IS ADDICTION A DISEASE OR A LIFESTYLE CHOICE?

Someone recently asked me if I thought addiction is a disease or a choice.

It is neither. 

I don't buy into the so-called "evidence" that an addict's brain is formed differently from birth than a normal brain. The fact that active addict brains were used in studies, rather than PRE-active addict brains, proves the study was flawed.

An addict's brain certainly can become DE-formed from the damage caused by alcohol and drugs, but that comes after decades of drug or alcohol abuse. So, apart from withdrawal symptoms, which are easily treated, addiction is not a medical disease at all, in my experience. 


Addiction is a case of spiritual dis-ease (dis-ease as in unease) with every addict I've ever met, meaning that emotional wounds caused by emotional trauma (abuse or loss) are the common thread with all addicts, whether the wounds are caused by some type of mental, physical, or sexual abuse or wounds caused by loss, such as the death of a loved one or a divorce in the child's family, to name a couple of examples.

Addicts use alcohol and/or drugs to escape emotional pain. As far as addiction being a "choice", it's kind of like having untreated poison ivy and choosing whether or not to scratch your arm or leg when the itch is driving you crazy. You can tell yourself you won't scratch it, but the itch will tell you different. Guess which one is going to win. The obsession to drink or use is the same. Until the source of the problem has been addressed, the urge to drink/use will whisper in your ear constantly, just like the voice that tells you to scratch your poison ivy. 

Addiction is a symptom of emotional wounds and not the source of the problem. Heal the wounds that drive a person to drink/use and the obsession disappears for good.

How To Become Cured Of Addiction

The quotation in the photo below is EXACTLY what spiritual healing means.

We are no longer a prisoner to the emotional wounds of the past. We are no longer "forever recovering, lifelong addicts" or perpetual slaves to depression, anxiety, PTSD, or a mile long list of so-called "mental disorders".

We become cured, former, fully recovered through the Grace of a Higher Power. A power not one human on earth could ever hope to replicate.

People looking for help with addiction and other issues are being sold a faulty bill of goods. They are being told they suffer from an incurable disease that can only be managed, never cured.

To believe addiction can't be cured is to believe in a God with limited abilities - or no belief in a God at all.

If you or a loved one needs help with addiction, there is a way through it. The only questions are how willing and how badly we are to trust. There's nothing to lose by trying when you stop to consider that the average success rate for addicts entering rehab or a program is less than 10%.

Let's Have A Little Heart-To-Heart Talk

Heart-To-Heart Communication

“How are you?” is quite possibly the world’s most insincere question. Why? Because no one really wants to hear about other peoples’ problems. “I’m fine, thanks” is the only expected and accepted reply. Tell people you feel tired, depressed, or upset and they'll slowly begin to back away towards the door.

We’ve all got enough problems of our own, right? Who needs to hear about yours? Nor do most of us like to discuss our own problems. We prefer to keep them to ourselves due to guilt, shame or embarrassment. We feel awkward and uncomfortable sharing our weaknesses with others and we feel equally awkward when we don’t know how to respond to theirs.
 

We tend to keep our troubles to ourselves and expect others to do the same. Many people swallow their pain, hoping it will somehow disappear. But some problems never go away by themselves. Contrary to popular belief, time does not heal all wounds. Instead, emotional wounds surface in all sorts of ways and none of them are good. We isolate, cutting ourselves off from others. We over eat, drink, use illegal drugs, or become angry, anxious, lonely and depressed. Some put on a brave smile to hide their pain, while others become anti-social, irritable, and even hostile.

Others use prescription drugs. Close to 70 percent of all Americans are currently on at least one prescription drug and 70 million of us are under the influence of a mind altering prescription drug as you read these words. If that’s not enough, another 60 million “problem” drinkers abuse alcohol on a regular basis and 22 million Americans are using illegal drugs. Translation? America is severely spiritually ill. How many of these people use alcohol or drugs to numb emotional pain caused by emotional trauma they have suffered in the past? It’s safe to say virtually all of them.

If only they were given a prescription for hugs, not drugs. If only they had someone who cared enough to listen to them. Well, guess what? We 3 Steps To Spiritual Healing group members are that someone. Together we can learn how to listen and talk to one another from our heart, rather than only the mind, which is the first step to helping others (and ourselves) learn how to heal from within.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking about tonight’s dinner while someone is talking, it’s a sure sign we’re thinking from the head, not listening from the heart. Our ears hear them, but our heart does not. Learning to truly listen is easy. Simply focus on the other person using your heart and soul and make a conscious decision to connect with them. The heart and soul always feel love and empathy for others, without judging their flaws or faults. You won’t always get through to everyone the first time you try, but you will form a bond of sharing and caring with others that will last a lifetime. In the process, you will not only help another person to heal, but will begin to grow and heal yourself.

I’d like us to practice listening from the heart here in our own group. When someone is speaking, please try to give 100% of your attention to feeling what they say, as well as listening. Avoid thinking about your reply while they are still talking. When we think only about our reply, we are missing important information the other person is trying to tell us.

We are not just human beings having a spiritual experience. We are also spiritual beings having a human experience.