jublke
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08-03-2013 05:45
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ChrisW
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I could see Cronus being a drinker if you're taking the "lots of regrets" angle. The Chief on stims, yeah, I can picture that too, at least at times. Anyone on the team is at risk with things like pain meds, since they probably get the strong ones. Given that this is war, everyone on the team probably has some form of PTSD, and there's all kinds of ways to self-medicate. Tiny probably sticks with food. 
With such a physically demanding job, being a raging alcoholic or whatnot while also being an active member of the team could be hard to pull off and hide. Of course, that could mean that person turned to other stuff to pep them up, etc., when they needed it, which would compound the problem.
I can totally see Joe and even Ken at times feeling the need to just get wasted after a particularly bad encounter. Ryu too. I can see alcoholism becoming an issue for any of the 4 survivors in the 2 yrs between Gatch I and II, since the team is "Active" but not really in use.
Then there's the opposite, where some of them might totally be clean living, the body is a temple types.
Whenever you have characters in war there's a chance they'll turn to something to "help them through it." I think that's even true for BOTP, even if things aren't as dark as they are in Gatch.
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08-03-2013 06:35
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amethyst
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Addiction is multifaceted, it affects not just the person who is addicted, but the people around them.
The first thing I'd do is look at the people in real life and how it affects them: the person who can't start their day without a cup of coffee or cigarette (or both), the person who can't get through the day without a handful of pain pills every few hours, the person who has to have a drink every night with dinner, the person who can't get to sleep without a little bit of assistance. These are everyday addictions that most people don't even think about until health, money, or some other issue forces us to deal with them.
After that, I'd think about the ways we become addicted. We can be chemically addicted, like TJ's example of the Jem'Hadar, who cannot function without the drug (It's been awhile, but haven't they been addicted so long it has become part of their genetic makeup?); we can become psychologically addicted (this my argument when people say marijuana is not addicted, because they are only looking at chemical dependency, not psycho/emotional need); and physical/habitual (the physical manifestation of they psycho/emotional need) such as the smoker who needs something to do with his hands, or sucking on a feather shuriken (this may be why some writers like to write Joe/Jason as a smoker).
That being said, while some personalities are more prone to addiction than others, and some are genetically predisposed, anyone can become addicted to any thing. Some people appear to be immune from addiction. For example, genetic predisposition to addiction is strong on my father's side of my family; alcohol and tobacco are the mildest of the addictions. My father tried to stop smoking for most of my life. He was never successful until he had to have part of his lung removed. My mother on the other hand came home one day, threw a pack away and never smoked again.
People with addictions are often keenly aware, though some are in denial, and they are all extremely good at hiding it. It is partly why 12 step programs are all about admitting even the smallest transgressions, if you can be honest with others, you can be honest with yourself.
If I were you, I'd avoid the extremes and stereotypes, the addictions so bad interventions are needed. Mostly because the set up for something like that with existing characters who appear to have no history of addiction is a story in itself, but also as Chris said above by that point it is no longer hidden, and while the person may think he/she is in control, they obviously aren't and with the team, it would show in performance even before it got to that point. For most people it also takes years to get to that point.
Consider, focusing on the coping needs. This is where either Anderson or Cronus could be alcoholics, they need that drink at the end of the day, closet smokers (there is a hint of this with Nambu in Gatchaman), or even pill poppers, except for the smell of nicotine, these habits are easier to hide, could go hand in hand. Also, remember that uppers could need downers -- caffeine all day, alcohol all night.
With all the pressure he is under, Mark may need something to help in sleep, but then he may need something to get him through the day. If a little bit works good, a lot works better. It is a slippery slop and self-perpetuating cycle.
And I've probably written way to much ...
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08-03-2013 17:02
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ChrisW
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I have a friend who seems completely immune to addiction, at least where it comes to substances. She can smoke a cigarette or not, drink or not, take a drug or not, whatever. My addictive personality (thanks dad's side of the family!) has such trouble understanding that as I avoid a lot of that stuff entirely (cigarettes, drugs) or most of the time (alcohol). Now if I could just kick my sugar addiction.
