They also experience an ineffable quality from becoming spiritual – one  where their feelings go beyond mere words. An inventory is just a list—in our case a list of people and events that have contributed to our issue. A really effective tool for building that list is to ask ourselves questions. If we’re serious about our recovery, if we really want to experience freedom from these behaviors that keep us in bondage, we have to be rigorously honest with our answers. But like it says in the serenity prayer; we accept hardship as a pathway to peace. Practicing prayer and meditation helps us be mindful of our surroundings and gain consciousness of our spirituality by bringing us closer to our higher power.

• The best definition may be found in the actual experience of one’s own shifts in conscious awareness.
• I can manage my spiritual malady or emotional dysfunction, I have the tools to do so.
• Many people are initially turned off to the idea of the program because they believe it preaches religion and God, and many addicts and alcoholics have no desire to pursue a religious answer.
• It can also lead to other problems, such as alcohol abuse or other addictions.
• Finally, someone explained to me that those things are not the insanity that the Big Book talks about; nor are those things why the alcoholic’s life becomes unmanageable.

One of the most important things in AA is finding a sponsor – someone who has been through the program and can help guide you through it. If you’re struggling with the concept of God, try to find a sponsor who shares your views. That way, they’ll be able to relate to your experience and offer advice from a place of understanding. This resistance to anything spiritual is the biggest obstacle some addicts confront. To beat their addiction, people must face the reality that there is indeed a power larger than themselves. Therefore, they must make an effort to establish a rapport with this higher power.

The Power of Obsession in Alcoholism and Addiction

However, that does not mean addicts are confronting this spiritual ailment by themselves. While an addict’s spiritual malady triggers a compulsive need to use drugs, other people’s spiritual conflicts may take the form of a gambling problem, anxiety, depression, or eating disorder. There are many persons in recovery who are not interested in discussing or even hearing about spirituality. So let me say up front that when we talk about the spiritual side of recovery, we’re not talking about religion or rules.

• On page 62 the text explains that “Selfishness-self-centeredness!
• To do this, members must rely on their support system which includes other members, sponsors, and meetings.
• Self-reliance can also be dangerous because it can lead to pride.
• The pursuit of them dominated our lives, destroyed relationships, and caused greater desperation than we ever thought possible.
• We become so fixated on it that almost everything we do leads us to think about getting intoxicated.

Sometimes it’s easier to admit our resentments against a stranger or co-worker than someone in our own family. So denial can be a pretty thick fog to break through in this area. It takes rigorous honesty, and it might require a lot of digging and peeling away of layers to start uncovering things. What activities or habits have caused harm to my physical health?

How to pronounce Spiritual Malady?

” But sure enough, she followed the program and within a month or two her mental obsession had dissipated. Last year I was diagnosed with diabetes, which I’ve written more about here. Fortunately, it was caught early enough that I had a chance to try and manage it with lifestyle changes. The day after I got the news, I started on my brand new low-sugar, low-carb https://ecosoberhouse.com/ lifestyle of eating, which I referred to at the time as the “no more happiness” diet. (Its actually turned out to be awesome!)  I suffered a good amount of physical cravings the first two weeks. Then one day at work I was walking past a bunch donuts some evil salesman had left in the break room when I realized that I no longer physically craved sugar.

The specific manifestation(s) of addiction represent an attempt to fill this emptiness from the outside. Substances, activities like gambling, eating, or sex, material objects, jobs, money, or people, may fill this hole, but only very temporarily. When the mood-altering effects of the attempted “fix” wear off, the feelings of dis-ease return and are often worse, driving the urge to “use” again. Bryan was born in Philadelphia and remains an ardent supporter of Philadelphia sports.