Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Addiction Analysis

In the novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, addiction plays a major role. It is not so much an addiction to the elixir, but more so an addiction Jekyll has to his evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll’s own exploration of self, his refusal to give up Hyde, and his physical transformation are all components of his addiction. It is Jekyll’s obsession with the other half of his personality that he cannot give up. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine,
“Psychological addiction, as opposed to physiological addiction, is a person's need to use a drug or engage in a behavior despite the harm caused out of desire for the effects it produces, rather than to relieve withdrawal symptoms. Instead of an actual physiological
Jekyll in its clutches. Jekyll gives the classic speech that every addict gives when he tells Mr. Utterson, “Just put your good heart to rest. I will tell you one thing: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde” (Stevenson 13). Throughout the course of addiction there are many stages that someone can go through. In this quote, Dr. Jekyll assures Mr. Utterson, a close friend of his, that he can rid himself of Mr. Hyde whenever he wanted to. This is a common defense mechanism of people suffering from addiction. Addicts repeatedly deny the fact that they do indeed have a problem. They are constantly reassuring their friends and family that they are fine and can give up their addictions whenever they choose. However, this was obviously not the case. Every time Jekyll tried to detoxify himself from Mr. Hyde, he would grow deathly ill. Just as someone with a drug or alcohol addiction would go through withdrawals. The Caron Foundation classifies detoxification as “the process of removing all the harmful toxins that alcohol brings into the body”. Detoxification can cause someones body to go into withdrawal, and shut down. According AddictionsandRecovery.org, “Withdrawal occurs because your brain works like a spring when it comes to addiction. Drugs and alcohol are brain depressants that push down the spring. When you stop using drugs or alcohol its like taking the weight off the spring, and your brain rebounds by producing a surge of adrenaline