15Jun

I Can Stop Whenever I Want – The Personal Side

I once heard someone say that an addiction is anything—good or bad—you find appealing and really want to do, but the more you do it the less satisfied you feel. This is a very general definition of addiction, but it makes sense to me. Another simple definition of addiction is something that controls you instead of you controlling it. 

At the end of the day, addiction is about “loving” something else more than you love yourself. Addictions wrongly take precedence over everything else in our lives. They isolate us and harm us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Addictions keep us from maintaining and developing healthy, fulfilling, authentic relationships. They keep us so focused on ourselves and our desires that we are unable to honestly emotionally engage with others. In fact, we have little time to consider others because addiction is all consuming. Addictions take us farther than we want to go and keep us longer than we want to stay.

While addictions are real and powerful, the human mind, body and spirit are more powerful still. As a therapist, I am continually amazed by the resiliency of the human spirit. Individuals struggling with addiction who commit to the healing process, including therapy, can overcome their addictions and live balanced, authentic, joyful lives. If you would like to speak with a trained psychotherapist please call Life Enhancement Counseling Services of Orlando today at (407) 620-7855 to make an appointment to speak with a therapist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yolanda Brailey