Addiction is not an affliction of the few or weak. While some struggle with destructive addictions like alcohol and drugs, most people have some addiction of one kind or another.
Often the key to overcoming addiction is viewing it from a variety of perspectives. Albert Einstein once said, “no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” Our mindset in addiction cannot be the same mindset to get out of addiction.
Taking an introspective approach almost always leads to positive outcomes. Here are 6 perspectives to consider:
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Perspective of Family – It may not be your entire family, but there are some people in your family who have your best interests at heart. Try to view your addiction from their perspective and you will undoubtedly see their pain. Now that you have recovered from addiction, seeing this perspective can help prevent you from falling into old habits.
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Perspective of Higher Self – Think about those moments in your life where you were striving for some achievement that was so appealing, that you were willing to do just about anything to get it. It might have been high school sports, competition at work, or something else, but you assuredly put pleasure and “good feelings” aside for the sake of this higher goal.
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Perspective of Society – It isn’t always a good idea to fit in with society, but sometimes they can be a gauge of our behavior. Viewing addiction from the perspective of society can give you another eye-opening experience about how it is perceived.
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Perspective of Significant Other – Your significant other (whether current or past) is probably someone whom you know very intimately. You can easily put yourself into their shoes, understand their feelings, and view addictive behavior from the perspective of your significant other. In doing so, it will be easier for you to avoid making the same mistakes and inducing similar hardships with them in the future.
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Perspective of Role Model – Growing up or even in your adult life, there was someone or a group of people whom you looked up to. These people had certain characteristics that made them appealing and how would they view addiction and addictive behavior? In asking this question, you can again see where addiction hurts you and others and how to remedy such a situation.
Obviously, much self-work must be done to overcome addiction. There are many methods and it is rarely an easy process, but it is always a worthwhile one.
If you can set aside some time to meditate or journal on these perspectives regarding addiction and really detail how they see things, it might be useful for preventing that behavior again.
