Last night at my men's group, we were discussing the roots of addiction. The common theme (among all addicts) is the drive to find a way to hide or push away the pain. At some point in our lives - rather than learn how to cope - we discovered that medicating makes the pain tolerable. "Medicating" can take on many different forms. Over the years, I have come in contact with some of the different "medications" that people use to mange life, some (substance abuse) are obvious - some are not.
Some of the less obvious ones have included violence & control, eating disorders, reality tv (my life sucks so I want to watch YOURS), gaming, obsessions with the supernatural/fantasy, reading (this has been one of mine); work/career and shopping.
It seems as if we can not handle life without help, support and artificial means. I am sure that this says quite a bit about our society as a whole as well as the flaws in humanity. And, as I am sure most recovering addicts can attest - the urge to replace one addiction with another is insidious and often supported by recovery programs. The longer we "use" (whether a true addiction or one of the items listed above), the harder it is to handle life on life's terms. Truly I don't know how people without God in their lives manage to keep putting one foot in front of another. I know that it is only by the grace and mercy of God that I make it through every hour of every day.
This gives the old adage "let go and let God" a whole new twist.
blessings on your day
