by Kevin Flynn

Created on: December 31, 2008

Drug addiction is a fixed idea that the use of some type of substance will produce a desired feeling or result which is craved above all else in a person's life. The euphoria felt by the use of the first drug is sought after by the addict in every subsequent use. Many addicts call this "chasing that first high." Most agree that the pursuit of it a fruitless endeavor; you never really get that exact feeling a second time.

So why does the drug addict continue to use if they cannot capture that first high again? There are many different philosophies on this. Some believe that addiction is a disease. Others believe it is a conscious behavior that can be stopped by sheer willpower. Still others believe it is a lack of faith in anything spiritual, a moral deficiency if you will. Twelve step fellowships believe that it is a combination of all three: a disease; a behavior; and a spiritual deficiency. The steps themselves are a program designed to address these areas and help the addict recover.

The disease concept is that obsession and compulsion are the nature of addiction. These are areas of a person's personality that have been instilled in them by environment or circumstances beyond their control, thus the development of the concept of "powerlessness". Every twelve step fellowship agrees that true recovery from addiction cannot begin until an admission of powerlessness is made.

Once this admission, or First Step, is taken, it becomes easier to see the behavior patterns that society considers "morally reprehensible". When an addict is in the throes of active addiction any sense of morality or consequence goes out the window during the pursuit of their drug of choice. It is often argued that this changes the mental state of an individual, making them unstable and not necessarily responsible for their actions. Those in recovery eventually recognize that their drug use produced a "Jekyll and Hyde" persona that would otherwise not have been there if they didn't pick up in the first place.

This brings us to the spiritual nature of addiction. The Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous states that, "You are not responsible for your disease, but you are responsible for your recovery." In other words, once you know, you know. One of the most important pieces to an addict's recovery is the ability to be accountable and live a better life. Many have to face the consequences of their actions while they were using and all of them have to learn to apply spiritual principles in their life in order to stay clean.

So what is addiction? Addiction is the false belief that something from outside of a person can make them feel better on the inside. People who are content on the inside don't have to seek the "first high" that addicts are looking for when they do drugs, or gamble, or drink alcohol. If there is discontent on the inside, the only way to cure it is by finding inner peace, the serenity that addicts pray for on a daily basis. Drugs, alcohol, winning lottery tickets, sex, or shopping will not produce that. A spiritual problem can only be solved with a spiritual solution.

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