woman between 2 wolves

3 Signs the Beast of Addiction is Eating You Alive

By

Sober Recovery Expert Author

woman between 2 wolves

Inside every human is an unrelenting battle of good versus evil. Before drugs and alcohol, a human has a more sufficient balance of natural chemicals in the brain to think rationally, logically, and has a greater ability to be aware of their motives for doing things. Once a human becomes an addict though, their “bad wolf” becomes a ferocious beast that is nearly impossible to tame.

A drink, hit, or pill may at first be taken to experience some kind of pleasure with no harm intended to themselves or others. However, over time our brains will falsely tell us we need a substance to make us feel that way. Our bodily sensations and feelings will tell us the same thing and that is the lie that changes the inner struggle of bad into an entire evil takeover of our brains, bodies, and spirits.

We each have 2 wolves inside us—good and bad—fighting for dominance. The one we feed is the one that wins.

Addiction invites the monster within us to permanently reside because we have been feeding it for so long. Essentially, we become objects of their desires. Slowly, we become a shell of who we are—weakening our wills to appease an appetite that can never be satisfied. The beast destroys us by deceiving us into thinking “if only” we get that one thing to make us “feel” a certain way, then we will be better.

But beware, it’s all a lie.

One by one, the beast will rob you of everything you have. Here are some signs the beast of addiction is destroying you.

1. You’re losing your loved ones.

The beast of addiction doesn’t just affect ourselves. As we attempt to satisfy something that can’t ever feel truly full, we neglect relationships and responsibilities to serve a desire. It is the epitome of selfishness that will drive loved ones away, not because they don’t love us, but because they need to protect themselves from being hurt.

They will have to face the truth that until the addict stops feeding the monster within them, they are just a shell of themselves. Often we won’t realize the damage until we take the first steps towards starving our addiction because the beast distorts the reality of our actions and their consequences on those we love.

2. You feel depressed and hate yourself.

Ironically, the beast of addiction keeps us on a carousel of guilt, shame, fear, resentment, and hate. All of these feelings intensify with the use of drugs and alcohol so we rely even heavier on what is actually making us feel this way in the first place.

Until we look to our good wolf within us and become our own drug of choice (i.e. learning to solicit feelings of relief, joy, and peace without any substance) we are a slave to this beast which is killing everything we are from the inside out.

3. Addiction won’t stop until you lose everything (even your life).

The beast of addiction does not relinquish with time. Instead, it grows stronger. There is no cure to the beast residing in us—no time, no drug, no therapy. Since we all have a bad wolf inside us, the only thing we can do is feed our best so we can make this wolf much more ferocious than the mighty beast we have created.

The first step to winning the fight against our beast of addiction is to make our minds up to stop our deadly patterns even when our bodies and minds say otherwise. We have to become masters of our wills minds, bodies, and emotions and that’s how the good wolf wins. Until we do that, we will be dangerously close to losing it all, if not death.

The Good Wolf is Stronger

Our habitual pattern keeps us enslaved to the perceived benefit of the substance we are using, and although our anxieties, fears, and bodily pains are temporarily quelled, we are destroying the good wolf that lives inside us.

The good news is our good wolf never leaves us. It remains within waiting to be fed so it can devour the beast who destroys all in its path. As long as you are human and alive, there is always hope. Make the choice to feed the good things, and be brave enough to ask for help to do so if you need it.

No matter what that beast of addiction has told us about ourselves or our character, no matter what it has robbed from us, the good wolf can tear that evil monster to pieces. All we have to do is feed it.

If you or someone you know is seeking help from addiction, please visit our directory of treatment centers or call 800-891-8171 to speak to a treatment specialist.

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