Addicted to Easy
From being told one thing to being responsible for another
I grew up before the computer age and remember that when I bought my first computer, I was told, “My life would be made easy.”
Of course, there was truth in that statement, but there was also so much I didn’t know, or I wasn’t being told.
Sure, there were wonderful aspects to my first computer, but there were also complications and unintended consequences that were now my responsibility.
It was so easy for me to believe what I was being told.
Unintended Consequences of Traditional Addiction Recovery
As a family with an addicted member, we’re told that the very best a family can do is to “encourage” the individual in addiction to get sober, and to do it without “enabling” or being codependent.
Then the problem will be over.
The family may mistakenly believe their lives will return to normal.
Repeated Mainstream Messages Become Reality
For example, families also learn that relapse is normal (with traditional addiction recovery). Question this thinking.
When we hear something over and over, we may assume it’s true.
Repetitive thinking pounds it into your head, cementing it as reality. But if you question this thinking it doesn’t have to be your reality.
Yes, you are that powerful, but only if you can question your thinking.
The way we think about a problem affects what we see as a solution
Many decades ago, Albert Einstein highlighted this idea: “Problems cannot be solved using the same way of thinking that created them.” What do you come up with when you apply this thinking to addiction in the family?
In thinking about ‘addiction in the family’ for over a decade, I came up with a Healing Arc to empower families to have more influence in the solution. I’ve embedded it in the Brain Health Masterclass for families.
Consciously choose what makes most sense to you, or don’t be curious and go with the mainstream message.