Addiction
Is Addiction Your Legacy From The Anguish Of Your Childhood Sexual Abuse?
What is addiction and where does it come from?
What is addiction? Customarily we think of addiction in terms of drug or alcohol addiction. It is so much broader than that. Additionally, it includes things like shopping, gambling, pornography, food, and even good things like exercise.
When you are compelled to do something, that you are not choosing to do at that moment it is an addiction.
But?
People who are stressed about money may shop or gamble recklessly. It makes no sense logically yet they feel compelled to do that.
People frequently reach for alcohol or food when they are feeling stressed. They are experiencing an addiction. Have you ever heard someone say … “I need a drink” or “I need chocolate”. That will not reduce their stress level but they feel as though it will anesthetize them to the pain of it.
In most instances, addiction begins in a desperate effort to anesthetize us to pain. When a child is abused in any manner, but especially when it is sexual abuse, it hurts. It hurts physically and emotionally.
They don’t have the skill to cope with it. They just know they want the pain to go away. The more alone they feel, the more they feel responsible or diminished, the greater the pain. With no place to turn they look for something, anything to dull the pain.
My Story
This is my story. I was sexually abused by my father at a time when the sexual abuse of children was not yet on the public radar. After trying several things I found solace in food. Every day after school I would make myself a bowl of hot buttered noodles. It was food I had access to and it brought me comfort.
Addiction often begins as the anesthesia of choice based on convenience and availability. If there is liquor in the house it is convenient and available. If there are recreational or prescription drugs in the house, they are convenient and accessible.
Sometimes we conquer one addiction, but trade it for another. Additionally, it is not uncommon for addictive behavior to expand. So the individual who is addicted to alcohol may overcome that addiction only to replace it with gambling or another addiction. Other times they will simply add an addiction.
One of the truly destructive aspects of addiction is how it expands into more areas of life. It starts out as anesthesia to pain. Then it becomes a way of coping with stress. Then it becomes a habit. Then it owns every area of your life.
So How Can You Escape Its Tentacles?
You have to go to the root cause. 12 Step programs are great and do much good but unless the underlying causes that created the addiction are addressed repeated relapses are frequent, in spite of all of your willpower and your best efforts.
That means healing from your childhood abuse.
Would you like to know how to have clarity about what happened and leave the pain behind as you find emotional freedom? And do it without years of therapy?
How would it feel to be free of your addiction and actually focus on your goals? To achieve your goals?
What would it feel like to embrace the light of emotional freedom, joy, and accomplishment?
If you are ready to learn more go to
Would you like to know more about achieving emotional freedom?
The Key
I shared a bit of my story above. Your story holds the keys to your addiction and to your freedom. Isn’t it time to use those keys to unlock the gate to your freedom?