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WHAT P.I.G. DO YOU FEED?  P.I.G. is short for Problem of Immediate Gratification, as stated by Dr. Neidigh, Ph.D. of Psychology, and is a unique acronym that fits its meaning more perfectly than most.  The wonderful analogy is drawn from the direct relation to addictions.  To feed the P.I.G. is to feed an addiction.  First we have to look at what a P.I.G. can be, then we have to understand how feeding it creates an addiction, and lastly we can correlate the problem of immediate gratification to the chronic and potentially debilitating need to fulfill the addiction and how understanding the P.I.G. can enable an addict to starve the P.I.G. 

 A P.I.G. can be anything: alcohol, acid, food, marijuana, cigarettes, sex, or any number of other addictions—small or large.  Really anything that people do repetitively (normally with negative outcomes or potentially negative effects) despite the possible harm is an addiction of some sort and for many people it is something they do not really want to do but find themselves doing anyways.  And though some addictions have several complex ways of creating the craving—physical, psychological, and chemical—the problem of immediate gratification is an underlying process in nearly all addicts. 

 What does it mean to “feed” the P.I.G. and how is this related to addictions?  Let us take the example of marijuana for this scenario.  A person is having a rough day and is stressed.  The experience of being calmed by using marijuana in the past creeps into the persons mind saying, “use me to calm down and feel better.”  The person goes and uses a little marijuana to feel good or obtain “immediate gratification.”  Because marijuana does have that specific effect on that person they have the gratification and the P.I.G. grows a little. 

 The correlation to the P.I.G. and chronic and increasing indulgence, as Dr. Neidigh points out, is related to the growth of the P.I.G. as it requires more food (it is larger).  Simply put the larger P.I.G. requires more instant gratification to be sustained and so the person turns to marijuana more often to alleviate the stress induced by the P.I.G. which is craving the immediate gratification (though that gratification is short-lived).  Herein is the cycle of addiction started and sustained with ever growing craving. 

 Understanding the need for immediate gratification and how that gratification supports the growth of the P.I.G. can help grasp an understanding of addictions and the subtle yet powerful control they exert as well as explain the high potential for relapse.  The P.I.G. never goes away—even when starved—and so can reemerge in the future.  With the knowledge of how the P.I.G. controls lives enables people to control the P.I.G..

 Each person may have a different P.I.G. and different levels or sizes of P.I.G..  I challenge you to think hard about what P.I.G. is in your life and recognize that you are feeding it and the problem of immediate gratification only feeds the P.I.G. and makes it larger and thus requiring more food, time, and energy.  Pay attention to your P.I.G. and do not let it grow out of control.