In this article, I want to explore the nature of addiction—how it impacts our body, mind, and emotions, and how to address it at its source. Some of the insights I share will be based on personal experience, and this exploration will look at addiction from spiritual, experiential viewpoints. Almost all of us have formed an addiction to some stimulus, whether it’s a drug, food, entertainment, or something else. In the world we live in, addiction is often treated as normal behavior.
First, I want to clarify that addiction is not the problem—it’s merely a symptom. The real problem runs much deeper. If you've consciously explored the nature of addiction, you might have already realized this. Therefore, any approach to dealing with addiction must address the root cause, not just focus on the symptom.
Let’s say you’re addicted to cigarettes. Clearly, the cigarette is fulfilling something internally. It could give you a sense of completion, confidence, contentment, relaxation, or something else. Now, where do we feel this sense of completion? The obvious answer is that it’s within us. This means that the completion is already there; the cigarette is merely a stimulus that triggers this feeling. It’s not the cause of it. The cause is always within.
What if I told you that we have the power to access this completion without relying on external stimuli? Even more, what if I said the stimulus is actually diminishing the depth of this inner completeness and only offering a fleeting glimpse of it?
At this point, some may ask, “Why should I get rid of the habit if I enjoy it?” I assume that if you’re still reading this article, you’ve likely explored how the habit negatively influences your life and have made a commitment to change. But if you haven’t come to that realization yet, there’s no judgment. I would suggest you revisit this when you're ready to make that shift.
Addiction is a blessing
Here’s something counterintuitive: Addiction is a blessing! Yes, you heard that right. I understand it may be hard to see this, especially if you've been struggling with the habit for a long time. But I’ll say it again—it’s a blessing because it offers a great opportunity for self-realization and inner growth. It shows us where we believe we are incomplete or unworthy and need something external to fulfill us. But rest assured, this belief is not true. We are innately complete. There’s nothing we need to achieve, consume, or fix—either internally or externally—to complete ourselves.
The Key: Non-Judgmental awareness
The key to working with any addiction is to observe it—and ourselves—without self-criticism. Everyone faces challenges. It’s these challenges that make life interesting. Without them, we wouldn’t have the impetus to learn and grow. Addiction can often trigger feelings of shame, guilt, and unworthiness. It can be incredibly helpful to witness ourselves during these moments with full awareness or mindfulness. For example, if you're short-tempered and it feels out of control, can you use those moments to observe yourself? What emotions are tied to that behavior? By witnessing ourselves this way, we can disengage from the behavioral pattern without identifying with it. The more we practice this, the more we can observe our behavior without criticism or judgment.
Have you noticed how the urge to consume or soothe pain can come out of nowhere? The more we notice this, the more power we gain to respond differently to those urges. Ultimately, it’s not about stopping the urges entirely, but rather about how we respond to them. Those urges may contain some truth—they might signal that the body or mind is asking for rest or relief, for example. Over time, we can learn to make better, more positive choices in response to our natural needs.
So, the next time you feel the urge to consume something or fall back into familiar behaviors, that increased awareness will give you enough space to question the urge and make a conscious choice. If we’re not making a conscious choice in the moment, we’re simply following programmed behaviors that aren't authentic to our true selves. It’s crucial to break these behavioral patterns and use them as a path to reconnect with our true essence.
If you've read this far, you’ve probably realized that addiction is actually a self-soothing mechanism that helps us cope with emotional, mental, or physical pain or discomfort. For example, it might stem from a lack of love we experienced as children, and when we feel that lack again, we reach for an emotional fix that has turned into an addiction. Or it could be that we’re in a state of confusion, uncertainty, or unresolved issues, which is uncomfortable. In these cases, we can clearly see that the habit is serving as a quick fix for emotional pain, but it’s not a real solution. In fact, it can ultimately derail us and damage our well-being.
This leads us to the question - what is the real solution?
Honor the pain and sit with it without trying to escape it. Pain is the doorway to mental clarity and emotional completeness. There will be times when we stray from this discipline and give in to the urge, and that’s okay. That’s why patience and self-compassion are so important. It’s the ability to witness our behavior without judgment.
In this practice lies our greatest learning. From personal experience, I can confidently say that addiction teaches us to be self-compassionate, disciplined, surrendered, and mindful. When we approach addiction this way, it transforms into a blessing.
Do you resonate with this writing. What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to comment below you experiences with it. Its great to illuminate. If you would like to talk in person, reach out.
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