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Can the secret to successfully recovering from addictive illnesses like alcoholism and drug addiction involve ancient, timeless practices that have literally been sitting under our very noses all this time? It looks like it ... Recent scientific evidence suggest that age old practices like meditation can have the effect of reversing imbalances in the brain that actually cause things like addiction. I'm not going to go into the science of it here (for the full article visit my blog), but to me it again highlights the fact that general western mainstream medicine often gets it wrong when treating things like addiction. Disease, of which addiction is now generally accepted a part of, is still too commonly treated on a symptomatic basis. You've got a problem - and your Doctor simply treats the symptoms by providing you with a bunch of drugs. What happened to really trying to diagnose the cause, which is often deeply buried in the psyche of the individual? Far easier to administer drugs. Or better yet to proper preventative medicine where individuals are taught the fundamentals of healthy living. That wouldn't work either because there are too many powerful role players in the food and pharmaceutical industries that would never allow that to happen. Before I diverge too far from the point here, back to meditation and addiction ... Andrew Weil, MD, sums it up perfectly in 'Natural Health, Natural Medicine,' pg. 135. 'Addiction is NOT a psychological or pharmacological problem, and CANNOT be solved by the methods of psychology or pharmacology. It is, at root, a SPIRITUAL concern, because it represents a misdirected attempt to achieve wholeness, to experience inner completeness and satisfaction.' That's in essence what I've been trying to teach those I've been helping overcome their own addictions, but more importantly I realize how accurate that statement is through my own growth and recovery from addictions. And the MOST POWERFUL method in addressing the 'spiritual concern' as he puts it, is meditation. Now I know meditation is listed as one of the Steps in most 12 Step recovery programs, but in my experience from having been around the rooms, there are very few people who understand this practice, let alone know how to do it properly. In my experience, there is no more powerful practice than meditation available, not only to help combat and aid in the recovery of addictions, but to living a more centered, peaceful, compassionate and meaningful life. I don't think it's any co-incidence that the most enlightened cultures on our planet, e.g. Tibetans, are regular and proficient meditators. I firmly believe that anyone, not just alcoholics and addicts, who desires a more fulfilling life should make meditation a compulsory practice in their lives.
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