A horrible metaphor of our post-modern society is addiction. The addiction to drugs, alcohol, cocaine, and culturally sanctioned, corporatized prescription medications is arguably one of the greatest problems facing Western society today.
When addiction(s) hook you, they take your longing captive; and freedom is invaded by an attachment—the need for more.
The depth and complexity of the addict’s life squeezes into one absolute need. Regardless of the presence of folks who love you, the gifts that you have, the life that you could have—your life now has only one need—the drug.
Addicts/Alcoholics live under the guise of dispossession, which is really the only way to bury the scream of critics and the mishandling of a destiny that finally assures you of nothing.
The longing of the Addict/Alcoholic is a craving that s/he will sacrifice for all other belonging.
It is astounding how the inner world of the human heart has a capacity for such absolute single-mindedness.
Addiction/Alcoholism is a longing that is utterly hell-bent, bound and determined. It is similar to a psychic malignancy that completely sucks all the energy into specific obsessions and compulsions.
There is no longer any distance between the Addict’s longing and the drug. The longing now determines life.
The drug has the power of a sinister God.
The sinister God is what the addict/alcoholic worships, what s/he attends to, where s/he gives their time and energy instead of love.
This sinister God has the power to awaken absolute passion and it demands absolute obedience.
The drug is an anonymous and unattractive piece of phenomenon. For the Addict/Alcoholic, however, this banal corporeality shines like the most glorious diamond imaginable.
When the eye sees it, the longing is already traveling in the direction of pure joy. No wonder we choose names for drugs like “Ecstasy, Angel Dust, Candy.”
The Addict/Alcoholic has no memory. Denial is a mechanism that flourishes and advances and completely exterminates all logic. All time is now; either the joy of the now or the tortured now of the longing for the fix.
Far away from the dingy, filthy streets where the Addict/Alcoholic moves, probably out in the most scenic, picturesque and beautiful area of the city, live the dealers and pharmacists (licensed and unlicensed).
They make their wealth from the misery of the poor, demented humans for whom the city streets are an underworld.
At a broader cultural level, drug addiction and alcoholism are a profound metaphor for contemporary society. The marginalized addicts and alcoholics are the scapegoats for the collective addiction in contemporary society.
The mentally obsessive and physically compulsive nature of our culture comes to full expression in the Addict.
The Addict is visible, tangible, and vulnerable and always on the margins of longing and belonging.
We need fierce and authentic truth-telling about addiction in our society. If not, many will continue on an addictive path that is increasingly perilous and even deadly.
A bridge needs to be crossed from addiction to healing and recovery. I am writing this article to talk about the bridge that needs to be crossed from addiction to healing and recovery. This bridge I am referring to here is a spiritual, moral, psychological bridge.
I see addiction as coming from unmet needs. The proneness to addiction is not just human nature; it is also a symptom of circumstances, of deeper underlying issues.
So we have to look at changing the circumstances, the social circumstances and/or the psychological circumstances or the life circumstances that lead to addiction.
Perhaps you are someone who views your circumstances as temporary and therefore see your addiction as temporary. Perhaps through self-knowledge and understanding, you may be someone who will ignore the insidious nature of Addiction. Perhaps you are someone who believes you can grow out of your foolish addictive and drunken ways and stop or moderate your consumption.
However, “the actual or potential Addict, Alcoholic, with hardly any exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking and drugging on the basis of self-knowledge.”
Because no amount will ever be enough—that’s what addiction is.
No amount of drugs, alcohol, food, sex, hurtful or abusive relationships will ever meet your need—a need that calls to be filled with love, connection and a sense of belonging, such that you are no longer hungry.
Addiction is a substitute for what we really want.
The real need is to put on the line what you really want. But maybe you can’t put that into words now. It is not a trivial matter to meet that need. And just because you know what it is doesn’t mean you know what to do about it.
The strength will come … just ask.
Blessings and hugs, Paula
