Re-examining addiction—and intuition
What if the all-but-universal struggle with addictive behavior stems from a deeper crisis—one that we can actually fix?
This is part of a new series on addiction and intuition called The Intuitive Mirror.
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Despite the persistent idea that addiction is some sort of exception, I bet you'd be hard-pressed to name someone—yourself included—that hasn't struggled with addictive patterns at some point in their life.
Whether it's alcohol, drugs, smoking, coffee, screen time, shopping, porn, coding, 'investing,' gambling, sex, or whatever-else-you-overdid-it-again-with, it turns out that addictive behavior is “a human truth so universal as to be nearly invisible.1” Not only is it “not an abnormality,2” as we now know, it's also a pattern that can manifest in relation to just about any substance or behavior.
If almost everyone is susceptible to addiction, and if it's possible with nearly anything, then how can we shed new light on this pervasive challenge to everyday well-being?
I've dealt with all sorts of addictive patterns from a very early age, and for me, the conventional ways thinking of addiction as a disease, an aberration, a moral failure, something to recover from through willpower and abstinence, or a compensating behavioral syndrome just didn't resonate or were intellectually interesting but not very impactful.
It wasn't until I focused on recovering my long-lost sense of intuitive feeling and knowing that I felt compelled to take action—and then I did, and it was easy. Getting in touch with my intuition was what set me free—and it was the only thing that had a real impact.
What if the all-but-universal struggle with addictive behavior in the modern world actually stems from a deeper crisis—our disconnection from our intuition?
…and…
What if improving your relationship with the simple, fundamental wisdom that lives in your own body could be a practical, direct way to unwind even the most persistent addictive patterns?
If you're someone who wants to change their relationship with an overly-sticky behavior, if you're looking for a more embodied, more holistic, more fluid, less dramatic way out of an addictive cycle, or if you're someone who already suspects that your intuition might have more to offer in this realm, I invite you to join me for a deeper investigation into the relationship between intuition and addiction.
1 The Captive Imagination, Elias Dakwar
2 Love and Addiction, Stanton Peele
Questions for you
Is there some addictive pattern or not-that-healthy habit of your own that you’d like to change?
What’s your relationship with your intuition like? Do you have a good connection with your ‘gut feeling’?
Have you ever felt like you’re getting a message from your inner self, but weren’t sure whether to really pay attention or exactly what it was saying?
What’s your own take on the 'cause’ of addictive behavior?
Are you interested in investigating the connection between intuition and addictive behavior?
Please do leave a comment—and click the little ♡ heart
👇🏻 right down there to let me know if you found this worthwhile.
Thank you for another brain wacking post in your series. Please see the attached meme that is based on the writing of C. S. Lewis.
You call it intuition and I'm glad it works for you. I call it exhilaration cause it works for me. Those words of Lewis might help.
Bless you buddy 👋
"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
-C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Love it. Examining our patterns. We all cope with something.