This spiritual malady, or spiritual disconnection, is the driving force behind our addiction and self-destructive behaviors. Without addressing this spiritual malady, we have absolutely no hope for intrinsic change or recovery. It is this notion that the fellowship of AA was founded upon, and how millions of recovered alcoholics equate their success in overcoming a seemingly hopeless situation. The only solution to a spiritual malady is a spiritual awakening. Only once we open the spiritual channels and begin to accept a Higher Power into our lives can we hope to find a solution to our alcoholic condition.
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No matter what the consequences were in the past, our mind will be obsessed with the thought of drinking. We should be able to just put the plug in the jug and move on with our lives. They oversimplify our problem and solution and can send the wrong information. The three must be addressed to find healing, recovery, and to live life sober. One way to think of a Higher Power is simply as a force that is greater than yourself.
What Are Spiritual Illnesses?
Fear is one of the most destructive factors that harms a human’s life. A person who’s filled with fear makes themselves vulnerable to spiritual illnesses. The time when you’re undergoing a spiritual awakening can be difficult. However, once you’ve experienced your awakening, you’ll be able to enjoy your spiritual powers.
- We became selfish and self-seeking, ever thirsting for more, and this lust warped us on every level.
- Regardless of the name of the substance or vice, all bad habits stem from brokenness that is directly tied to the emotional energy spun out of a dark force called resentment.
- If we do not get spiritually connected with meditation or prayer with a power greater than us it will bring us closer and closer to that drink or drug.
The spiritual malady and addiction
A psychic vampire is generally a person who can be described as toxic. And tends to draw all the positive spiritual force out of you. To recover, you must have in-depth knowledge about spiritual illnesses, their causes, and how to overcome them. We begin spiritual malady to obsess and buy the lie because we want to feel the ease and comfort of the first drink. We drink and set off the craving and the cycle of addiction starts all over again. Our spiritual malady causes us to be restless, irritable, and discontented.
- Today’s guide explores the spiritual malady meaning in the context of 12-step recovery groups like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
- Spirituality doesn’t have to involve traditional religious beliefs.
- In The Big Book of AA, the 12 steps outlined are a formalized approach to achieving this transformational change.
- Our spiritual malady causes us to be restless, irritable, and discontented.
If you think someone in your life is a psychic vampire, cutting them off is the best solution. If you can’t remove them from your life for any reason, try limiting your contact with them as much as possible. If you’re working on your spiritual progress, telling the effects of what a psychic vampire can do to you is easier. You might experience spiritual migraines due to an imbalance in your spiritual energy.
The AA conception of addiction
It is a reality of my powerlessness and unmanageability and enables me to see why I so desperately need to seek a Power Greater than myself. And unless this malady is recognized, and a course of action (the Twelve Steps) is taken to enable God to remove it, the root of our alcoholic illness can lie dormant and burn us when we least expect it. To conclude, it’s not my body — my allergic reaction to alcohol — that’s going to take me back to drinking. It’s really not my mind — the mental obsession — that is the underlying root of what will take me back to drinking. It’s the “spiritual malady”, as manifested by my EGO (selfishness-self-centeredness), that can eventually lead me back to drinking or sometimes even suicide. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.
- When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
- To conclude, it’s not my body – my allergic reaction to alcohol – that’s going to take me back to drinking.
- Spiritual illnesses remind you that you need a change in your life.
- But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.
Stay Positive and Drink Less With Reframe!
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There’s a lot of talk of “character defects” and “resentments” that contribute to the spiritual malady and drive us to drink. On page 62 the text explains that “Selfishness-self-centeredness! Another symptom of spiritual illnesses is the absence of vital energy. This energy does not have to be physical, as it can also be mental and emotional. Negative external forces such as stress and anxiety can harm your soul, thus leading to spiritual illnesses. If we do not get spiritually connected with meditation or prayer with a power greater than us it will bring us closer and closer to that drink or drug.
Intelligence is not incompatible with humility, provided I place humility first. To seek prestige and wealth is the ultimate goal for many in the modern world. To be fashionable and to seem better than I really am is a spiritual illness. While AA’s model aligns somewhat with scientific understanding, calling it a spiritual malady oversimplifies complex neurochemical and psychological processes. Scientifically, issues like dependence and withdrawal are linked to how alcohol affects brain chemistry, such as dopamine levels and neurotransmitter activity. The practice of Christian Meditation offers a remedy to the spiritual malady.