Curing Addiction
I consider addiction a natural state because the desire to feel good, safe or real is natural. If I’m addicted to alcohol it is because, in my experience, alcohol is the best way to feel good, safe or real. This is either in all situations or specific ones such as rock star Jimmy Barnes who wouldn’t go on stage unless he’d first drunk a bottle of vodka.
Life is designed to evolve so instead of focussing on addicition being the problem use it as the solution. Evolve the addicition by shifting focus to a better way of feelng good, safe or real. Keep the addicition but find a better ‘habit’ because we always go for the better high. If marijuana is my addiction and someone dangles a joint in front of me I want to smoke it. If Speed is my addiction, the marijuana won’t tempt me. I may smoke a joint occasionally but its not an ‘instinctive priority’, as it would be if it was Speed on offer.
Addiction can work in your favour. For example you could say that the Dalai Lama is addicted to compassion because he understands that living this way makes him feel good, safe or real. He wouldn’t want to suddenly become a businessman who gets drunk every night because evolution only goes one way.
I am addicted to my early morning practice because this is my best reference to feeling safe, good and real. Therefore I find it easier to get up at 5am and get into my Chi exercises and meditation than to sleep in and get up for coffee, cigarettes and bongs. I’ve done both but the Chi practice is way better. If I hadn’t experienced how good that is, I would still be addicted to Speed and the drug-lifestyle in an attempt to feel good, safe and real.
So the solution to addiction is to go higher. The Dalai Lama once said ‘if you enter a hot room don’t turn on the heater. Open the window instead’. I say, ‘if you are addicted to drugs don’t focus on the drug. Open up the gateway to Chi instead’. This way I guarantee that you’ll reject all other means to feel good and safe and real. You may drink one or two glasses of wine with dinner but you can’t drink more as it makes you feel bad and unsafe and unreal (unnatural). You’ve healed addiction forever.