Addiction

I've talked to some friends lately. I've watched other people I know around. One of the big struggles I see is addiction. Addiction to drugs, addiction to alchohol, constantly sleeping with people... What is the root of all this, though? It would be easy to just dismiss this quickly as the "work of Satan" and try to pray through it. But, I've always been a believer of having to understand the roots of a problem before being able to deal with it. To me, I think that everyone has a fundamental unhappiness that they're trying to escape or deal with. That probably sounds like a oversimplified explanation; too easy for me to just label away but it's the truth. I've seen people say--"I'm never going to do drugs again" or "I quit drinking" and then sooner or later, they get right back to it. It's an emptiness that people have, that they want to fill or cover up even for a short time. It's a silent need, a longing, an un-expressed desire for more. How do I know? I've been there. I still struggle. It's a loneliness, the desire to be accepted and loved by others; not being satisfied with our direction in life, an un-fulfilled desire for meaning and purpose. "Why am I still single?" or "I've got friends, but why do I still feel lonely?" or "My life is not somewhere I'm happy with and I don't know what to do?" These things don't go away. The problem with just quitting the things we use to cover it up without dealing with the other larger issue, is we are still left with the need to escape the feelings that have been buried. Sometimes when people quit smoking, they need a patch. That substitutes for the physical need while we ease off the addiction. That just shows that you can't just quit these physical things.

I finally had to give it over to God. I don't have all the answers, but the thing is-- He loves me, He is looking over me, He comforts me. This is just a short life, and there is so much more left to come, and I can take comfort in that. I go back and read over the blog I posted from one of my Dad's sermons about peace a bunch. Go back and read it-- it's got some great scriptures that are almost like my "patch." I can have a beer, without worrying that I'm going to send myself to oblivion, because, I have no desire to go to oblivion. I have no need to sleep around, because I don't need the empty promises of a couple hours with a stranger. Don't get me wrong. I'm not glossing over some of the other physical aspects of addiction, but I really don't think we can get over that until these other things are filled. I think that that's one of Satan's worst lies--"I can just quit and I'll be alright"--Once the habit that we were using is gone, we're left staring at the gaping hole that you couldn't see a few days ago, although it was there anyway. Anyway, just some food for thought for the day...