Addiction
"The habit of craving for more craving"
Introduction
Defining Addiction
Addiction is defined here as a habit pattern seemingly impossible to break.
Such habits can include doing drugs, imbibing alcohol, spending money and so forth.
In this article, we will explore what addiction really is, how it can be created in the mind, and the ways to release it.
Addiction In Depth
As it's the tendency for people to only notice things when it's big, addictions are usually only ever discovered once it's become destructive and out of control, affecting their physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Thus, seemingly small habits such as eating delicious foods, procrastinating before work, drinking coffee—i.e. the daily rituals—are often disregarded as harmless habits rather than addictions despite their addictiveness.
To address addictions, one must first know one's mind—to know the activities they cannot mentally break away from in life.
At the end of the day, a habit is a habit, whether it is big or small. So, to put it bluntly, when one finds themselves unable to pull away from a particular habit, it simply means that one is in the state of addiction.
What is the cause of addiction?
Habit patterns begins in the mind, and like a wheel, it's turned by the force of our reactions: our thoughts and desires. Your reactions thus are the force that creates and sustains habit patterns; to stop the motion, one has to address the reactions by understanding why they are there
And what causes Reactions? It begins with our beliefs, the ideas we have about ourselves and the world; that would be the realm one would venture if they wish to discover their problems at the seed level.
The addiction to doing certain things in life thus is simply a projection showing the shadows of what is really happening inside, of your belief systems, of your reactions. Thus if one wishes to address their addictions, in addition to addressing their addictive tendencies on the outside, it will help tremendously if one can venture into the world inside, for that is where deeper solutions can be found.
The inward journey will be a challenging journey. Self-Knowing can be a painful process as one uncovers the origins of their pains by discovering deeper pains. However, it's a rewarding process because once one truly knows their pains, they can then release it. And what will they eventually discover on their inward journey is that the deeper cause for their addictions is rooted in their desire to escape some sort of pain within.
Importance
Importance Of Addressing Addiction
To address an addiction, one first needs to carry the intention to address it.
So, let us look at the ways addiction can affect our body, mind, and life, in a destructive way.
Addiction can lead to an ungrounded mind; one can experience endless thoughts about the subject of one's addiction in the forms of daydreams, wandering thoughts, lack of attention. When one is bound to the busyness of the mind, one will find an inability to enjoy the present moment.
When one is attached to the subject of their addictions, anger and impatience can result when people or situations stand in the way of their desires. Thus, addiction can be destructive not only to one's relationships but also to their enjoyment of life. In becoming deeply attached to their desires, one can also begin to lose interest in all the other things life has to offer; life can become dull, boring, even depressing.
In the state of addiction, the mind is in control. When one lives with such a state of mind, one is living in the state of powerlessness, serving the mind rather than the heart. Note, the latter is the only way to happiness.
Path Of Creator
Addiction In Relation To The Path Of Creator
The journey of transforming and releasing addictions begins with developing Self-Awareness and Self-Acceptance.
Without Self-Awareness, the "problems" cannot be seen, and without Self-Acceptance, they cannot be accepted and thus worked on. The journey can therefore be especially difficult for those who do not and cannot spend time to reflect upon their lives and for those who fear seeing their true selves in the mirrors.
That is why the meditation practice can be helpful because the True Self is revealed through the practice.
Acceptance is powerful and healing. To begin one's journey, one can learn to simply Accept themselves. Instead of feeling ashamed of one's addictive tendencies, one can simply realize that everyone is as equally problematic as there's no one in this world that is problemless.
On the other hand, there are very few people in the world that is willing to face their problems. In this regard, the act of accepting and facing one's addictions is notably a courageous and noble act.
Let us look at some ways to address addictions.
Although the focus of this article is on addressing Addictions at the deepest level of the mind, some surface-level work can greatly help to build the steps there. These include searching for one's passion, picking up new hobbies, focusing on learning a skill—basically the finding of other things that can distract one from one's addictions. If one can find their deeper purpose in life, that's even better because then more mental energy can be devoted to constructive work rather than to waste it on addictive thoughts.
If you cannot find anything in life that you are interested in, then you can simply make creating happiness your passion. Use this website as a means to know yourself more and use the website to improve your life. Spending time to elevate yourself and your life can be a truly fulfilling experience. The course page has been designed as a journey that you can progress so you can start there.
A second tip is to surround yourself with supportive people. Although it is possible to transform your own addiction patterns by the sheer power of will alone, it is often easier to do it alongside doctors, experts, or even other addicts who wish to transform their minds.
