The Missing Piece: The Spiritual Malady

We should distinguish this from a sensitive or tender conscience. It refrains from negativity, especially when speaking about others who are not present. You might also like to pore through our article on how to access your inner strength during traumatic times for additional support.

• Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me.
• It’s the “spiritual malady”, as manifested by my EGO (selfishness—self-centeredness), that  can eventually lead me back to drinking or sometimes even suicide.
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• For a while, that seemed to work for us but once we stopped using substances the discontentedness came back to the surface in sobriety.
• That way, they’ll be able to relate to your experience and offer advice from a place of understanding.
• Finally, self-reliance can be dangerous because it can lead to complacency.

Complicated grief is grief that never seems to go away, that continues for many years, and that cripples a person’s ability to function normally in the world. The latter variety of grief that is ongoing (for many years), is also known as complicated grief according to psychologists. Spiritual awakenings don’t necessarily happen the way we might expect, along a timeline we prefer, or in a form obvious to us. Spiritual awakenings often evolve so gradually that they are almost imperceptible. And only when our eyes, ears, mind, and heart are fully open, are we positioned to discern, receive, and appreciate them.

How to Understand How an Addict May Suffer Spiritually

The most important thing is that you keep an open mind and heart as you continue on your sobriety journey. It is strange paradox, the more you focus on helping others, the more you discover how much you matter. Alcoholics Anonymous bases the 12-step program on 12 affirmations, or what they call 12 traditions. These expressions that help people recovering from addiction regain a spiritual footing once again. By using this approach, a recovering addict can experience a notable change in their outlook. Following this program will cause them to feel less alone or closed off from the messages of life, thus relieving them from the burden of isolation.

• For example, you might like to punch a pillow for ten minutes and see whether anything stirs within you.
• In our addictions, we tried to quench our soul-thirst with fleeting pleasures.
• In fact, sometimes it’s a wiser choice to reach out to those who are intimately acquainted with grief and can adequately hold space for you.
• Receive weekly mailings to support your meditation journey and your daily practice.

In sobriety, if we are self-reliant we usually end up using anything that will make us feel good externally excessively. The spiritual malady is the result of my being out of order with my higher power who I choose to call God. I was the director in the drama of life and managing the world so I could  get what I thought I needed to feel ok.

The Full Spectrum of Spirituality

For a while, that seemed to work for us but once we stopped using substances the discontentedness came back to the surface in sobriety. A spiritual malady is a deep-seated inner conflict that leads to restlessness, irritability, and discontentment. It is a sense of “otherness” that keeps us from feeling at peace with ourselves and the world around us.

• Selfishness and self -centeredness is the root of my trouble.
• This spiritual malady, or spiritual disconnection, is the driving force behind our addiction and self-destructive behaviors.
• Compassion evokes an interest in offering support, understanding, and kindness to others when they struggle, make mistakes, or fail.

However, this does not mean, necessarily, they’ve abandoned their faith. As overwhelming as I’m sure this all may seem for someone who’s either never had a spiritual connection, or been disconnected for years, I’d like to assure you it’s not as formidable as it may seem. But first, it’s crucial that you understand the difference between a spiritual experience and a religious one. While I could go on forever on the differences between these two ideas, I’ll keep it as simple as possible. If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the YourFirstStep.org hotline is a confidential and convenient solution.

What Constitutes a Spiritual Awakening?

Many people are initially turned off to the idea of the program because they believe it preaches religion and God, and many addicts and alcoholics have no desire to pursue a religious answer. But the beauty of the 12-steps is that they are spiritually based as opposed to religious. What that means is that all that is required is the belief in a power greater than yourself. There is no church you must attend https://g-markets.net/sober-living/how-to-clean-your-system-from-alcohol-in-24-hours/ or strict practices you must adhere to in organized worship of said higher power, it is a completely individual and personal experience. While a sense of spiritual emptiness is an experience familiar to many people, it is extremely common for those who struggle with addiction. While the absence of spirituality in no way causes addiction, it is generally accepted that addiction has a spiritual component.

Again, we can be anxious and nervous and worried without finally submitting to ultimate despair. This coexistence of faith and spiritual depression is paralleled in other biblical statements of emotive conditions. We are told that it is perfectly legitimate for believers to suffer grief. Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Though grief may reach to the roots of our souls, it must not result in bitterness.

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We became selfish and self-seeking, ever thirsting for more, and this lust warped us on every level. But we were never satisfied, because but the living presence of God can quench our parched souls. Addicts and alcoholics may rid themselves of their drug or alcohol dependency by completing the Twelve Step process. This 100 Most Inspiring Addiction Recovery Quotes will allow them to undergo the required shift in thought that will free them from their addiction. Addiction is a spiritual disease because it represents an individual’s attempt to disconnect from reality and any sense of spirituality. Simply put, they feel a terrible loneliness at their very soul or center of being.