WEEKLY MEDITATION
‘Miracle’ is simply the wonder of the unique that points us back to the wonder of everyday
-Maurice Friedman
Recovering from addiction is not miraculous. It can range from very difficult to rare, depending on the particular addiction and the person addicted, but it never requires a miracle. It is no more miraculous to work our way out of our addictive patterns than it was finding our way into them. Addictions are a natural part of the human condition, and nobody lives completely free of them, especially in the modern world. It is up to us, in fact, to decide when an attachment to something has become so strong that it detracts from our ability to live life the way we would optimally like to. And when we find we can’t, it’s a form of addiction. But moving in and out of our addictions is ultimately a natural process and not something that should be considered miraculous or impossible. When we can learn to see our addictions as an underlying coping mechanism, discard the addictive substance or behavior, and then learn to support ourselves through the process of growing through the need for that type of emotional protection, the need for the addiction can naturally fall away. Of course, this process rarely happens easily or unfolds in a linear fashion, and sometimes failure can lead to death, depending on that to which we are addicted. But it remains important to remember, that regardless of the means of recovery, the ability to recover is a natural process available to everybody, and ultimately a part of ‘everyday’ life.