Let us look at some ways to address addiction at the level of the deepest mind
One has to first know their mind and realize how they react to the mental and physical pains within. That is why it's very important to practice meditation to develop such a self-awareness.
Without meditation, one can dwell in the guessing game of what their mind is like. It's only when one sits very still, up to an hour, that one can begin to become aware of how they are reacting to their pains at the internal level. The most painful times in meditation are usually the most beneficial times to observe the mind. However, this it's also the time when most people will abandon the practice.
If one can persist and observe these painful moments through the meditation practice, one will eventually realize the habit patterns of the mind and the way one is always reacting to the painful and pleasurable sensations as they crop up on the body and in the mind .
The practice of meditation thus will help you to see your addictions at the reaction-level rather than the action-level, which can be quite insightful and transformative.
The types of meditation that can help one quicker to develop this self-realization are Vipassana types of meditation as these types focus on developing Body-Mind awareness.
Vipassana types of meditation will help you to realize that whenever you are experiencing a reaction within—emotional or mental—these inner states will surface on the body as physical sensations.
What this means is that if you are experiencing physical sensations without external stimulus, whether it is a pleasurable sensation or a painful sensation on the body, it means that you are experiencing the physical manifestations of your mental and emotional reactions. Thus, another way to see how much one is reacting within is to observe on the body the intensity of one's physical sensations.
How the mind Reacts
One will discover that the reactive Mind will respond to painful experiences in two ways—One is to react negatively to the experience by generating more unpleasantness, and the other is to escape into the wandering thoughts of the mind as a way of escape.
One will also become aware of the two ways the mind can react to the pleasurable experiences—One of which is to react pleasurably to it by generating more attachment, and the other would be to escape into the wandering thoughts of the mind, often to dwell in the pleasurable thoughts even more.
To simplify, what this means is that all forms of reaction will eventually lead to some form of addiction as the mind will find ways to justify the reactions thus enforcing it. That is why people often become addicted to things, even those that would offer grim outcomes, i.e. becoming addicted to abusive relationships, overspending money on alcohol, continuing activities that one has already lost interest in, procrastinating, poor sleeping habits and so forth.
If the mind is always justifying the reactions, then how can one address their habit patterns?
To transform one's habit patterns, one will have to learn how to stop one's reactions, of course this does not mean to maintain a life of non-reaction like a robot, but rather to reach that state naturally through the accumulation of wisdom. I.e. using life experiences to learn why one should not react.
This can be a lengthy process to explain, but discoverable by oneself if one simply tries to hold the intention to overcome their addictions. One way is to develop the attitude of going towards one's pain rather than running away from it. This will prevent one from developing the habit of escaping painful experiences all the time, which will help quell the reactive mind in the long run.
Another way is to develop the acceptance towards the mundaneness of everyday activities, which is done by learning to focus on each daily task by giving them one's utmost attention. This will help one from distracting oneself from the reality of the present moment through the seeking of more stimulating things.
The journey of transforming one's addiction will take time as it involves developing Self-Awareness and Self-Awareness. But it can also be quick if one encounters a meteor-size of an experience of calamitous proportions as these kinds of experiences often can help to force one to change their habit patterns by shaking loose their belief patterns. These can come in the form of enduring a serious disease, bankruptcy, the traumas of losing loved ones and so forth.
Life-catalysts thus can be used to speed up the process if one wishes to.
Another helpful practice is to welcome the pains discoverable in everyday life. As you learn to accept a bit of pain each day, the pains will affect you less the next time, making you want to stay with the pains and escape life less.
That is why the practice of Vipassana can be helpful in releasing addictions as it's a 10-day course of intense meditation. Through the course, one can really uncover and experience the deeper pains that are happening inside, and in learning to observe them for 10-days, one is essentially learning to accept them rather than escape them.
Actually, it's not unusual for stories to be told of people coming out of the 10 day course with their addictions released.
Take a Vipassana course here
But to be honest, the more one simply learns to accept all there is in life, one will naturally be released from their addictions. So, simply by taking the path of Transforming the mind, of Knowing the mind, of Accepting The Self, all problems of the mind will naturally disappear whether it is addiction, anger, fears and so forth.
Finally, whether one wishes to address their habit patterns, it's simply a matter of choice.
There is no right and wrong.
The journey of being the Creator is about learning to live life in the way you truly desire. But, if you truly want to be the Creator, then it's important to address one's addictions because in releasing them, that is how one can truly be the master of their own life.
Know and Transform The Self!
Reading articles helps with understanding, but to transform the mind, one realizes the truth from experience.
For such an enlightening journey, the Self-Transformation Course has everything you will ever need!
