It’s taken me a long time to write this, but I do so with complete understanding and enormous empathy. No judgment. It’s a plea to address some of the things that may cripple us should, as seems imminent, The End of The World as We Know It occurs.
Things that can be very addictive include caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, sugar/carbs, prescription drugs, and miscellaneous unhealthy habits, some unholy, and others seemingly innocent like social media. I can honestly tell you that at one time or another I was addicted to all of the above, so I’m not just preaching at y’all. We all know that during a SHTF event or prolonged collapse, the things we are addicted to may not be available. So, it’s a very worthy goal to take a look at our addictions in order to prevent a personal crisis when we need all of our faculties in hand. This is a very sensitive topic for many people, but I want you to know that I’ve been through some very hard stuff and lived to tell the story. I hope that gives you hope and encouragement.
If the thing you feel you can’t part with makes you feel like you’re being hugged, and a warm sensation fills your body, pay attention. It might be highly addictive. Alternatively, if that thing, that one thing, gives you the energy you feel you need to make it through the day, pay attention. It might be highly addictive. If that thing induces rage or depression or fitfulness and you keep going back to it, pay attention. It’s got you in its clutches.
So what’s so wrong with addiction? It’s the withdrawals, for one. It’s a confused or easily manipulated mind. It’s a numbness to what’s going on around you. It’s a preoccupation with getting that thing you need so bad you’ll run over others, or sacrifice what is sacred, to get it. It can cause abnormal weight gain or loss, lack of energy, headaches, the inability to focus on important tasks, sleeplessness or oversleeping, upset stomach and internal distress, memory loss, even heart disease and stroke. It can cause you to be absent in mind and body from the ones who may need you most. It can cause missed workdays and poor performance along with general irritability and anxiety. I could go on.
I would say that determination and stubbornness played a large part in my breaking free from things that had me in their grip. I’ve often been chastised and ridiculed for those very traits that the Lord gave me. I am thankful for who God made me to be. I also have what I’ve heard described as an “addictive personality” and I’m not really sure what that means other than I’ve fallen for various addictions in life, some innocently enough, and others intentionally. I was thoroughly disgusted if one of my weaknesses was pointed out by someone else because I was embarrassed and/or defensive, or worse, I thought the person pointing it out was far more addicted than I was. Pay no never mind to others and just focus on cleaning up yourself.
Look at yourself and identify your personality traits that drive you this way or that way. Things that could be used for good, can also be used for bad – accept that about our human nature. Then, ask the Lord to direct your steps and light your path. He did that for me, but I had to make a choice first. I didn’t want to be in a position of being beholden to anything that would worsen my health or relationships. I wanted to be able to think clearly and objectively, and not be manipulated due to my weakened state.
It’s very interesting to me how my priorities changed once I was not dependent on that thing (pick one). My life wasn’t scheduled around it anymore. I didn’t have to make an urgent trip to the pharmacy or the grocery/liquor store anymore. I certainly didn’t need as many doctor appointments, that’s for sure. I dropped 35 lbs since dropping many addictions. I didn’t need pills for each complaint that was tangentially associated with the chief complaint. It’s amazing what “good doctors” will prescribe to meet each complaint. I think I was taking a dozen different pills at one time, all associated with a severe illness, none of which solved the illness just “symptoms”. For each pill, there’s a long “rap sheet” of unintended consequences associated with that pharmaceutical, requiring more pharmaceuticals. It becomes a vicious cycle. At any rate, I’m glad to not be driven by the need anymore.
I will say here that I’m not telling anyone what to do in regards to prescription drugs – I’m sharing my experiences. Some drugs are life-saving and necessary and I am thankful for them. However, one should read the “rap sheet” and get intimately familiar with it. Think critically about the problem you intend to solve and decide if it’s worth engendering more problems. That’s common sense and it’s insane that doctors don’t go through the side effects as much as they ought. If you’ve got a Pharmacist you can trust, make an appointment to discuss all your meds, their interactions, and side effects. Take it seriously and don’t just blindly trust that if you were prescribed something, that you actually need it. In regards to “illegal drugs”, they are illegal for a reason, but many that are “legal” are also lethal. Just because something is legal, doesn’t make it right.
I’m intentionally leaving out any stories or information about people in my family or in my sphere of experience who have, or had, any number of addictions. Simply because those are not my stories to tell. But, we’ve all probably had experience either with our own addictions, or with people we know who did not live to tell their own stories.
Let’s say we take the time to identify the things, the addictions, that are holding us back. What happens then? It takes time, serious reflection, and a lot of research to identify how to holistically care for the body, mind, and soul without addictions. For example, even though I no longer take prescription pain medications, I have a tremendous amount of pain. No, the pain has not gone away, no, not at all. It’s there in all it’s searing glory, every minute of every day and night. I have had to modify my life in order to cope with it. But that doesn’t mean I stop living. I think I’ve developed a much higher tolerance to it, maybe. I’ve learned to push through it and ignore it even. I’ve learned to rest when I’d like to keep going. I’ve had to bow out of many activities that I know will put me in bed for days. I’ve learned just what my body needs and when it needs it. I’ve trained my mind to not rage against the pain and assert I don’t deserve to be in so much pain.
I reject others pushing on me, especially when they have no idea of how I cope. I don’t mask it with a smile – I choose to smile in spite of it. I think, and of course I could be wrong, that this attitude could be applied to many addictions. Sometimes, we have a “thorn” stuck in us, something that might always be there. It’s up to us individually to point to our “thorn in the side” and identify it, then tell it how we are going to deal with it rather than lay down in a helpless heap and succumb.
According to Matthew 5:37, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” I take that verse to heart and have had to practice it. We’re all so used to other people demanding a reason for our decisions. They think, wrongly, that they have the right to judge our decisions. They do not. In our decision making about our own personal lives, it is between us and our Lord, not anyone else. He’s the One we will ultimately stand before. That’s not to be used as an excuse, however, for our addictions. Some have said in defense of an addiction, “It’s between me and God”, and that is true. It certainly is.
Back to the primary point of addictions during The End of The World as We Know it (TEOTWAWKI). As we’ve seen with the shortages of Everything the last couple of years, we can assume that many things we are used to won’t be available in the future. That is reason enough to kick the addiction cans to the curb. I cannot imagine being in a situation where something I heavily relied on just went poof! Gone. You can’t store enough of whatever that thing is for the long haul. You can only hope to have some and then you will have only delayed breaking free. In my mind, it’s better to deal with the monkey on my back now, than later when everything will be much harder.
I’m not perfect and I don’t claim any superpowers. But, I do know the mind is extremely powerful. Once a decision is made, there are lots of options regarding the How. I didn’t break free of prescription drugs the “right way”. I tossed them and never looked back, curled up in a ball for a few weeks, and gutted it out. I hear that’s a bad idea. I’m thankful that the withdrawals were not more serious than they were. Each person has to make their own decisions. There’s tons of help out there including 12 step programs that are highly effective and relate to a lot more than just alcohol dependence. Your doctor, surprisingly, may be delighted in your decision and know how to help you. There’s a support group out there for just about everything if you think that will help. The decision is the first step.
Last thoughts: Breaking free of addictions may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life. Wouldn’t it be better done now using free will, than forced to do it under less than ideal circumstances? Something to seriously consider. May the Lord bless you and keep you in His will.
