Afflicted and Addicted

Today I am grateful for time with other recovering alcoholics and the wisdom they share. I am also grateful for more time with our grandson Leo.

We watched him for several hours yesterday and enjoyed his cheerful nature. I especially enjoyed when he sat quietly on my lap as we read a couple of farm sound books together.

I heard more words at the church service I attended last Sunday that really stuck with me. The words were spoken by my sister-in-law Elaine as she read the prayers of petition. Those words were "afflicted and addicted." The afflicted and addicted certainly need prayers.

We all experience affliction; defined as something that causes pain and suffering. Ailment. Illness. Disorder. Handicap. Trouble. Misery. Hardship. Misfortune. Adversity. Sorrow. To name our afflictions, to step out of denial and address them, that is where hope and healing are. But it takes time and effort. And deep honesty.

Addiction is an affliction, a serious and sometimes deadly one. Merriam-Webster does a decent job of defining this scourge: "a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) 
or do something (such as gamble)"

It is tough to find an all-encompassing definition though, or one that can be agreed on by all. Just like the debate about whether or not alcoholism and other addictions are a disease. Major medical associations like the American Medical Association have long identified addiction as a disease. It is brain-based, has progressive symptoms, and is chronic in nature. I consider my alcoholism a disease. That is no excuse, that is me trying to understand what I am dealing with and why I need help beyond myself.

The argument often heard from those who say it isn't a disease stems from the idea that the person has to pick up the drink or substance or engage in the activity. Therefore their actions create the problem. Brain-based factors and genetic predispositions combine to lead the user to continue using despite horrible outcomes and significant consequences. Choice and control are lost. Disease. Affliction. Addiction.

There is help. There is hope. The addict has to do the work. But they need the support and intervention of others. I am forever grateful to those who intervened to help me see I needed help, and for the many who have shown me the way of recovery ever since. I try to give back, to help others in recovery. It is a deep source of appreciation and motivation to make good choices each day.

Who in your life is afflicted and/or addicted? How can you help? Maybe it is you. Who can you reach out to?  Prayers are just the start. From minor afflictions to full-blown addictions, treating others and ourselves kindly and gently is a place to start. 


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