Spirituality may be a bothersome term for some because it seems to imply religious thought. In recovery, however, spirituality is simply addressing the indefinable part of ourselves that caused us to fall victim to hopelessness and depression, and seek drugs and alcohol as a way to fix our problematic internal condition. These feelings are symptomatic of what many people in recovery refer to as a “spiritual malady”. That is, a sickness of the spirit that causes us to enter into the cycle of addiction. Addiction is often viewed as a threefold disease that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit. Looking back, nearly every person in recovery can remember a time before they began using drugs and alcohol, when they felt that there was something wrong with them internally. We were restless, irritable, and discontent as far back as we can remember, and we found our solution in the effects of drugs and alcohol. This spiritual malady is the catalyst that drives us into the cycle of addiction, so in order to recovery from a hopeless state of body and mind, we focus on addressing spirituality as the root cause of our addiction. 12-Step recovery, in particular, focuses on attaining a “spiritual awakening” as a means of achieving sobriety. Through a spiritual awakening, we begin to develop a relationship with a higher power of our own conception that allows us to feel a sense of connection that aids us in our ability to heal from our spiritual sickness. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous explains: “With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves,” and “most emphatically, we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts.” Through working a recovery program, we find that we no longer fall prey to the restlessness, irritability, and discontentment that used to exist in every fiber of our being. Instead, we have a spiritual experience that allows us to maintain our spiritual fitness and, consequently, our sobriety.
Recovery can be the next great chapter of your story. You can begin to build a better life, free from addiction and alcoholism, by choosing to seek help now. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in Orange County, California, offers the ability to recover from addiction and alcoholism in a beautiful beachfront environment. For more information about individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 278-1777
