Do you drink because you're lonely, or are you lonely because you drink?

One of my chief focuses in overcoming addiction is to
openly and honestly address the weaknesses and lacking
which existed in life before the addiction started-- the
problem with life that led to the addictive behavior in
the first place.

I find that is the only way to effectively change the
dynamic in my life; address the issues at the heart
of the matter, not the (for me) incidental manifestations
of that/those hurts and pains.

(If I have a brain tumor, and I get dizzy and break
a bunch of dishes, simply cleaning up the dishes does
nothing to solve the problem. I'm just engaging in busy
work while the problem continues to exert itself
in my life in different ways. Lack of detection and
lack of treatment does not eliminate the problem.)

By focusing on the power to transform self and
be the co-creator of my own world, I allow for things
to be different than I have known them to be.

If I acknowledge emotional pain, then I can address it
and take steps to advance past it. If I have deep
loneliness and separation, then those ideas and habits
need work. If I have low self-esteem and a lack
of my own promise, then I need to develop a sense of
self and own my own space.

Every one's needs are different, and the approach to
finding what works--as well as what actually works--
may indeed be different.

There are many paths, and so long as they lead to the same
destination (or positive healing, discovery, recovery,)
it's apples and oranges as to which one is taken.

Some are content to stop at the disease as being the
origin. I see there is something far deeper that was intact
long before the disease took form. My need is to address
that in order to heal and thrive.

May all find the path appropriate to their needs.