Addiction is the process whereby we allow ourselves to be influenced by an excessive and destructive need that requires continual fulfillment from an external source. At the moment we enter such a state of mind it has the potential of being a trap. As long as the need is fulfilled, whether by destructive relationships or by excessive appetites, we retain our equilibrium. In the case of addictive relationships, this now requires that we continue to perform in a manner that is prescribed by these relationships to insure our pathological need continues to be met. If we do not, we then lose approval, and along with it the co-dependent rewards we now find necessary. Too often, the outcome is a desperate attempt to re-establish our equilibrium by resuming the addictive behavior.

Addiction may take many forms: alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are a few of the more obvious forms of addictions. Other addictions include excessive talking, compulsive eating, compulsive sexual activity, excessive working, etc. Alternately, addictions can take the form of compulsive forbidance of substances, or activities, causing us to deprive ourselves of the value of certain things, such as sex, food, commitment to a relationship, etc. There are indeed myriads of potential addictions for the human condition.

We are intricate in character. The descent into Hell that occurs anytime God-Consciousness is denied causes a state of separation from God that constitutes original sin. This separation may then follow many roads in a desire to become one with God again. This desire leads to the creation of needs that will fulfill that desire.

To break addictive habits, there are many options. Programs available through service agencies are excellent. I will add another point of view that can be an adjunct to these. The first step to recovery from addiction is to accept that an addiction exists. A definition of addiction is: the constant involvement in repetitive behavior patterns without the apparent ability to stop. Once accepted that an addiction exists, the next step is to explore possible ways of changing. Understanding the human condition is helpful for change to occur. The human being is addictive by nature. Addiction to life at the time of birth, addiction to aging as we grow and addiction to death as a transformation are some primal examples.

Choices of addictions are as diverse as the human is diverse in personality. If we become involved in an addiction that may be detrimental to our health, by exercising our free will we can decide to change our addiction to one that is healthy. As an example, there are addictions to golf, jogging, aerobics, meditation and other healthful practices. Always remember that if these practices become obsessive, they can stop being healthy on an emotional level.

One of the most common of all human addictions is the addiction to attention, a part of what is currently called co-dependency which, when received, suggests we are loved. Many times, especially with small children who have yet to learn what is "good and bad", a strong attachment occurs with a parent who is abusive. This happens because the abuse is "attention" and suggests "love". How many times have we heard the statement; "A parent who loves their child will discipline them"? When the line is not clear between parental disciplinary action that is constructive and excessive addictive abuse, then a problem exists. The child is being programmed to believe that abusive treatment means being loved. The stage is now set subconsciously to draw abuse in order to satisfy the addiction to attention.
Real unconditional love loves whatever we are. Learning to appreciate all experiences allows movement from one to the next. Learning what the experience has to offer and carrying that knowledge into the next experience is how we grow. Denial of the value of all experiences because of judgment causes guilt and separation from God and creates a loss of personal value as a base for all experiences. Resisting the acceptance that there is value in all experiences can be a cause of disease. This may lead to a fear of releasing addictions because of a fear of being able to cope with responsibility. By accepting full responsibility for the self and releasing feelings of being responsible for others, the planet can be healed. Then we can collectively accomplish our responsibility to the evolution of the planet.

Methods that can be helpful:
1. Embracing a change of attitude. This begins with accepting the reality of addiction combined with letting go of the judgments, in order to stop feeling guilty and then building an image of personal value. There are organizations and professional therapies that focus on this as a goal.

2. Change of Diet: Some addictions can be caused due to a nutritional deficiency. Having a nutritional analysis done, supplementing the diet with vitamins and minerals or herbs and adding foods to the diet that are high in the nutrients needed, can ease physical trauma that occurs when attempting to be free of addictions.

3. Change of Social Activity: Addictive people generally associate with people with the same addiction and go to places where the addiction is supported. A gradual change in friends and places for hanging out can help alter the life style.

4. Breath Work therapy involves working with the patterns or rhythms of the breath. Breath is the vehicle for life and every trauma that is experienced is recorded in the breath cycle. There are many ways of retraining our breathing habits. Some of these are Yoga, Meditation, and a form of re-patterning breath work called Alchemia HeartBreath.

5. Colonics: A very gentle, but thorough cleansing of the colon to release the toxins from chemicals.

6. Bodywork: Bodywork is an effective process for stress relief. Massage, Acupressure, Reiki, Alchemia Bodywork and Reflexology are just a few examples of the many types of bodywork that exist. So much of the trauma in life is stored in the memory banks of the cells. Any bodywork that is experienced is valuable in relaxing the muscles and therefore releasing the trauma.

7. Synergy is done primarily with the client in an alert trance state and by means of an interactive process. There is an emphasis on emotional clearing, rather than just emotional release. This means that the restructuring of past events and the cultivation of positive resource states is of primary importance with strong emphasis on the recognition, rescue, and nurturance of the Inner Child. This therapy can be used for specific psychological or psychosomatic complaints. It can also be used for psycho-spiritual development, leading toward inner wholeness. Processes to bring conflicting sub-personalities into harmony are used with the purpose of cultivating inner unity. The goal of self-awareness enables us to observe our behavior from an objective level and is required if we are to achieve freedom from the addictions that control our lives. This can lead to a peace of mind that allows for respect of individual differences without the threat of ridicule or persecution for those differences. When we have achieved the ability to live and let live without judgment then we can have peace on this beautiful planet called "Earth". To become free of addiction requires a consciousness described in the following excerpt from one of my favorite books, "E.T. 101":

"Co-creation is the awesome life-giving, light bearing act of equals, powerfully operating out of an integrity that is aligned with the truth. Truth, by its nature, is the light. Fear cannot, by its nature, be in the light without dying. It becomes a simple matter of self-interest. Fear has owned this planet, its people and their systems for a long time. It does not wish to give up the property it has acquired because it is a parasitic life form that cannot live separated from your life forces. The truth is, you are the truth. It is not external to you, as you have been led to believe. For that reason, it is ludicrous to set out on a spiritual journey in search of it. It is likewise ridiculous to punish those who do not practice it when almost no one on this planet does. And fighting over it is so absurd as to not deserve our comment at all. All you need do is awaken to the fact that you are the truth. As the light comes on, the parasite will die, leaving you joyously able to reclaim command of your life" Following that philosophy we can now be one with our own purpose and addictions become unnecessary. Self worth eliminates the need for external approval that creates the environment for addiction. We now need no ones approval except our own.

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