Dr. William D. Silkworth, the physician who wrote the medical opinion for the popular text of Alcoholics Anonymous, describes alcoholism as the physical manifestation of an allergy. It has fostered destructive emotional patterns, and spiritual maladies that affect behavioral responses in humans.

He writes, “[alcoholics] are restless, irritable, and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks…” (Alcoholics Anonymous, xxviii-xxvx). These are drinks which can easily be replaced with any mind and body altering substances, or behaviors that indulge in pleasure.

The basic human experiences live in every single human, whether one chooses to identify as alcoholic or not. Whether one identifies as an addict or not, all emotional experiences are present in them as well. This is the human condition in all of its beautiful, overwhelming, and glorious existence.

All humans feel jealousy, love, anger, happiness, fear, and every other emotion. The qualities that create a distinction between one person and another is the manifestation of their experience. If every characteristic exists in every human, then Addiction is an extreme manifestation of the emotional impulses that have turned into an uncontrollable desire to satisfy those emotions.

An alcoholic feels fear and desire, just as a successful business owner does. That successful business owner may even suffer from alcoholic/addictive behaviors. Everyone is already a normal person. Addicts and alcoholics experience extreme manifestations of the human condition and often get confused. This confusion demands a lifestyle of self-satisfaction, and is guided away from the formal recognition of sanity.

The point to observe is–whether alcoholic, addict, or a non-addict–everyone experiences suffering from one degree to another. The further, and longer, humans engage in unhealthy behaviors to cope with human experiences, the more confused and spiritually disassociated they become.

Somewhere along the line, people begin a process of emotional conditioning that could only be subdued through the indulgence of a drink or a drug. Sooner or later, the problems begin to build upon one another, until they become seemingly unbearable. Substance abuse treatment centers that are based on a 12-Step recovery program help addicts and alcoholics begin the journey of unlearning the behaviors that led to self-medication. There is by no means a definite cure to this malady, but there is a daily reprieve contingent on a spiritual program of action.

Addiction is a human condition in itself, it is an experience that spiritual entities in earthly bodies must experience in one form or another. It is important to understand that addiction is the dissociation from the true self.

Recovery is generally defined as getting something back, or having something returned. That is the beauty of choosing this journey. It is often a misconception that one will regain the items they have lost in the process of self-destruction. Often times, the process of addiction and alcoholism leave a person in the physical, spiritual and emotional “rock-bottom.” Someone may have lost everything, and everyone worth fighting for in their lives. Recovery doesn’t always mean that one will regain their property, their status in society, or their damaged relationships. Although it is possible, recovering addicts and alcoholics often find they recover something greater.

The esteem, confidence, and self-love that were lost through trauma and addiction are re-born lucid, and are supported by a new sense of power. People recover mental clarity and emotional stability. People begin to respond to life’s circumstances in a manner that is both emotionally and spiritually sustainable. Addicts and alcoholics can recover a sense of self that was at some point lost in the process of self-seeking, and in their attempts to keep or satisfy their deep desires.

Recovery offers the chance to get back to that true self that was at one point happy, joyous, and free.

Please reach out if there are any unanswered questions or curiosities; someone is available to help.