Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Drug rehabilitation Step One for me. Practicing prayer and meditation helps us be mindful of our surroundings and gain consciousness of our spirituality by bringing us closer to our higher power. Strengthening this relationship with a spiritual being brought us hope that we can recover from the mental and physical suffering of alcoholism.
The Disease Model of Addiction Explained
Whenever you find yourself feeling irritable discontent bored with your life or depressed it is likely that you may have skipped meditation or prayer. In these situations, I feel further from God than normal and then I wonder who moved me or God and the answer is always me. Without a connection to a higher power, it spiritual malady definition can get quite ugly in sobriety. Living by the principles of AA helps maintain spiritual fitness and reduces the influence of spiritual maladies.
The Spiritual Malady of Addiction
- According to AA beliefs, addiction is, at its core, a spiritual disorder, disease, or ailment.
- I remember my wife Deb coming home from her first Overeater’s Anonymous meeting.
- These struggles are symptoms of the spiritual malady, which must be addressed through the 12 Steps to achieve lasting sobriety and freedom.
- “They told me that I will actually lose my obsession with food.” Then she added, “I don’t believe them!
- Granted, it’s better to be dependent on a self-help group instead of on an addictive substance, but for some, it can feel like being stuck in permanent limbo.
- It doesn’t have to be religious – it can be anything that gives you strength and hope.
In the labyrinthine tapestry of human nature, self-absorption weaves a treacherous thread that can entrap souls in a narcissistic mire. This malady manifests as an excessive preoccupation with one’s own importance, an insatiable thirst for admiration, and a callous disregard for the feelings and needs of others. Spending time with God and reading His word is a big part of keeping our minds healthy and grounded in truth. So let’s take a look at the questions we can ask ourselves to help us build our spiritual inventory list.
Am I Responsible For My Alcoholism
- If we do not get spiritually connected with meditation or prayer with a power greater than us it will bring us closer and closer to that drink or drug.
- If I could have stopped drinking on my own, I would have done it long ago.
- Programs like the Twelve Steps highlight the importance of spiritual connection, guiding individuals in establishing a relationship with a higher power or their understanding of spirituality.
- Today’s guide explores the spiritual malady meaning in the context of 12-step recovery groups like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
- It’s the psychological “itch” we can’t manage to scratch — the feeling that something’s missing (and that a drink might make it better).
They resist change and may prefer to live in a distorted reality where their grandiose image remains intact. Spirituality is the aspect of recovery that I think most often gets overlooked. Some of us are very comfortable embracing spirituality, but for others, it feels weird or uncomfortable. For example, one can engage in psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). These therapies can get to the underlying emotional issues that often lead to that first drink or drug.
- Addiction and alcoholism are both a 3 fold disease, meaning there are three distinct areas that alcoholism affects and the reason you cannot stop drinking and using.
- Just remember, even if you don’t share the same beliefs, everyone in AA are united by their shared experience with addiction and their desire to stay sober.
- The 12 Steps of AA encourage improving one’s conscious contact with a higher power, specifically focusing on prayer and meditation in Step 11.
- This could be the power of nature, the universe, or even something as simple as your cats or dogs at home – perhaps their love for you and the fact that they need you to be sober is your Higher Power.
- Spiritual practices play a crucial role in the journey of recovery from addiction.
Tinggalkan Balasan