I’ve heard quite a few people lately openly condemning “drug addicts”, feeling that individuals who abuse drugs are somehow “less than” the rest of us “non-users”. Indeed, those who are addicted to drugs (both legal and illegal) do damage to themselves every time they use, and they often harm others around them as well.

That having been said, if we are truly sincere about wanting to lessen the damage done by addiction in our lives and to our society, it is important to understand a few things …

…..

Firstly, it is crucial for you to wake up and realize that THERE ARE MANY OTHER ADDICTIONS that are just as destructive as drug use (if not more so).

Every one of our self-centered habits (even the ones that others judge to be “Ok” or that society labels as “appropriate”) keeps us from doing the one thing that we are here to do – the only thing that will one day bring us real, lasting Peace: Caring for others.

Yes, such activities are often pleasurable, and yet it is very important to understand that they are also completely counterproductive. Indeed, every time we choose self over other or personal pleasure over selfless service, it is the spiritual equivalent of licking honey from a razor blade.

On the short term, our addictive behaviors bleed us of energy with every “lick”. We all know that they physically damage the body & that they mentally damage the mind, and yet their spiritual effects are even more devastating. Every time we engage an addictive act, we lock ourselves in isolation – far from others, and therefore far from our True Selves. Self-centered habits keep us focused on our own satisfaction, our own contentment or our own comfort, we are walled off from the Love for others that is our one true source of Power & Peace.

Even more insidiously, over time these behaviors destroy our ability to experience pleasure at all. Lick a razor and you will bleed. Lick a razor repeatedly and you will no longer be able to taste at all, no matter how much honey you might ingest.

“Every form of addiction is destructive, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine … or idealism.” ~ Carl Jung

…..

Secondly, it is crucial for you to comprehend the Truth that, in one way or another, almost EVERY PERSON IS ADDICTED. And this Truth includes you. To be free of your self-destructive choices, it is crucial that you have enough humility to recognize that you, too, are an addict.

I can admit the same. I may not struggle with the commonly recognized addictions of alcohol, drugs or nicotine, and yet unless I am conscious & Care-full, I have my own set of self-centered habits that regularly resurface in my life. And as such, I am an addict.

This doesn’t make us “bad people” – it simply means that we are hurting on a deep, subconscious level. In the turbulent and confusing (and sometimes even traumatic) experience of growing from infancy to adulthood, we have all experienced immense pain – and deep down we are all hurting still.

And quite reasonably, of course, we are all looking for ways to relieve that pain. Doing so does not make us “inferior” or “weak” or “selfish”, it simply makes us human beings — beings who, at least on our most primal level, are basically self-focused; beings who have yet to fully remember that we are so much more than merely intelligent mammals. Even though we may be acting “primitively”, we are not primitive … Even though we make hollow excuses and think that we are “only human”, in reality, we are soooooo much more. Even though we would like to believe that there is no alternative to selfishness, we have simply yet to fully awaken to the greatest of Truths:

… that we are conscious and can choose how and why we act;
… that we can always purposefully set aside our self-preservative instincts in favor of being Kind;
… in essence, that we are Human(e) Beings!

“There are all kinds of addicts … We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away.” ~ Sherman Alexie

…..

Finally, it is crucial for you to realize that freeing yourself from the clutches of your addictions does not have to be a drawn-out and difficult process. FREEING YOUR SELF CAN BE SMOOTH & SIMPLE. There is a practical way to remove your self-destructive habits – it is a way that is challenging, yes, and yet it is as efficient as it is effective.

And that is what the next several posts will be about. Over the next several days, I will be identifying dozens of different destructive addictions (some well-known, others much more subtle), and I will be giving each of you some practical tips on how to remove them from your life as well – opening the door for you to replace them with activities that will bring you Wholeness & Happiness instead.

We’ve been licking razor blades dipped in honey for long enough, my Friends, and even though the honey might be delicious, those razors are opening great wounds.

I think it might be time to lay the blade down and open our Hearts instead.