Sobriety and Spiritual Awakening

“The greatest gift that can come to anybody is a spiritual awakening. Without doubt this would be the certain verdict of every well-recovered alcoholic in AA’S entire fellowship. So, then, what is this “spiritual awakening,” this “transforming experience”? How can we receive it and what does it do? To begin with, a spiritual awakening is our means of finding sobriety. And to us of AA sobriety means life itself. We know that a spiritual experience is the key to survival from alcoholism and that for most of us it is the only key. We must awake or we die…Little by little I woke up to the possibility that God hadn’t put me on earth  for the purpose of getting all the money, prestige, and romance that I could lay my hands on. I finally had to face the fact that I would have to settle for less, a lot less. And If I couldn’t accept this, I’d probably get drunk again”. –pg. 232-235 from The Language of the Heart

As it states in our 12th step “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all of our affairs”. This means that it is highly unlikely to have the kind of spiritual awakening they are referring to in the language of the heart without first asking for alcohol addiction help, getting sober either through a drug addiction detox, AA, or some sort of 30 day rehab program, and working the steps. Furthermore without working the steps and having some sort of spiritual awakening we cannot carry the message to others. After all, we cannot transmit something we haven’t got. If we stop carrying the message to others as well as discontinue working the steps we as a fellowship will perish and without any solution we would surely lose the battle against alcoholism individually as well. When we first get sober many of us want the “stuff”. The house, job, family, and perfect life seem to be a driving factor for most of us but the longer we stay sober we realize as a result of a spiritual awakening that it’s no longer what sobriety is all about for us. We are here to greet the world and live life on an altruistic and spiritual plane.

The Candy Debate

We all remember the downfall of candy cigarettes; Once big tobacco finally admitted to the evils of their products, these little novelty candies quickly vanished from store shelves ice cream trucks. Public outcry supporting the removal argued, quite vehemently, that these sugary products set the stage for tobacco use in users later in life. But the question remains: Do mock behaviors in children really dictate future behaviors? Playing cowboys and Indians in your parent’s basement does not necessarily place you on the fast track to Navajo chiefdom (follow your dreams, man!); 200 hours spent on 1st person shooter games does not make you a skilled assassin. So how big of an influence can candy cigarettes, alcohol, and pills have on future behaviors?

Without question, we, as a society know the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. THEY ARE BAD FOR YOU. Slogans, programs, and classes are rammed down our throats early in life to ensure that each and every one of us has the opportunity to live clean, sober, and happy for the rest of our days. But… as with most things that are inherently bad for us, curiosity often wins out. The issue here, friends, is how that curiosity affects our choices down the road.

The Nitty Gritty

A child who hurts another child on the playground is scolded and punished for their actions. As such, the child learns not to repeat these types of behaviors.

A child who is given candy packaged in a pillbox will experience enjoyment when consuming the product. The behavior is not punished because, well… it’s candy. As such, the child may be less inhibited by the idea of prescription drug use.

Does pill-like candy consumption place children at higher risk for prescription drug use later in life? The answer is unclear. However, the mere presence of doubt is enough for many critics to demonize their sale… and for good reason:

As children, we live by experience and the actions we are taught. A behavior learned and rewarded early in life will often translate to repetitive actions down the road. Though candy is certainly an innocent topic, it is that same innocence that creates worry among parents whose children are introduced to negative behaviors and habits on its behalf. Without over analyzing the topic ad nauseam, it may be safe to close the argument in saying that these types of products serve little use in ensuring a positive and productive path for children to follow.

Comments? Anyone? Bueller?

We at Above It All Treatment Center are always up for a good discussion. Post your thoughts and ideas on this topic below!