Also, I remember reading an article about high performance athletes (professionals, Olympians, etc) that said that such heavy training is also addictive. That's supposed to be why so many of these athletes fall into drugs or other coping mechanism when they stop competing. Ever since I read that, I've figured the team would have that same issue at the end of the war.
TJ: That's an interesting premise. If the implants create an addiction, I wonder if it's an escalating addiction that always needs more ... imagine Anderson's people suddenly realizing that they keep having to amp up the implants. How far would that have to go and when would it start causing all kinds of problems? "Uh, we turned up Princess's implant settings today and she went psychotic, but when we turn them down she goes into massive withdrawl. So far 5 people are in the hospital, not including the poor guy she bit!"
Better stop letting the imagination ramble ...
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09-03-2013 02:01
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amethyst
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| quote: | Originally posted by ChrisW
My addictive personality (thanks dad's side of the family!) has such trouble understanding that as I avoid a lot of that stuff entirely (cigarettes, drugs) or most of the time (alcohol). |
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I'm the same way. I'm lucky in that I have asthma and tobacco is one of the triggers, I can't breathe around it, why would I want to inhale it.
I avoided drugs at the age when most were getting into them because of it, too, but for entirely different reasons. I was on theophylline as my preventative at the time. It is no longer available because it causes major seizures (fortunately I never had any), but I was too scared by what it would do to me mixed with something else to even try.
Alcohol is a different story ... I always considered myself an occasional social drinker. Then my dad got sick and passed away, and occasional become regular. I used to have a philosophy that if I needed a drink, I didn't have it, then I stopped listening to myself. When I recognized the habit, I stopped immediately, but it left some scares. I have a harder time with stopping with just one drink, so unless I'm certain that I won't be needed to drive or anything else, I just won't drink. So far I've only done that twice this year, and before that, it was several months. It also helps that I'm a picky drinker, too.
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09-03-2013 14:54
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jublke
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10-03-2013 05:27
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gatchamarie
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It's amazing how writing things down, even using other, imaginary characters, could be liberating, isn't it?! For me it works wonders! Aargh ... right now I'm exploding with emotions that need to burst out but I don't have the time to write them down! Maybe that's why this thread has reminded me of my own addictions, which, for me, I deem necessary to keep on going (even if not everyone might understand), and with which I can maybe give an example as my own answer to this thread! Sorry Jublke if I might be repeating many of the others' valuable contributions! All of Chris's, Ame's and TJ's spot-on opinions have covered the topic so well! And, Ame ... pls do not apologise for your input ... your words are just priceless!
Obviously, I can only speak from the Gatchaman series point of view, since I can't deem myself as very knowledgable regarding BotP!
I agree with you, Jublke, but at the same time I also agree with what the others are saying regarding any addictions which arrive to the "not being able to turn back" point! This I might have to explain further, so please bear with me, especially since I don't know whether I'm able to deliver my message well, regarding this hot topic, with my writing!
I can picture all the team members, except for Jinpei, including Nambu and Red Impulse, having to rely upon "something" in order to cope with such a stressful situation as a war can be ... everyone having their own, different, characteristical frustrations and inner battles to deal with, not leaving out the already unfortunate past of many of them! Ken, with all his responsibilities, perfectionism, and overworking mind, and Joe, throughout his vendictive lifestyle, full of sour memories and loner attitude, are the two which I deem could be more prone to start! Red Impulse surely had his own demons too, as Nambu himself, since, albeit his reserved attitude, he must surely have had much going on in the inside, with many wishful, unshown emotions towards his loved ones adding up to his own huge responsibility! Ryu could have been more frustrated than he so rarely showed about his always being left behind, not leaving out the issue he once had with his family, and Jun had to always wear a strong mask in order to straighten things up, strengthen others' feelings, and to hide her own female emotions!
