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We don’t choose to be addicted; we choose to deny our pain ~ unknown

“Australian researchers have released the first-ever report on worldwide addiction statistics. They found about 240 million people around the world are dependent on alcohol, more than a billion people smoke, and about 15 million people use injection drugs, such as heroin.” https://drugfree.org/drug-and-alcohol-news/researchers-release-first-report-worldwide-addiction-statistics/

It is generally thought that factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, early exposure to drugs, stress, and generational example can greatly affect a person’s likelihood of drug or alcohol misuse and other addictions. When these factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life, there is a significantly high risk of addiction.  

Sadly, addiction of any kind is often misunderstood and has a tendency to carry with it a societal judgment that blames the addict for being weak or having some character flaw or moral shortcoming. It rarely is seen as the dis-ease that it is.

It is also critical to consider that our destructive habitual behaviors are often the result of deeply buried wounding that evades our conscious awareness. Thus, we are driven by our impulses that are unconscious attempts to cover up or run away from emotional,  physical, or mental pain. In short, addiction is often about the suppression of something that is not within the waking perception of the addict.

“Addiction can be devastating and painful, but it is absolutely not a sign of weakness or a character flaw. It is a state of inner disruption that needs attention and treatment.”

(https://www.huffpost.com/entry/addiction-stigma-how-to-help_n_5b58806ae4b0b15aba942161)

Breathwork offers a path to do our deeply personal work. It invites us to transform our past and release what is in the way of healing our greatest obstacles to joy including addiction. Once the breath has removed the cellular traumatic imprints that can be the source of our misuse of drugs, alcohol, shopping, gambling or any other avoidance habits we have developed, it is possible to embrace the freedom of a life of choice rather than enslavement.

To your freedom of choice

Be Well

John