My friend, Dr. Barbara Sinor is a Psychospiritual Therapist who often writes about addictions. She shares her guest post with us today:
There are approximately twenty million people in our nation in recovery from a drug and/or alcohol addiction. There are also approximately 22.3 million people living with a substance dependence or abuse--that’s about ten percent of our national population. This is a reality, not a viewpoint or someone’s illusionary judgment. These figures are real. These lives are real: Over forty-two million individuals are struggling with a drug and/or alcohol addiction.
The how our nation became so entrapped in drugs is an easier answer than understanding why drugs are so desirable. The drug marketiers, beginning with drug dealers on our streets to well-established doctors to the drug cartels in other countries, all contribute to the above figures and to making drugs readily accessible. Ask any child age twelve and older how to obtain prescription pills, dope, or heroin and they will tell you the name of a friend who bought some, or is selling it. No, it is not difficult to answer how our nation became so entrapped in drugs.
The question we need to be addressing is why are the figures above a reality? It is my opinion that in our society, busy with moving into the future, we have put aside or forgotten to process our past negative emotions and experiences. As children, we are taught not to cry too much, laugh too loud, scream when in pain, and to forget bad experiences almost as soon as they happen! We are not taught to cry until we feel better, laugh out loud with abandon, yell when it hurts, or try to learn from bad experiences. Where does all this type of conditioning lead us as we enter adulthood? To look outside ourselves for ways to relieve our pain, to help us cope with bad experiences, and to dull our senses. Drugs and alcohol become this outside choice for many, as the figures above denote.
When we learn to accept our children as the perfect beings they are and allow them the freedom to express their emotions, fears, and genius, we will begin to fight the grip which drug and alcohol addiction has on our nation. As each child enters adolescence with a clear mind of who they are and allowed expression to pursue their dreams, they will enter young adulthood free from the prisons their parents may still be seeking release from. These young adults will not turn outside themselves for comfort or distraction, but instead, look within for direction and guidance. When these young adults mature and have their own children, perhaps then our nation’s addiction and recovery figures will dwindle.
Addiction in America can change. We all have the ability to re-direct our lives and our futures. It takes only one thought to change our direction from victim to victory. It takes only one thought to manifest a new reality filled with joy and compassion. As Deepak Chopra relates, “…it is possible to achieve the freedom to have any viewpoint you choose and therefore any reality. Once you return to this basic viewpoint, however, you will no longer see yourself as a passive victim of life--you stand at the very center of life and have the power to renew it at every moment.” In an instant, with a new positive thought, in the blink of an eye, you can become a new person and help our nation’s addicted population dissolve.
Are you ready to help change America’s addiction to drugs and alcohol? Take a stand to make sure all the children in your care are taught how to express their feelings, negative and positive. Share with them your experiences in learning how to grow in compassion for others and support their budding beliefs about their world. Learn about their desires, fears, and dreams by continually talking with them one-on-one. As they grow, answer their questions openly and thoughtfully. Teach them to become independent; teach them to explore their outer world and their inner emotions. Allow them to laugh out loud, cry when they need, and seek information from others. Also, instruct them how to seek inner guidance and to listen to the small voice within them. If you can do all these things with all the children in your care, and if you can successfully complete all these things yourself, then perhaps, addiction in America will not flourish.
Dr. Barbara Sinor is a retired Psychospiritual Therapist living in northern California. Sinor is the author of five books, the last two dealing in the addiction recovery field: Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery and Addiction: What’s Really Going On? Website: www.DrSinor.com
