man struggling with active addiction

How Addiction Disrupts Your Spiritual Growth

By

Sober Recovery Expert Author

man struggling with active addiction

Whether you know it or not, you have been on a spiritual journey your whole life. Throughout the years, you grow physically, mentally, emotionally and—even if you’re not religious—spiritually. Each of us has a spirit that has evolved in various ways as we come of age and experience some type of inner spiritual development—it’s just a matter of tuning into it.

A Dark Tunnel

When you start abusing alcohol or drugs in order to cope with life or inner pain, you may think that you’re entering a tunnel that leads to a place where your problems do not exist anymore. However, you’ll soon realize that you either end up back where you started or utterly lost in the dark.

When you start abusing alcohol or drugs, you may mistakenly believe that your problems do not exist anymore.

Though addiction may make you feel safe at the moment, it coaxes you with a myriad of lies. Instead of growing and being free, addiction actually keeps you small and suffering, ultimately stunting your spiritual growth. By giving all of your power to a substance or type of behavior, you are cutting yourself off from a connection to a Higher Power. Instead of relying on something spiritual to get you through obstacles or inner pain, you’re relying on a substance or behavior that can actually destroy you.

Walking Towards the Light

Many who have pulled themselves out of addiction by traveling down a spiritual path say the time they started abusing vices was when their light started to dim. The drink or drug may have filled them up for a while but the void inside, as many of them proclaim, was only truly satisfied when they found their Higher Power. This source of spiritual strength is different for everyone.

In order to experience inner peace and continue to grow spiritually, you have to realize that addiction will never provide a quick fix. The only way of escaping life’s problems is by facing them head-on, which may be through rehab, counseling or 12-Step meetings.

When you grow spiritually, you shine as brightly as you can and let go of people, things, and places in life that do not serve you. You get to ask deeper questions in life and believe that no matter what is thrown your way, a power greater than your own will make sure you find the light at the end of it all.

If you or someone you know is seeking help from addiction, please visit our directory of treatment centers or call 800-772-8219 to start the path to recovery today.

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