Addiction…

It’s been around forever, but now we’re talking about it.

Philip Seymour Hoffman died on Super Bowl Sunday with a syringe of heroin still in his arm. Do you think this is how he planned his life? Is this the way any of us plan our lives?

I used to think addicts were the scary looking guys shooting up behind the dumpsters. And they were.

But it’s much more than that.

~It’s the young girl who cuts because she can’t bear her life, and at least she can control the pain when it’s self-inflicted.

~It’s the woman who eats because it brings comfort, or because it hides her from people who might abuse her sexually, like they did in the past.

~It’s the CEO who works 24/7 and can’t seem to relate to his family.

~It’s the person (not only men) who looks at porn, because it shoots great hormones through their brain and kills the pain. It’s easier than dealing with real people and their flaws.

~It’s the mom who takes her kid’s ADD medication so she can focus and feel like super mom.

It’s everywhere!

People are dying everywhere!

Some of these addictions can kill quickly, like after trying a drug the first time.

Others kill slowly:

*Porn kills when the addict can’t get the high with just movies anymore. Now they meet people in chat rooms and start acting out with dangerous behavior.

*Food doesn’t kill overnight. For anorexics or bulimics, it can take years, but if untreated, it kills. For over eaters, it could take decades, but make no mistake, it will kill: Heart disease, diabetes, organ failure, etc. Our bodies are made to run on healthy fuel and lots of oxygen. When this doesn’t happen, life is cut short.

*Alcohol is needed in larger and larger quantities to continue to numb the pain. Sometimes people die from alcohol poisoning, or car accidents, or drowning, or…

So what’s the point?

Let’s deal with it! There is another way!

You don’t have to stay trapped!

My favorite bible passage is Isaiah 61:1-4 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

This is the big plan–God can and will set you free if you let him.

Here are the picky little details–He needs you to ask for help and then do the work.

He won’t force you, so you have to ask. Tell him you’re dying and you know it. Tell him you’re willing to do anything to change how you’re living. Tell him you believe he can and will heal you, if you’ll slow down long enough to let him.

Now get some help!

Google AA, SA, NA, Al-Anon, Over Eater’s Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery. Get a sponsor-they’re free! Now work the program. You can’t just go to meetings and think you’ll find a new way to live. You have to do the personal work, and it’s hard.

Find a counselor or Life Coach who understands addiction and work through the emotional issues that caused you to hurt in the first place. You can’t take away the medication without healing the pain, if you want to stay clean.

Check yourself into rehab and stay until they say you’re ready to transition back into life. If you leave early, you will not recover.

I know you’re hurting. The thing is, the longer you do things to keep from feeling, the more things you’ll have to work through.

How about you just start now.

This post written by Colorado Life Coach, Carrie O’Toole.