CosmicSandBox’s Weblog

           In a New Year we resolve to overcome our addictions because we judge them as bad; and we don’t believe we are really addicts. But that is not true. The truth is that we are all addicts, and all addictions aren’t bad. We shun the word “addiction” like the plague because we relate it to drugs and alcohol addictions that are so ugly and destructive. However, anything we give ourselves over to that becomes habitual is an addiction.

            The way I see this whole addiction thing is that we are born addicted. We are addicted to 1. survival and 2. pleasure. Neither is harmful or bad. In fact they are a prerequisite for being human. We cannot be addiction free.  Our minds are pre-wired to habitually think and do the same things over and over. It isn’t built in to evaluate whether those thoughts or actions are good or bad, life threatening or life affirming. Remember, our mind is like our computer.

            Addiction is one of the most powerful forces on Earth. Addiction to power and control has built empires and destroyed them. We are currently witnessing the destruction of our financial empire because of addiction to power and control by a select few. Sex addiction has ruined many relationships. Addiction to drama has cut many a life short because the human body isn’t made to live in a soap opera atmosphere every day. We all suffer from addiction to our mostly negative thinking that goes on incessantly. It is said that we think an average of 60,000 thoughts a day; but that 90% of them are the same thoughts we’ve had every day for years! How’s that for an addiction?

            Twelve Step programs that help people overcome addictions start with step one, which is to admit that you are addicted to a harmful substance or pattern of behavior such as gambling or shopping. Only then can a person begin a process of transformation and healing. The primary focus remains on the admission that the person is an addict and will always have to “work” the program of recovery to remain free. In other words, they become addicted to healthy beliefs and behaviors.

            If we are unaware that we can choose and change our thoughts we can end up being led into destructive habits, because we naturally seek pleasure, even if it’s bad for us. Then we further sabotage ourselves by thinking we can stop being addicts. We can no more stop that than we can stop thinking! We will always be addicts, but we can choose that to which we want to be addicted, and then consciously work to enforce and celebrate that.

            For example, we can become obsessively addicted to thinking positive loving thoughts about ourselves and others. We can be addicted to gratitude and abundance. We can habituate ourselves to nutritious eating and healthy exercise. It takes at least 21 days to create a new habit pattern. But if after 21 days we get lazy and allow our old thinking pattern to run things, we have again deceived ourselves. We fall back into the old familiar addictions that have had years to embed themselves into every cell of our bodies. Our way out of this vicious cycle is in knowing the truth about our addictive human nature and using the power of addiction for our benefit instead of our harm.

            We all hate having to admit we are addicts. We resist the whole idea, bury it in our subconscious and it grows like mold. Anything we resist persists. All the self help programs in the world work, but only if we work them each and every day. Armed with this knowledge we can take this built in power and use it to create a peaceful, joyful, abundant life. Before, you may not have realized you had the ability to use addiction power for good. You assumed any addiction was bad, no matter what form it took. You didn’t see the positive part of addiction which has been hiding in plain sight! 

            Begin this exciting New Year by resolving to use the power of addiction to create the life you want.