32 Reasons Addiction is Both A Gift and a Curse
Addiction is a Curse:
1. It is a curse because in active addiction one
DOES NOT HAVE A CHOICE.
2. It is a curse when you are taking a substance that you know is harming you and no matter how much destruction you know it is causing to your body you just cannot stop.
3. It is a curse when loved ones have to bear witness to the self-centered, destructive, actions of some one in active addiction.
4. It is a curse because it leads one to reach out to anything to help fill the emptiness within-the spiritual void. It constantly has us looking for that person, place, or thing that will make everything all right and that will help us cope with daiy living and reality.
5. It is a curse when one walks around in denial that they are in fact an addict.
6. It is a curse when the disease of addiction has someone convinced that just because they are still functioning in their job, earning an income, and have a roof over their head they could not possibly be considered an addict.
7. It is a curse when using for fun on the weekends turns into having to use every day of the week.
8. It is a curse when one thinks an addict is only someone who is a junkie living on the streets and not someone who is a mom that takes prescription painkillers everyday.
9. It is a curse when a person does not want to reach out for help because they think it would be a sign of weakness or sickness in the eyes of society.
10. It is a curse when the shame is to great to to ask for help.
11. It is a curse when people around do not understand the nature of addiction and do not take the time to understand addiction is a symptom of deeper core issues that are both psychological and physiological in nature.
12. It is a curse a person thinks addiction only applies to "drugs and alcohol." (Alcohol is a drug)
13. It is a curse when one has sought out a path of recovery and then chooses to go back out and use again.
14. It is a curse when you are in a recovery program and do not apply the simple suggestions laid out to maintain a solid path of recovery.
15. It is a curse when one is clean but living dirty. Putting down the substance or behavior does not equal recovery.
16. It is a curse because the ultimate goal of the dis-ease of addiction is to take a person to their death.
Only an addict knows that throbbing sensation of every cell in their body screaming for just one more. The addict knows the agony that is felt when every fiber of their being is pulsating with the need to satisfy the craving. An addict knows the curse of obsessive thoughts that do stop until the compulsive actions kick in to do whatever needs to be done to feed the addiction. The thoughts that just cry for one more hit over and over and over. Whatever needs to be done to stop them..….
Addiction is a Gift:
1. It is a gift if one understands addiction is a symptom of a deep emotional core issue(s) and/or physiological and energetic imbalances.
2. It is a gift because it alerts people to the reality that something within is just not right. Something needs to be paid attention too. It provides an opportunity for the suffering addict to learn about themselves on a deep level and to heal deep emotional wounds, traumas, and core issues that otherwise would cause pain and heartache for the rest of ones life.
3. It is a gift that leads people into support communities with others who understand how someone with the dis-ease of addiction thinks, functions, and, interacts with society.
4. It is a gift because someone with the dis-ease of addiction can reach out and be there for another who is suffering. An addict understands another addict in a way others may not. There is a therapeutic value when one addict helps another.
5. It is a gift because it creates an incredible sense of compassion for self and others and deep sense of humility.
6. It is a gift because it teaches self-forgiveness and forgiveness towards others.
7. It is a gift because having the dis-ease of addiction teaches us to live "
just for today" and that every day without using is a day won.
8. It is a gift because people who are addicts come to understand the power there is in
"surrendering to win."
9. It is a gift because it allows a bunch of self-centered, self-obsessed people learn how to put into practice spiritual principles and actions such as humility, compassion, self-love, love for others, forgiveness, and selfless service.
10. It is a gift because gratitude is learned and experienced at a deep level.
11. It is a gift because when one realizes they have the dis-ease of addiction they can rest assured they are not defective or have a moral deficiency. There is hope.
12. It is a gift because it teaches us to believe there is something greater than ourselves that can assist us in life…..beginning with lifting the desire to use and/or act out in a destructive behavior.
13. It is a gift because it leads one to better understand that feeling of emptiness within that they were trying to fill with drugs/alcohol, etc.
14. It is a gift because it brings awareness to the need to be honest with self and others.
15. It is a gift because when one becomes aware they are an addict they can begin to move out of a life lived in fear.
16. It is a gift because it can lead one to an spiritual awakening.
When I speak of addiction as a gift I am speaking of it when one has started down a path of recovery. That is when addiction turns into a gift. Until then it can feel like a curse. If I am following the suggestions given to me that have assisted countless other addicts in staying clean and living a life based on spiritual principles on a day to day basis then addiction is a gift. If I don't follow the simple time tested suggestions than addiction can quickly become a curse.
There are different paths of recovery out there one can choose to walk down mine just happens to be the path of 12 steps. I do struggle from time to time with being in a 12 step environment. There are some things about it that I just don't resonate with, but, the benefits far outweigh the parts of it that bother me. It has saved my life in many ways. It provides the "handbook" on how to face ones self and the insanity that is created in ones life from active addiction. It teaches an addict how to take responsibility for their past actions, understand who they are, become aware of their assets as well as defects, ask for defects to be removed, make amends to others as needed, and give back to society through selfless service work.
It ultimately teaches one how to grow up and be a responsible member of society living a life based on spiritual NOT RELIGIOUS principles.
Is addiction going to be a gift or a curse for me today?
I don't know. It is all up to what I choose.
Today I have a choice and I thank recovery for that.
The above is a list largely based on my own personal experience and reflection. I asked input from a couple other of addicts and added their "gifts of addiction" to the list. I know that I could not possibly think of every gift and curse there is because I am but one human. If you can relate to anything shared above and have your own "gift or curse of addiction" to share then I invite you to please post it in the comment section below. The world can not have to many blogs and articles out there written from the experience of actual recovering addicts.
Please remember being qualified as an addict is not limited to using "illegal substances." It includes any mind- altering, mood changing substance or behavior that you are not able to stop using or acting out on. That is any substance or behavior that creates unmanagability and insanity in your life.
I am not bold enough to claim addiction can be cured. I know there are tools and techniques for people out there to utilize to bring their physiological and energetic imbalances back into balance. There are plenty of therapeutic resources to assist with healing trauma and core issues. I know there are steps to take on a daily basis to assist with keeping the dis-ease "arrested." I do know from experience that on any given day no matter how many years I have gone without using, and how many times I have been in therapy, or how many 12 step meetings I have attended the desire to want to use can return. That is why I stick with a program to keep me in check and I keep in touch with other recovering addicts to remind me of this. I also remember to look at the gifts it has given me.
There is hope for a new life. If you are someone who is suffering from this dis-ease or you know someone who may be in active addiction remember nobody has to go through it alone. There is help out there. Everywhere. People who understand and do not shame. People who know what it is like and can help guide you to a new way of life. There are thousands of people right now just waiting to reach their hand out and pull you out of the darkness and into the light.
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" Great Spirit. Please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Just For Today."
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