Below is an article I received today, from a rather unusual source, which usually concerns itself with 'health articles' relating to exercise and diet rather than the psychological issues of addictions. I've highlighted the text that was poignant for me. Although in some areas of my life I feel happy and I am letting things take their natural progression instead of 'searching' (which I've mentioned in the past is infinite) there are areas in my life where I still feel unfulfilled as I am not 'letting go' properly. A trait I think a lot of addicts have is that we will always want change NOW and changing this way of thinking is not going to happen overnight. Even after me being nearly 4 months sober, I came to realise over the week-end, after feeling very melancholic, that I was still 'searching' for answers in areas of my life that I was feeling unfulfilled in instead of just letting things be and flow through me. My drinking during my teen years left me without the vital foundations for progressing through life as an adult who could be responsible for his actions. Alcohol took that away from me and I guess I want those vital years back NOW and I'm rushing things again. As I mentioned before, in some areas I am doing great, other's not too great but a valuable lesson over the week-end, for me, was learned.
Love and Happiness
Hippie
xx
Soul, Slaves, and Addiction
By Dr. Matthew Anderson
I have two questions:
1. Are you an addict?
2. Are you soul-deprived?
What do I mean by addict? The word addict is derived from the Latin addictus which means "given over as one awarded to another as a slave". My question, then, might be translated as "What are you enslaved to?"
If you ponder this question, you might discover that you are actually a slave to more than one substance or behavior. You may be a workaholic (a very serious and debilitating addiction), a spendaholic (potentially just as destructive), a drug addict, an alcoholic, a compulsive gambler, or a sexaholic. Your enslavement of choice could also be to cigarettes, exercise, dieting, or food (60% of America). The list is endless...
I hope my point is clear: Much or most of America is addicted (enslaved) to something, seriously, self-destructively, enslaved. And we thought we put an end to that nasty stuff in 1861!
Why have we become a nation of addicts rabidly in search of the next high? The answer to this question is in question 2 above: Are you soul-deprived?
What is soul-deprivation?
To quote Thomas Moore (THE CARE OF THE SOUL), symptoms that reflect a loss of soul include emptiness, meaninglessness, vague depression, disillusionment about marriage, family and relationship, loss of values, yearning for personal fulfillment (and not finding it), a hunger for (authentic) spirituality... and addiction (my addition).
Almost everyone I know has one or more of these symptoms. They are the signs of a post-modern world and they are painful, deep-seated, and complex -- and are (in my opinion), the central causes of all our addictions.
If soul deprivation is so pervasive, then it probably is affecting you and/or someone you love in some meaningful way. It may be fueling an addiction or at least some compulsive behavior that distracts or threatens to harm or destroy some aspect of your life. The question then is: What can you do about it? How can you learn to recognize and meet your soul needs?
The answer to this incredibly important question is complex and certainly requires more than one brief article (there will be more) -- but here are a few guidelines that you can explore immediately.
Creating a Soulful Life
1. Begin to see your life as a work of art. Imagine that you are an artist and that each day you have an opportunity to create it in your own special way.Remember that life is a Mystery and approach it that way. Let go, at least briefly, of goals, 5-year plans, bottom line numbers, material acquisition and control and open yourself to the Mystery and the unknown.
2. Open your heart and your mind to the people in your life (family, friends, co-workers and even strangers). Learn to feel for and with them.
3. Spend today giving instead of receiving or taking.
4. Take a long walk ALONE at least once a week. No iPod, no cell phone, just you, ALONE.
5. Search for soulful resources. Look for people, books, music, places, activities that nurture your soul and invite them into your daily life. This also means it will be important to avoid soul-depriving people, substances, books, music, television (almost all of it), and activities.
If you nurture your soul daily, you will find that your addictions begin to lose their hold on your life. It is your choice. It is your soul.
Love and Happiness
Hippie
xx
Soul, Slaves, and Addiction
By Dr. Matthew Anderson
I have two questions:
1. Are you an addict?
2. Are you soul-deprived?
What do I mean by addict? The word addict is derived from the Latin addictus which means "given over as one awarded to another as a slave". My question, then, might be translated as "What are you enslaved to?"
If you ponder this question, you might discover that you are actually a slave to more than one substance or behavior. You may be a workaholic (a very serious and debilitating addiction), a spendaholic (potentially just as destructive), a drug addict, an alcoholic, a compulsive gambler, or a sexaholic. Your enslavement of choice could also be to cigarettes, exercise, dieting, or food (60% of America). The list is endless...
I hope my point is clear: Much or most of America is addicted (enslaved) to something, seriously, self-destructively, enslaved. And we thought we put an end to that nasty stuff in 1861!
Why have we become a nation of addicts rabidly in search of the next high? The answer to this question is in question 2 above: Are you soul-deprived?
What is soul-deprivation?
To quote Thomas Moore (THE CARE OF THE SOUL), symptoms that reflect a loss of soul include emptiness, meaninglessness, vague depression, disillusionment about marriage, family and relationship, loss of values, yearning for personal fulfillment (and not finding it), a hunger for (authentic) spirituality... and addiction (my addition).
Almost everyone I know has one or more of these symptoms. They are the signs of a post-modern world and they are painful, deep-seated, and complex -- and are (in my opinion), the central causes of all our addictions.
If soul deprivation is so pervasive, then it probably is affecting you and/or someone you love in some meaningful way. It may be fueling an addiction or at least some compulsive behavior that distracts or threatens to harm or destroy some aspect of your life. The question then is: What can you do about it? How can you learn to recognize and meet your soul needs?
The answer to this incredibly important question is complex and certainly requires more than one brief article (there will be more) -- but here are a few guidelines that you can explore immediately.
Creating a Soulful Life
1. Begin to see your life as a work of art. Imagine that you are an artist and that each day you have an opportunity to create it in your own special way.Remember that life is a Mystery and approach it that way. Let go, at least briefly, of goals, 5-year plans, bottom line numbers, material acquisition and control and open yourself to the Mystery and the unknown.
2. Open your heart and your mind to the people in your life (family, friends, co-workers and even strangers). Learn to feel for and with them.
3. Spend today giving instead of receiving or taking.
4. Take a long walk ALONE at least once a week. No iPod, no cell phone, just you, ALONE.
5. Search for soulful resources. Look for people, books, music, places, activities that nurture your soul and invite them into your daily life. This also means it will be important to avoid soul-depriving people, substances, books, music, television (almost all of it), and activities.
If you nurture your soul daily, you will find that your addictions begin to lose their hold on your life. It is your choice. It is your soul.
?We are one another's angels? 
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