As CW well said, many temptations could have well arisen during the inactive period between Gatch I and Gatch II. As you rightly said too, Jublke, these might have also started to tease as the war dragged on without any definite sign of ceasing at any point in time, and with different enemies uncessantly popping out along with the ever indistructable alien! Again, emotional and physical stress, heavy responsibilities (both towards the team and towards the whole worldwide population), personal losses throughout the journey, the unavoidable need to continue being fully active albeit feeling exhausted, and much more, could have well lead to the need of leaning on any type of dependency!
What I'm thinking of, though, is that, especially speaking about the team members, they were surely medically monitored on a regular basis, due to their type of job! So, any abuse of substances would have surely been detected! What I'd like to think is that there could have been some form of medically controlled intake, which could have helped them to cope with their situation. Surely, they were good friends with painkillers! In canon we didn't see any kind of psychiatric help in those dire situations such as the Jigokiller story, the loss of Red Impulse and the very Condor at the end of Gatch I, etc! As I said, I'd like to think that there had really been that extra helping hand behind the scenes!
I'm also sure that each and every one of them knew how to control their alcohol intake in order not to let their system shut down, since they were always on call! Ahem ... speaking from experience, drinking a glass or two ... or three ... has a relieving effect when feeling temporarily free from physical and emotional restraints! I'm saying so because I, myself, know that the only instant when I don't feel any pain from my condition (since I've come to the point where many painkillers are of no effect, and where anti-inflammatory medications are rejected by my system), when my body loosens up, and when I'd be 100% myself without all the masks and restrictions, is when I drink, but fortunately fully knowledgable where and when I'd have to stop! This I cannot do as much as I like, though, since I know that the day after I'd feel worse, apart from the hangover, and apart from the fact that I have kids and other persons whom I have to take care of! Moreover, I'm also certain that most of them were sleep deprived (I don't know why Ken always comes to my mind, first!), so something to help them sleep must have also played its part! Since sleeping pills are addictive, controlled narcotics could have been an option, as sleep is not a luxury but a necessity for the body, and mind, to function well and heal itself from any injuries in the process! Yep ... I have to confess that I'm in the club!
Now I really have to stop! The word count alert has just popped up! Thousand apologies if I might be the culprit of any beginning of aspirine addictions!!
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11-03-2013 15:22
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jublke
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Appreciate your thoughts, Gatchamarie. Sometimes I wonder, for those of us with addictive personalities (speaking only of myself here), if the only solution is to choose good - or at least not too bad - things to be "addicted" to: friendship, coffee, poetry, writing fanfic, keeping up on celeb gossip being the ones that immediately spring to mind for me. Unfortunately, my bouts with migraine preclude anything with caffeine, including my former favorite addiction of chocolate. I MISS CHOCOLATE! 
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11-03-2013 17:51
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ChrisW
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Somehow I think some of the Gatch team could figure out how to mess with the medical monitoring. Or, they'd experiment with just where the lines are as far as what they can get away with. I can see Ken and Joe getting plastered on occasion but it'd be, say, right after a really difficult, long mission where there would typically be a hiatus before Galactor would act again.
The BOTP team has a much bigger support staff than the Gatch team (so more eyes on them), and the implants could do a certain amount of monitoring. That'd be tougher to beat. However, with all the data those things would produce, no one may think to look and see if, say, Mark has been drinking too much, given that he's considered so level-headed and on top of things.
I'd think that, because this is war (in both versions), a certain amount of tomfoolery during their off time would be tolerated as a way of blowing off steam before something bad happens while they're on duty or on a mission. The Chief or Nambu might be somewhat aware of a developing situation and watching it carefully to see if an intervention is needed. Though in jublke's story, the Chief is probably a bit off his game with all the stuff around his sister.
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This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by ChrisW on 12-03-2013 at 04:55.
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12-03-2013 04:53
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jublke
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13-03-2013 16:48
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