Addiction & Recovery
Most people look at the addicted person and see a waste of life; others see lost potential. As for me, I see a person who is moments away from a spiritual awakening that can change not only their life, but possibly the world. Does this sound like and outrageous claim to you? Well, let me back it up.
Let’s go all the way back to the early 1930s. There you will find a man, a drunkard named Bill Wilson (later in life to become famously known as Bill W.) This man could not stop drinking, or if he could stop, it would not be for long. And each time he started again, his drinking became worse and worse. He was in and out of hospitals four times and was at the end of his rope. His family and friends were fed up with his antics. His drinking ruined his reputation at work, and it was known that he could not be relied upon. By all accounts, this man was the living example of a wasted life, sure to die a premature, painful, and lonely death.
Enter the unknown, the unforeseen, and the miracle, if you will. This is where the unexpected comes in to play and why, as humans, we should always hold the space for our reality to change and our consciousness to expand. Bill, the life long drunkard, found sobriety; he also found a way to keep it. According to Wilson, while lying in bed, depressed and despairing, he cried out, “I’ll do anything! Anything at all! If there be a God, let Him show Himself!” He then had the sensation of a bright light, a feeling of ecstasy, and a new serenity. He never drank again for the remainder of his life.
Does this story sound similar to anyone we know?
In finding his own sobriety, he also co-created the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, hence changing not only his life and the lives a few people around him, but actually changing the lives of millions around world. The 12 steps have long since been the most effective method for those suffering from “hard” addiction to achieve sobriety. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the 12 steps, many members have achieved a level of freedom that many without an addiction in their lives may never experience.
The Bill W. story is a glaring example of how, by eliminating a detrimental aspect of one’s life, you can then open up the space for something truly transformational to take place in the world. This is available to all of us, as we were all created in the image and likeness of God.
God does not reserve greatness for only a select few, and we all have had or will have opportunities presented in our lifetime to do great things. For me, I choose to seek the path that will enrich the lives of those who are presented to me. It would bring great joy to my life if what I have learned and experienced through the messages of Conversations with God and the 12 steps could be given to those to whom happiness, joy, and freedom have not frequented.
What gift could you bring to the world? And what would have to change in your life to make that happen? Are you ready to take those steps today? What is your greatness potential?
(Kevin McCormack is a Conversations with God Life Coach, a Spiritual helper on www.changingchange.net, addictions & recovery advisor. To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@theglobalconversation.com.)
(Questions in the ADVICE column are answered by a team of life coaches who write for this online publication. Address questions to:Advice@TheGlobalConversation.com.)
The accepted definition of “addiction” in the medical community is “continued use in spite of negative consequences.”
Now combine that with Conversations with God’s definition: We experience addiction when the absence of something in our life renders us unable to experience joy and happiness.
Let’s look at humanity’s addiction to our story.
What is “story”? Story is a tool the ego uses to protect the small us, the physical sense of who we are. An observation of mine is that most beings are living in a distorted reality as a result of our ego protecting what it has made up about what it imagines we are lacking. We then take that out into the world, either silently or quite loudly. Some of us sneak through life quietly, hoping to not be noticed due to our story that we are simply not good enough; others have to be the center of attention, the loudest person in the room, for fear that they, too, will be seen as insufficient. We all know the person who is always ready to knock someone else down in order to prop themselves up.
We have all heard someone tell stories like, “I would have gotten the promotion, but my boss doesn’t like people who are taller than him” or “Jane broke up with me because she didn’t like how I say what is on my mind” or “The cops had it in for me because I have tattoos.”
Is that person really higher up or more evolved than the rest of us, therefore deserving of their self-created pedestal? Is anyone greater or less than another? Are we addicted to our separation? Are our hang-ups holding us back from experiencing life in all its grandness?
Why is it that many of us tend to hide behind a story? A reason for why we act the way we act? Are we really just acting out our lives here in this grand illusion to protect ourselves from some unforeseen danger?
What makes some people rise above their story? What is your story and when will you change it or, at the very least, challenge it? What would it look like if you did this? What would the world look like if we all managed to get out from under our self- imposed prisons?
By now almost everyone has heard the saying “The truth will set you free,” yet not too many people are willing to tell the truth even to themselves. Does the truth hurt or does it truly open us to more freedom and joy?
(Kevin McCormack may be reached at Kevin@TheGlobalConversation.com)
Chances are high that you or someone near to you has been impacted by the adverse effects of alcohol or drug addiction. Addiction is the single-most destructive disease facing humanity right now. And this nondiscriminatory affliction is passed down from generation to generation.
In 1966 the American Medical Association classified addiction as a disease which takes place in the brain and can be detected using DNA testing. Even considering the aforementioned medical conclusion, why is it that we still attach so much shame to this affliction? Addiction thrives in the darkness, hidden from friends and families, neighbors and colleagues. Why do we keep it hidden in the shadows, away from those who could offer assistance in arresting the disease?
We do not attach this level of shame to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other deadly diseases. Could this be an area of attention that the world is overlooking, an obstacle that, if overcome, could propel us into a more advanced and compassionate society? What are we being called to do here? Who are we being called to be?
How do we overcome the intense denial that permeates entire families, a denial often driven by the stigma so commonly attached to the label of “addiction”? Family members of the addicted wish for the person struggling with the stranglehold of this disease to “come around” or “see the light” through their insistent prodding; however, more often than not, the family becomes an extension of the illness. Everyone can see that the addict is in distress; his or her behavior is obvious. But what is not so easily seen is that the family, too, is nonetheless addicted. They are addicted to the drama, the confusion, the control, all of which produce naturally occurring chemicals that stimulate the same receptors in the brain as the addict who is actively introducing drugs or alcohol into their body.
When an addict has reached the end of their rope, they reach out and ask for help. It has been written time and time again that there is power in numbers. The Bible states, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Is there someone in your life who is living in the darkness of addiction? Have you been overlooking or possibly even avoiding an opportunity to help someone rediscover who they really are? Could this be the wake-up call in your life that invites you yourself to step out of the darkness and into the healing light and say, “I could use a hand?”
You are not alone. Not now. Not ever.
