Cesar Sayoc sent crude pipe bombs to major Democratic figures. His aim was to threaten and intimidate, not to injure. He will serve 10 years in prison for domestic terrorism. A straightforward case.

In commenting on attending Trump rallies, Sayoc said, “It became like a newfound drug.” This struck me as a significant insight into the nature of Trump’s “appeal” to a large segment of the US population.

A new form of addiction.

Trump addiction.

Trump as drug.

Most anything can become an object of addiction, even a president. All forms of addiction begin in finding pleasure in something that relieves pain. This phenomenon of pleasure associated with the relief of pain develops craving. Because the relief from pain is short-lived, the craving becomes intense. Seeking the object becomes overwhelming and consuming. The addiction becomes entrenched when the person cannot stop the seeking. Increasing negative consequences do not break the cycle but increase the addictive process.

Most everyone has some degree of addictive process. Those most vulnerable to full-fledged addiction are those subjected to severe trauma. Trauma can occur at any time, even before birth. Pregnant women experiencing high degrees of stress will bear children that are vulnerable. Childhood trauma increases susceptibility to addiction. On-going life trauma of any form ensures that addictive processes will manifest.

If a Trump rally is a new-found drug, as Sayoc says, then the high frequency of Trump rallies serves as a drug supply. What Trump does at rallies becomes what Trump does in Twitter Tweets. The dailyness of this supply ensures ongoing addiction.

Rational attempts to dissuade the addict from the addictive process fail. The pain an addict seeks to relieve derives from the absence or loss of love. This is the root of the vast reservoir of trauma in our society and is why addiction of all forms is epidemic. The same is true of Trump addiction.

There is important reciprocity between Trump addiction and Trump's addiction. Trump had a severe traumatized childhood and the absence of love was striking. This serves as the basis for Trump's glaring addictive processes.

It is easy to have little or no compassion for the addict. It is easy to blame the addict. It is easy to criminalize the addict for crimes committed as an addict. It is easy to seek punishment for the addict. But we all know that none of these "easy" things will help the addict become free from addiction.

As far as I can see, there is no process at work to free Trump from his addictive behaviors. Nor is there any process at work to free those caught in Trump addiction. As far as I can see, everything at work at present only serves to strengthen the grip of these addictions.

The ravages to our system, to our institutions, to equality and to truth itself will continue. In one way or another, we are all caught in this web. Addicted or demoralized by the addiction of others we and everything we value is at risk.