The emotions are energy, and they don't go away if repressed. They are stored in the body. The body is the storehouse of emotional energy that is not adequately processed. As a result, one develops blockages to the healthy flow of energy in the body and nervous system. This reinforces the need for compensatory activity to hide the pain. Addictions are the ultimate way of distracting oneself from the emotional pain one is unwilling to face."

-Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk