Addiction By Definition

I believe that God definitely helped. He gave me discernment to discriminate among the wisdom of the world and the desires and beliefs of my heart. It was I who had to decide on the narrow path which is emotionally painful...the path of sobriety. I also had to reject the broad easy path of feeding my carnal nature what it desires on a daily basis. Much of the modern world follows this broad easy path. I don't believe God does things for us. He always provides a way out, however.Recovery and change are all about science, Mike. There is no hocus pocus involved. It is also about more than simple positive afffirmation or willpower. When the brain becomes addicted the frontal lobes heat up, the neuro plasticitity changes, and the brain changes. Addicts do not simply stop their behaviors easily. It can be done, but it requires a strong awareness of the difference between the addictive feeling and the desire to stop. Fewer than 10% of aaddicts can just stop. Yes, but the process involves the brain actually changing back to its state before the addictive behavior changed it. it takes 5 months for the brain to begin to change.This is day # 140, and I am mildly depressed wondering where all the promise of joy has gone. This too shall pass eventually. Right now the emotions are intense.

5 months will be day 150 (30x5) I have been healing. One sign is that occasionally I will cry...and I rarely cry. Once was at my counselors as I was describing my past. Another time I was with a friend praying and we both started crying. The emotions that triggered it were long buried and unconnected to any event. Consciously, at least.The healing is taking a lot longer than I first thought, but Im willing to spend a good year or more and get complete healing rather than partial healing followed by relapse.

Today,December 17th,2016 as I look back on the previous year and evaluate my quest for sobriety and apply what I have learned about sobriety and the mechanism through which the brain(my brain) is healing, I will correct my own thinking and understanding on the matter 11 months ago.
The Four Step program can be used with or without an external therapist, but the inner observer...the internal therapist is absolutely crucial...in fact it is a part of the process itself.
I said back then that "we can hypothetically use logic and reason to control our behavior in spite of the medical disorder but that...did not seem to be working reliably...now, with 153 days of sobriety under my belt, I can confirm that the brain does change and that sobriety itself was the key that allowed the change to occur. I mentioned that I was never able to vilify my Beast enough...but now understand that the disease is in fact a medical condition rather than a flaw in my personality. I had read and understood this fact logically before...as Post # 61 suggests, but had never actually experienced any lasting sobriety before July 18th,2016...the day after losing my job.In September, I said this: Now, with 153 days of sobriety under my belt, I can report that my brain is changing! I am in fact looking more towards a lifestyle change rather than a program with limited goals. The issue is not so much about how many days sober I am, but more towards actualizing the goal of mindfulness.Also I mentioned that a person cannot recover without feeling safe. Being unemployed for 5 months, I really didnt feel totally safe...though as a believer I should have a bit more trust in Gods blessing both past,present,and future. I had been unemployed for 5 months as of yesterday. Around two years ago, I recalled having a dream that specifically had me getting my job at Safeway back...but at the time the dream confused me because I still had my job and was secure...I felt safe. I can joyfully report that yesterday, after 5 months to the day... I was offered my job back! ! (Settlement meeting between Safeway and Local 7 after two previous steps had been denied)And yes...I attribute this to God. Perhaps a skeptic could say that logically it could be for other reasons, but my personal belief is that God was involved in blessing me and equipping me with wisdom.Now I can feel safe again...save more money..(no gambling any more) and my hope and prayer is that my ongoing healing and recovery...through 2017...will be discussed here and that we all can learn something new about recovery science. I believe that God gave me the strength and wisdom to recover...and I believe that I had to initiate my recovery...and I am under no illusions that I have recovered fully yet. Stay tuned....Edited by Phat, : editEdited by Phat, : meh

Seeing as how my topic is about addiction, perhaps we could discuss the idea of religion as a possible addiction. At what point does belief and subsequent action become addictive rather than prescriptive?

I see your point. The recovery is recovery of the individual. The addiction is a disease in the brain and thought process of the individual.Alcohol is not the problem.The problem is the individuals response to alcohol.I would say at this point, however..(Today is #154) that I could very easily label the tendency to gamble and the subsequent addiction in my mind as a demon. I preferred fantasy over reality. I felt entitled to something...be it from society or from God.Granted the addiction was a medical disorder stemming from my willful misuse of a habit. Perhaps I should ask myself some questions.

Do I want full recovery or do I still feel entitled in some other way?

Is the notion of entitlement itself part of the addictive process?

In regards to religion...specifically belief in a living Christ and a living hope...am I still expecting a payoff?

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Chance as a real force is a myth. It has no basis in reality and no place in scientific inquiry. For science and philosophy to continue to advance in knowledge, chance must be demythologized once and for all. —RC Sproul
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." —Mark Twain "
~"If that's not sufficient for you go soak your head."~Faith
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.~Proverbs 28:26

Or in how we interpret scripture...to cherry pick into fitting the promise to our own desired end. Interesting line of thought. As a believer, it is necessary that I examine myself. Celebrate Recovery encourages this. So in other words are you saying that we need to beware of reading our own desired answers into the scripture?As an aside...I firmly believe in the infallibility of scripture provided it is taken in context. Hopefully I will ultimately trust Jesus Himself. Perhaps my question to you is this: If God could speak to a human through a donkey, can he speak to us through an atheist?

What is it?The idea of God or God Himself?What would I replace this addiction with?

Furthermore, addiction can be seen as a medical disorder. MRI imaging confirms this. Day 166 today. Many challenges in life which bring up the repressed feelings. I am unused to allowing feelings to occur...especially when they are painful. I am optimistic for the long term, however.By the way...I saw this in your new topic: Can you share what your addiction is? You can PM me if you feel more comfortable.

The dictionary defines what recovery means. There are many common delusions in everyday thinking, and they are not limited to mentally ill people--unless a case could be made that since addiction is a medical disorder of the brain,anyone suffering from any addiction is at least mildly mentally ill.I know that for me personally, gambling was most definitely a delusion. My next addiction, emotional codependency, is proving to also be a delusion...though it is harder to let go in this one. I have always thought of myself as an older figure who had the wisdom to rescue younger people and not as one who was emotionally codependent. As my recovery process heals my brain, however...I am seeing that I was in fact delusional in that I saw myself as a rescuer rather than emotionally codependent. Recovery in this issue goes way back to my childhood where i had a Father who was emotionally codependent on me...and I always saw him as my rescuer.2017 should be a year of further healing, and I look forward to being a stronger mentor rather than a codependent one. The process will take time, however.

I am having some strange dreams about old unresoved obsessions and compulsions I used to have. It seems as though the healing process goes back in time further and further the longer i am sober. Carnes claims the entire process is 3-5 years.I certainly hope not, but it makes me realize even more the importance of continuing to take sobriety seriously. My work is twice as hard as it was before---the new Boss demands that we stay busy all of the time, even though after an hour or so of straight customers with 200 dollar orders, one would need a break. Again, I thank God for giving me my job back and realize that without sobriety I couldn't even handle these new challenges.I again see my counselor on thursday. Stay tuned....the healing is only starting.

Today is day 180. I went and saw my counselor yesterday. We discussed...among other things...the idea that the flip side of entitlement is responsibility. I thought of you when he said that! I certainly feel as if prayer is important in that it shifts my focus off of myself and onto God. Do you feel that God can do anything for us that he has not already done?Am I sober 180 days due to myself or did God play a part in this?

Addiction can be measured. That is the textbook definition...that the brain has become molded around the addiction.

Again, the issue is if the brains neuroplasticity has molded itself to support the addiction. Sugarless gum, for example, is nothing more than a habit. As far as I know, there is no evidence that the brains neuroplasticity molds itself around this habit. Not so with compulsive gambling(documented to have a higher suicide rate than heroin or methamphetamine) alcohol, drugs, text messaging, and compulsive pornographic addictions.

I see your point. My point was that the consequences that determined whether a habit wass an addiction or not were entirely based on MRI technology. If the pattern of abberant brain dysfunction occurs, the verdict is that the habit---any habit---is thus an addiction regardless of the subjects opinion regarding consequences.This is day 186. I feel more mindful and in control of my destiny. Yes, I still have addictions to fight...ones that are discernable through brain imaging. The good news is that I know how to fight them. In a word...total sobriety, fueled by the four step awareness method.Edited by Phat, : No reason given.

Well, OK. The cost would be prohibitive...so no. Let me do a bit more research into this one....This is Day 187. I had dinner with an old friend last night. He was the one who used to suffer from addictions to the point that he had to do prison time due to the consequences. He also was a Torah student and it was he who introduced me to the concept of Rational Recovery. I was mildly interested in the science behind recovery but it never really hit home until I actually have been recovering.Here is a good website. Understanding Drug Use and Addiction

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In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives.

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I suppose that first, the individual themselves would start the ball rolling towards recovery. Without the cooperation of the individual, recovery is quite simply impossible. The next step is how the intervention specialist---be it a professional, layman group leader, or even a well-meaning friend guides the addict towards recovery. For some, a sobriety group does the trick, but the science is in the length of sobriety. For others, a psychiatrist may be needed to jump start the brain chemically towards abstinence. My point is that the brain will only change once the subject wants to change, feels safe, and only when the length of sobriety from the addiction adequately allows the brain to heal back from its aberration.