the pros of addiction…
the title is not a typo. you read it correctly. we all have experienced the cons of addiction living on this earth. there is no need to get in to “them” or compare “them”. it’s part of the human experience.
if you are still reading this haha, i’d like to invite you to see and explore the “other” side of addiction… the pros. imagine this like you are in the debate class in high school… and this was “the side” or position you were given to defend :) have fun with it.
what if addiction is not the enemy or evil? what if it’s a “normal and healthy response” in relation to this place we inhabit? what if it’s a messenger? what if it’s a “life saver”? what if it’s not you… what if it’s something you innocently and unknowingly created… like a complex… it’s own little entity… pocket of energy… to keep yourself safe AND survive something more intense? no answers exist that will PROVE any of these questions to be true. however, if you examine them with an open mind, who knows what you might discover.
right now, if you are still here with me, you might be saying to yourself, “i cannot even imagine an example where any of those things you wrote could possibly be true”. that’s fair. so let me share an example to invite your mind to explore the possibilities:
the parent that drinks every evening… doesn’t matter how much… maybe it’s just to “take the edge off” after each day. did you ever consider that one drink that individual has every night keeps them from ending their own life??? or ending someone else’s??? so by drinking, they have an opportunity to live another day and perhaps find the strength within to ask for help, support and guidance. they also have the opportunity to NOT go to jail and prison for ending someone else’s life, thus keeping their family intact… AND again, they have an opportunity to wake up the next morning and finally realize, they want and need help.
now take this example and substitute anything you’d like instead of “alcohol”… such as working out, judging others, gossiping, shopping, people pleasing, gambling, workaholic (this is a fun one because society actually “rewards” this as a badge of honor), scrolling, eating, etc.
the truth is, none of us know what that other person is really feeling on the inside and no one is capable of knowing… other than the person experiencing it.
so my two cents is this… first, let’s start with NOT shaming ourself for whatever pain is hidden deep down within. second, let’s NOT shame ourself for whatever “complex” we chose to use to keep it hidden. third, even if we shame ourself, how about this idea… 10 seconds less of shaming ourself than we normally would. that’s a big fucking win.
since we truly don’t know anything about that person and what they have experienced in their past, and even if we THINK we do know them because we are married or best friends or whatever, let’s work on NOT judging. we take a pause, if only one breath before that judgy shit exits our mouths ;)
if you made it this far, thanks for your attention :) much luv and gratitude. jeff