Addiction is defined as a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.
Break free of addiction whether it is food, alcohol, drugs, relationships, negativity, gambling, or another form or substance or behavior that has power over you and your life. Any of the above will take you down and take you out of your life once the invisible line from heavy use, to addictive use is crossed.
The fallout of the behaviors that result from addiction are innumerable and most of the time. They cannot successfully be fought alone.
What does this mean? In a nutshell, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. A new life plan of action must be developed and followed. How does one do that? There is no one formula but the person must be addressed as a whole. We are spiritual, physical, and thinking beings. All of these must be addressed. Think of a three legged stool. If you are missing just one of the legs, it is impossible to achieve a seat, a balance.
A huge part of the healing begins with the notion that nature abhors a vacuum. When you remove the substance or the behavior it must be replaced by healthier choices. The old negative thinking must be rooted out and replaced with positive thoughts. The emptiness of the spirit must be filled with whatever notion of spirituality makes sense to the individual. The body must ultimately be completely abstinent from the substance of choice so that it can heal and support the other two legs.
“It takes a village” means put together a healing team. I had a friend who was a well respected psychologist who was also a recovering addict. I asked him what he would tell someone who is trying to get clean and he said, “I have a whole bunch of people on my health team.” He has an acupuncturist, a sponsor and a 12 step program, a doctor, a hypnotherapist, a mentor/life coach and a massage therapist. He said he rarely went into his head alone because it was “a dangerous neighborhood.”
In this day and age, 12 step programs are in 150 countries around the world. There are also rehabilitation facilities and out patient living situations prevalent in the larger cities which are a great jumpstart to detox. Some people prefer a recovery life coach either as the primary program or as an addition to their after care. Regardless, addiction is not easy, it is not to be taken lightly and it is to be fought unapologetically.
Remember that the head that got you into whatever tumult you may be experiencing, cannot be the head that gets you out. You do not have to do this alone and it can be done!
