s society, addiction has become a common concern that many people face at some point in time. Just as concerning, the act of bullying has increased significantly among school students, sparking unnecessary suicides and deadly attacks on fellow students and teachers. Without doubt, addiction and bullying are two prevalent problems in today’s society. To better understand addicts and bullies, it is important to first realize what causes an individual to resort to such tactics. According to Scott Gallagher an addictions expert and school speaker, addicts and bullies often believe they have something wrong with them. To compensate for these feelings, they turn to an addiction for relief or put other people down to feel better about themselves. “Every single addict, every single bully, blames other people for their problems,” Gallagher said during an addiction prevention presentation. “Let me ask you this, if your parent is an alcoholic, does that guarantee you will be too? No, it is all about choice. Life is all about choice.” According to Gallagher before a person can overcome their addiction or bad habits, they must first come to terms with how they feel about themselves. As a former addict and bully, Gallagher uses himself as an example. As a child, Gallagher said he believed he was “normal,” an equal to his peers. However, as certain events unfolded in his life, Gallagher chose to make certain decisions based on these events. Over time, he began to believe something was wrong with him. To compensate, Gallagher formed addictions and became a bully to cope with what he considered his abnormalities. It wasn’t until Gallagher came to terms with the fact that he had made himself feel inadequate through his own choices that he was able to overcome his addictions. As part of his addiction prevention and bullying program, Gallagher teaches students they must realize they too are normal. “There is nothing wrong with you, just as there was nothing wrong with me,” he said. Gallagher also warns that even the simplest of thoughts can lead to addiction or bullying. For him, it started in second grade when a student stood in front of the class and talked about his father. Gallagher did not have a father at home and made the choice to believe something was wrong with him and that is why his father didn’t live with him. Like all other addicts and bullies, Gallagher made a decision about himself that was not only untrue, but led to unhealthy activities. In short, individuals who become bullies or addicts misinterpret events in their life that cause them to believe there is something wrong with them. They then turn to drugs, food, bullying behavior, or some other vice to make themselves feel better.