Changing Addictions

I once heard at a meeting, break your addictions in the order that they will kill you. I understand studies show greater success rates when people quit several things at once, however I am not a fan of any of the science surrounding mental health or addiction. Science and technology are fairly new creations in terms of humanity and just like everything else on this planet, they are chiefly under the control of the upper 1%, the wealthiest people on the planet. These people do not experience life as we do. Having wealth and power beyond imagination; anyone who would want to have so much is mentally ill by default. They may be incredibly intelligent, kind and high functioning, but their absolute irreverence for the suffering of others shows, they are not here to serve humanity at all. Greed is an addiction and it is the most destructive force on the planet. The people in power do not want us cured, they want us treated. We have been groomed since birth to become consumers with numerous addictions, especially here in the west. Television and media teach us to have feelings for things and the shows they produce encourage unhealthy and maladaptive behaviors. Nearly every sitcom, real or cartoon involves addiction, narcissism, greed, racism and lying. These are humorous topics, but incredibly unhealthy behaviors. I broke my addiction for commercial television 18 years ago, I am still addicted to cartoons, documentaries and movies. People television is too upsetting for me because all I see is the unhealthy behaviors of humanity in every single show and the news. In short, it hurts too much to watch it now. Forgive the rant, complaining is a part of the process of letting go. I need to accept the reality of what is happening in the world so that I can cope with and understand what is happening with me. Therapy was a massive failure for me, I outgrew every psychologist I have ever met. Their methods are designed to protect their ability to earn an income. I went for answers, what I received from most of them was Coddling. I learned about the 8 areas of wellness from one psychologist and the toxic cycle from another. Aside from that, none of them provided me with any awareness of the broken patterns in my life and how to repair them. I found all of the answers for all of my mental health issues, in 12 step recovery. This is the useful part, what I hope you can take with you. Recovery provides tools for removing the shame in our lives, each group in its own fashion teaches acceptance. We need to identify the exact nature of our harms in a way that is non shaming and makes sense to us. Humans are creatures of habit, we need to replace one behavior with another. In early recovery it is very normal for us to ramp up our remaining addictions and switch addictions as a means of treating our traumas. Become aware of all your addictions and give yourself the acceptance you deserve about all of them. We have been trained to be addicts from birth, it's not your fault and our options for effective growth are fairly limited. Allow 12 Step recovery to become a healthy addiction for you. It requires an almost fanatical dedication to see real progress in recovery, but any recovery you are willing to participate in is better for you than spending time in unhealthy addictions and behaviors. Understand, we are all sick here to some degree and it is normal that some people will trigger those of us who are still healing. Find the groups where you feel safe and accepted and block anyone who makes you uncomfortable. Recovery itself is uncomfortable and often painful experience as we break the attachments we have developed throughout our lives. You deserve to feel safe, accepted and heard. I still have some negative and unproductive thinking. Writing about it in a public post is part of the process of becoming entirely willing to let it go. As I journal my character defects in a public post, my confession frees me and gives permission to other people to accept themselves if they can relate to my shares. Life is not kind, fair or just, yet it can be truly beautiful when people help each other grow. Thank you, bless you and best wishes. Rev. Jeff Rounds for Mixed Recovery, Inc.