Breaking the Chains of Addiction

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | January 10, 2019 (modified December 24, 2022)

Adobe Stock Images

Chains of Addiction can be broken. Human limitations must be accepted.

We are not an impenetrable force able to achieve anything our heart desires. We have many limiting addictions that curtail what we want and who we will become. The reality of limitation depresses the soul when modern philosophy commonly recites ideological baloney about limitless power. Humans soar, but we also crash land. We shouldn't cry over our painful, imperfect humanity. Despite the limitations, we our endowed with power. We can escape binding addictions that interfere with joys and sabotage success. We can become a person of great aliveness and joy. We can break the addicting chains that bind.

In positive thinking circles, the words ‘limited potential’ have a blasphemous ring. If we ignore the existence of human limitations, we are not free. Biology, experience, and culture have their claim, molding and manipulating the details of our life. While many elements strongly influence perception and behavior, we still maintain a power to direct our lives, choosing to act in ways that benefit ourselves and the world.

Adjusting our perception mitigates the strength of the impact that culture and biology plays in the creation of our being. In many ways, we can transcend the chains, breaking free of the addictions that bind.

See Understanding Addiction for more on Addiction

Denying Our Addictions

Because of the strength of habits and addictions, many prefer to deny the heavy weight they have on our lives and create an alternate reality. Reshaping their reality through deceptive constructions, perceiving a world where they are all powerful or completely helpless (see All-or-Nothing Thinking).

The deceptions operate in the shadows of our mind, slyly bending realities to fit ego-protecting lies, manipulating the meaning of experience. This attitude helps massage reality. The pretend control gives a sense of power; or conversely, the pretend helplessness relieves against the weight of personal responsibility.

Mindsets provide a sense of security, but overtime, the views that deviate too far from reality create greater frustrations. The world doesn’t turn to our perceptions.

See Fooling Ourselves for more on self-deception

SAMHSA's National Helpline 1-800-662-4357

Limits to Freedom

Limits to freedom isn’t the same as no freedom. We have power to choose within the givens. We are not doomed, hapless victims of fate. Our future is not already decided. An awareness of the influences—our ties to the past, culture, and imperfectness—empowers wiser reactions to the world. We can factor in the limiting chains and navigate a healthier, future-oriented response to life within the given boundaries. We can react with a wise mind not an emotionally driven mind.

Addictions are our habitual response to the givens. Some behavioral addictions are harmless, while other habits wield the power to destroy. We may feel powerless against elements in our environment. Our helplessness motivates a search for avenues of escape. Addictions lure us from productive responses, promising joy but only offering pain.

Fish jumping from fish bowl to ocean. Breaking habits article on Flourishing Life Society

Adobe Stock Images

Painful Trade-offs Necessary for Success

Most people want to succeed. But success comes slow, requiring painful trade-offs. High achievement at work and school can interfere with valuable time with companions and children. We can't expect to excel in every avenue of life without occasionally meeting the painful realities of limitations. Limited time, limited resources and limited control of outside forces all impact the final outcome.

When we contend against addictions, we also discover limitations. The answers aren't always readily available. Our strength isn't limitless. Our mighty promises to self crumble against the weight of addiction. We need a better plan. We need more stable support.

See Planning for a Successful Recovery for more on this topic

Books on Addiction

Human intuition, empathy, logic and creativity combine to soften the seemingly unpredictable and ever-changing environment. We can act with greater flexibility, effectively using the givens to build a life of richness. We can respect limitations without delving forlorn into depression. Many, sadly, not only accept limitations but impose greater restraints than the givens life already offers. They pitifully settle for less—much less. They complain about the circumstances that they largely invited through their own actions.

Living life to the fullest, flourishing in the face of the givens, is not something we accidentally stumble upon, but a purposeful path that we create—a continual process. Enlightenment is not achieved at a definable moment in time but a process that begins at birth and continues to death. We must diligently gather knowledge through science, religion, history, and personal observations, using wisdom to guide. By embracing the incompleteness of our existences, the limitations to our powers, we open doors with clearer perspectives, replacing the binding chains of beliefs in total empowerment and deadening helplessness, freeing us to pursue a flourishing life of enlightenment.

T. Franklin Murphy

Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings behind contributing to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

Link to an alphabetical listing of Flourishing Life Society article topics

Personal Development. A Flourishing Life Society article data base link

Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

FLS link. Self-Sabotage: We hurt ourselves. We sabotage healthy endeavors to escape the discomfort of change, settling back into our self-made prisons of stagnation.

There is a lot of hype on what we should and shouldn't do to be well. The mind and experience are complex. However, our lives improve immensely when we concentrate on a few of the basics.

FLS linkj. Addiction: Disconnection from Everything Good. The mind adapts, adjusting to the chaos of physical dependency. These psychological adaptations form the addiction. The psychological adaptions stingily continue after detox.

Motivation. Tips for Staying Motivated. A Flourishing Life Society article image link

Limitations of Grit. Determination Mediated by Wisdom. A Flourishing Life Society article link

FLS Link. Relapse Prevention: High-Risk Situations. Moving from detox to sustained recovery often travels through lapses. Preparing for lapses assists recovering drug and alcohol abusers achieve full recovery and regain control of their lives.

FLS Link. Contemplating Change: The contemplation stage of change is more than what we think, it is how we think, expanding our view, dismantling excuses, and building motivations.

Article on the impact of positive thinking exercises on addiction. Addiction impacts sufferers view of the world. Creating a perception of danger and unfairness. Adding positive thinking exercises to a daily routine can assist in the battle against addiction.

FLS Link. Recovery by Addition: Recovery is more than detox, we must add skills, experiences and others to restore the richness of a full life.

Internal Link: Moving forward | Working through the stages of life with attentive efforts to fill the voids and repair the hurts.

FLS Link: Change is a four-letter word. We are threatened by the need to adapt; but successful maneuvering through the complex demands of an ever-moving world requires a flexing and adaptable approach. We must change, sacrificing some of our specialness for a happier and better existence.

Internal link banner. Detox is not Recovery: Addiction is both biological and behavioral. The escape from life is an adaptation, remaining after the detox. Recovery has only begun. Once free of the blinding influence of the drug, we begin the real work of rebuilding life.

When life overwhelms and our efforts fall flat, we sometimes learn to not fight, and quietly suffer.

Trying to feel better is a formidable challenge for many. The well-being industry has many theories. Success requires finding proven paths and patiently working towards a better life.

Internal Link: Achieving our potential...Healthy growth depends on supportive environments. As adults, we must create an environment that provides nutrients and protection.

Accepting human limitations without imposing limiting beliefs.

The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. Flourishing Life Society makes no representation and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information contained on or available through this web site, and such information is subject to change without notice. You are encouraged to confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

Flourishing Life Society does not recommend, endorse, or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any specific tests, products, procedures, treatments, services, opinions, health care providers or other information that may be contained on or available through this web site. FLOURISHING LIFE SOCIETY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE NOR LIABLE FOR ANY ADVICE, COURSE OF TREATMENT, DIAGNOSIS OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION, SERVICES OR PRODUCTS THAT YOU OBTAIN THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.