Most people who recognize they have an addiction and fail over and over to overcome it have come to the realization that their addiction is a power greater than themselves. Wouldn’t it make sense to recognize that their healing would also have to be a power greater than themselves. The question is what is this power?
To some this power is God, to some it’s the Universe. In Alcoholics Anonymous they try to stay away from the phrase “god” to avoid discouraging some people. As a matter of fact they advocate for anything from nature to the ocean to a rock, as long as one believes it has a power greater than oneself.
In a previous article I discussed how this power likely resides in human connection. See Do Addicts Need God?
In my experience I found wisdom in books, written by those dead and alive. Some of those are the following:
As a man thinketh – James Allen
The power of vulnerability – Brene Brown
Mindset – Carol Dweck
The obstacle is the way – Ryan Holiday & (Meditations – Marcus Aurelius)
The travelers gift – Andy Andrews
The power of ambition – Jim Rohn
Outwitting the devil – Napoleon Hill
The man in the arena – Teddy Roosevelt
I found incredible wisdom in some of these people.
The other form of treatment is in medicine. If we accept that addiction is a disease it implies that we can develop and use certain medications to help treat it.
Stay tuned for my next article on medications for addiction.
As always, thank you for reading and sign up for more.
Dr Z.