Addressing Addictions
Sometimes when we aren’t ready to give up certain things, the universe will shake up our lives and take them away suddenly. There is a grieving period that you must endure while this is happening, but as soon as you begin to see that you’re better off without whatever was taken away, your healing turns into positive movement. Addictions come in all forms in this reality, although we tend to associate this concept with substance abuse. Any habit in our lives has the potential to become addictive, and habits are rooted in our need to cope with life in some form or fashion. It’s important for us to view our struggles with addictive tendencies through the lens of unconditional love and acceptance because shame and guilt can act as a barrier that keeps us stuck in our old patterns. There is no shame in addiction, and once we remove that element from the equation, we can begin to address the root causes of this behavior.
When the universe abruptly removes something addictive from your life, you have the opportunity to rise above this harmful pattern by solving the imbalance that you’ve been soothing with the object of your habit. You also have the opportunity to repeat this pattern by replacing that habit with another to continue coping with this imbalance. Recently, I had something toxic removed from my life overnight. One evening after yoga, I went through the drive-thru to receive my iced chai latte and a brownie that felt like comfort after a long day. The next morning before work, I went back to the drive-thru for my morning chai latte and breakfast, which I have relied upon before work every day for the last five years. I discovered that they changed the recipe for my favorite drink without giving any notice, and this change affected my life more than I like to admit.
I spent the next few days processing this change, and I had some major realizations about this habit and how harmful it has actually been for me. I missed my comfort chai desperately, and no matter where I looked for a replacement, I found that nothing was the same. I’m a creature of habit, and I enjoy reliable staples that help me stay regulated no matter what’s happening. I was so rooted in this addiction that I never once considered cutting it out despite the damage it was dealing in my life. Now that I’ve gotten some distance from this habit, I can see that it was much more trouble than it was worth. It’s extremely expensive, drinking out of plastic cups every day isn’t ideal when you think about microplastics, the extra sugar and caffeine had me in a choke hold, and I had to deal with disposing of a crazy amount of trash every day which is also terrible for the environment.
I knew all of these things before my addiction was ripped out of my unsuspecting fingers. I chose to ignore all the ways it was hurting me because of the comfort it provided on a daily basis. It truthfully helped me cope with some of the most challenging parts of my life. Now that I’m on the other side of this shift, I can see that I never really needed it. I used my life’s difficulties to justify walking with this crutch every day, when in reality, I don’t need it at all. I got myself through the difficult times, and I continued to do that after it was taken away. If there’s something in your life that needs to leave, it doesn’t really matter how much you enjoy it in the moment. If it’s taking more from you than it’s giving in return, I would encourage you to summon the strength to let it go. The universe will likely give you plenty of chances to stop on your own, but if you’re stubborn like me it might take a miracle to put an end to it. One way or another, this addiction will work its way out of your life, and you’ll have to make a decision at that point.
Would you like to repeat the cycle with another addiction in its place, or would you like to walk bravely into your next chapter with hands that are empty and ready to receive your blessings? This path is incredibly challenging and not for the faint of heart. You’ll have to give up many things along the way to reach your most aligned destination. It’s okay to take the time to emotionally process your addictions, and it’s necessary in order to give them up for good. We have to get to the root of the problem in order to heal it, and band aids like iced chai lattes aren’t equipped to solve the real issues. As usual, eclipse season and mercury retrograde created a checkpoint for me personally that demanded I let go of this habit before I could move on to the next phase. I trust, as always, that what I’m being asked to give up pales in comparison to what I’m about to receive, and I would encourage you to apply that belief in your life. We’re all learning and growing as we go, here on Earth, and our situations might differ, but our mission is the same. Keep going, keep growing, and let go of the old along the way.