Understanding Our Problem

The different drugs and behaviors that make up the various addictions continue to change for us everyday. They are like a virus that keeps mutating into a newer and stronger strains. Although, the underlying principle of recovery remains the same, the more determined quitter comes to see that it is more than one drug or one drink or even a certain set of behaviors that are causing the problem. It is actually a self-centeredness in our ego which is a the root of this very common disease. We want to believe that we are all powerful and all knowing and it is our ego which constantly reminds us of this desire. Coming to understand the manner in which our negative emotions hold us down and prevent us from experiencing a more happy existence is the first part of understanding our problem.

The very core of the ego can be seen as an addiction in and of itself and that, in spiritual work, a constant stream of thoughts and emotions must eventually be transcended if we are to reach our True Self. Learning to sit still and be quiet can be extremely hard for many of us who have been running and gunning most of our lives. In phase two, however, we learn that overcoming the addictive tendencies of the ego is now a wider project that includes our entire ego.

After we gain some freedom from our old habits, we may begin to look toward an even greater degree of happiness in our future. This is something that we may only begin to envision in phase two of our recovery. It is one of the greatest gifts of a spiritually determined person to know that they have made real progress and that they now have a very real spiritual life which they can build upon in order to make their life even better than it has already become.