Addiction: The Ultimate Distraction

Addiction in the city, addiction in the country, addiction in the suburbs, addiction in the schools, addiction in the churches, addiction in the legal system, addiction in the government, addiction in business, addiction in medicine…we simply can’t get away from it. Or, is there another way?

What if you didn’t have to buy into everybody else’s reality of addiction and recovery? Could you then end your addiction without the limitations of this reality? What if you recognized addiction as your ultimate distraction, the way you are keeping you from you?

In the recovery community, there is much reference made to “denial.” It is said that the addict is denying his/her addiction. The family is denying that they are creating part of the problem with their co-dependency. What if the authentic denial is the denial of one’s true self, the refusal “to be” or self-abandonment?

When you are distracted, you don’t find time to be the real you; you limit yourself from numerous possibilities because you are sedated with your distractions…your drink, your drug, your video game, sexual conquest, casino hopping, excessive shopping & spending and so on. You become more robot like, much easier to manipulate since you are not thinking or acting with a clear mind. You develop into the slave to your distraction. Your relationships, emotional well-being, physical body, and bank account can all suffer simply because you have lost focus. You become other-focused instead of being your own focal point for your desires.

What would it take for you to adjust your vision, to place your attention in seeing clearly, to release that distraction? How long will it take for you to realize that many institutions in our society benefit from your being distracted? When you don’t take responsibility for your beliefs, which create your actions, you allow yourself to be controlled.

Let’s look at some religions. They tell you to see things their way; they become your god and you do what they tell you is right for your salvation. You turn over your discerning power to them. How slave oriented is that? And isn’t it interesting how each one has its own flavorful twist on how you need to act to be “saved!” Then there are relationships. Churches preach that families need to stay together, that divorce need not and should not be an option. Sex is relegated to married people and certainly is not meant for teens.

And what about the legal system? It dictates that you must wear a seat belt while driving or you pay a fine for “being bad.” Does that allow for personal judgment and ultimately, personal choice? I think not.

Of course, there is education. You are taught that things must be done in a certain way, that history is correct as given, and that homework is necessary even in first and second grade. Could that be producing the robotic, asleep society we have constructed, the society that refuses to stand up for itself?

AA is the recognized resource for people desiring to become addiction free. However, could its first step, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable,” be perpetuating the victim beliefs as shown in the above examples?

What if these institutions and organizations have been set up to enslave rather than empower and we have been blindly accepting their teachings and rulings? These statements are not about judgment but rather about awareness. You can now change that awareness and take back the power to run your life the way you want it to be. You can let go of your distractions easily once you have become aware of them. You are the power, you have the power; some of you have simply ignored that fact. Can you now be the power to change anything in your life? Happy awarenesses!