Mornin' there, Abbers!
Just popping in for a quick hello--helloooo! Was reading something yesterday and wanted to share it:
"As in most ads for drinking, smoking, gambling, and other addictions, the truth is quite the opposite of the promise. Alcohol and tobacco do not render a person more sophisticated, affluent, healthy and fit, physically and sexually athletic, or socially skillful. The devilish reality of addiction is that the euphoria offers at best a compelling but temporary illusion of happiness and well-being, a euphoria that fades with time and tolerance until the person must use just to get back to neutral.
"In the language of psychology, addiction is a progressive displacement of everything else in life. The addict spends increasing time with the addiction (acquiring it, using it, recovering from its effects), and less time doing other things once valued, pleasurable, or meaningful."*
Ain't it the truth, my fellow Abbers?! Especially that part about "the progressive displacement of everything else in life." There sure wasn't room for anything else--much less, "things once valued, pleasurable or meaningful"--with alcohol in my life.
So, today I want to remember to be grateful that I found a way to reclaim all the meaningful things in my life!
(And even when I'm not so grateful, let me remember to be grateful!
)
:h
susan
(Excerpted from: Spirituality and Health, "Spirituality as an Antidote for Addiction," October 2003.)
Just popping in for a quick hello--helloooo! Was reading something yesterday and wanted to share it:
"As in most ads for drinking, smoking, gambling, and other addictions, the truth is quite the opposite of the promise. Alcohol and tobacco do not render a person more sophisticated, affluent, healthy and fit, physically and sexually athletic, or socially skillful. The devilish reality of addiction is that the euphoria offers at best a compelling but temporary illusion of happiness and well-being, a euphoria that fades with time and tolerance until the person must use just to get back to neutral.
"In the language of psychology, addiction is a progressive displacement of everything else in life. The addict spends increasing time with the addiction (acquiring it, using it, recovering from its effects), and less time doing other things once valued, pleasurable, or meaningful."*
Ain't it the truth, my fellow Abbers?! Especially that part about "the progressive displacement of everything else in life." There sure wasn't room for anything else--much less, "things once valued, pleasurable or meaningful"--with alcohol in my life.
So, today I want to remember to be grateful that I found a way to reclaim all the meaningful things in my life!
(And even when I'm not so grateful, let me remember to be grateful!
):h
susan
(Excerpted from: Spirituality and Health, "Spirituality as an Antidote for Addiction," October 2003.)
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