Behind the painful and difficult symptoms of our addictions, our substance use and dependence issues, are the deeper meanings as to why we’ve developed our addictions in the first place. There are underlying issues that we sometimes fail to look at. We aren’t always mindful of the fact that when we come to depend on an addictive substance or behavior, it’s often because we’re self-medicating from a deeper problem. We’re so busy trying to distract ourselves from our difficult thoughts and emotions that we don’t realize how much our escapism is actually compounding our deeper pain. The more we resist those important issues, the stronger and more overpowering they become. We feel powerless over them, and over our dependence issues until we directly confront what our addictions actually represent for us.
Underlying Issues Fueling Our Addictive Patterns
What emotions have you been avoiding? What experiences are you trying to forget? What memories have you been suppressing? The answers to these questions point us in the direction of deeper self-healing. We begin to actually address the reasons behind why we became dependent on our drugs of choice. Our addictions often represent a coping mechanism, an escape tactic, a means of suppression and distraction. They represent the pain we’ve been trying to avoid. Our addictions are not just the drugs or alcohol we’re dependent upon or the addictive behaviors we rely upon. Our addictions are much more than the fact that we can’t stop using our drugs of choice. Our addictions are comprised of the reasons behind why we’ve developed a dependence problem. Our addictions are our emotional and psychological pain, our traumatic experiences, our wounds, and fears.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Healing
Trying to recover from our addictions without looking at what they represent is not a thorough or effective means of helping ourselves to heal. We’re holding ourselves back in our recovery tremendously by not looking at the underlying reasons and contributing factors behind our addictions. We might be able to get sober, but will we be able to stay sober long-term if we don’t look at what our addictions represent? Chances are the same recurring patterns that will reemerge, and we’ll be tempted to use all over again. We’ll experience the same emotions and be triggered to use. We’ll stay in the same unhealthy relationships. We’ll continue to make the same destructive choices. We’ll still be living with the same subconscious limiting beliefs that have been driving our addictive patterns all along.
New Representations In Recovery
In recovery, our addictions take on a whole new life and represent something else entirely. They represent our incredible strength to overcome obstacles. They represent the spiritual tests we’ve passed, the resilience we’ve demonstrated, the self-love we’ve cultivated. Our addictions begin to represent evolution, personal transformation, growth, healing, and change. They represent our ability to transcend our limitations, to heal our pain, and to become more enlightened versions of ourselves.
At The Guest House Ocala, we have personal recovery experience and over 12 years in the recovery industry. We have helped countless people recover, and we’re here to help you too. Call 855-823-5463 today for more information.