Healing Your Addictions: A Return to Holiness
We all yearn for a sense of peace and belonging. In our search for it, we may find ourselves drawn to behaviors that offer a temporary, fleeting sense of relief—a momentary escape from an inner ache. Whether it's the numbing fog of alcohol, the isolating chase of recreational drugs, the separation of pornography, or the sharp, cutting edges of gossip and slander, these actions can begin to feel like a fundamental part of who we are. Yet, this is the fundamental error: they are not our nature, but a powerful means of forgetting it. They are a purposeful separation from the holiness that is our birthright.
The true nature of addiction, from this perspective, is not a moral failing or a lack of willpower. It is, as A Course in Miracles teaches, a magnificent error born of a mistaken identity. We are children of God, yet we choose to believe we are small, flawed, and unworthy. This act of forgetting is the source of all our pain. The ego, that clever voice of separation, convinces us that we are unlovable and fundamentally broken, in need of external substances or sensations to feel a temporary, hollow sense of wholeness. We believe that we are defined by our wounds, rather than by our inherent and eternal innocence.
Each of the addictions we face is a unique expression of this forgetting. The escape offered by alcohol and drugs is a desperate attempt to silence the inner voice that recognizes our separation from the divine. Slander and gossip, conversely, are a way to project our own perceived flaws onto others, making them small so we can feel momentarily larger. Pornography and objectification of “other bodies” serve to reduce the divine spark in another person to a mere object, thereby reinforcing our own disconnected state and fear of true intimacy. These are all strategies of the mind to deflect our attention from the inner emptiness that only our true nature can fill. A Course in Miracles reminds us, “the presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength.” (ACIM, W-48.3:1) Our addictions are merely the symptoms of this misplaced trust.
This deep separation from our own purified state is the very ground in which addictive behaviors take root. When we believe we are flawed and corruptible, we begin to see the world through the same lens of judgment. The self-hatred and shame we hold for ourselves are not a divine punishment; they are a direct consequence of our own thinking. We are our own judge, jury, and executioner, holding onto a smallness for ourselves that God, the Loving Conscious Energy and Creator of the universe, has never held. As the Psalmist writes, "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the East is from the West, so far he removes our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:11-12). The word “fear” here," held the exact opposite meaning as we know it today; Love, that is devotion and attention to the Most High In Dwelling “I AM.” The pain we feel is the painful friction of our own self-condemnation rubbing against the truth of our holiness. It is we who suffer the consequences of this willful forgetfulness.
In the sacred gift of free will, God permits all of these adventures and meanderings through the darkness. This is not passive permission; it is a deep trust. God knows that only through this freedom can we truly and consciously choose to return to the light. The journey through addiction, while often excruciating, is not without purpose. It can serve as a powerful catalyst to awaken our compassion, deepen our resolve, and compel us to finally return home to our true selves. It is a path that, having been walked, provides an immense gratitude for the light of our own nature.
The path to healing, therefore, is not a battle to be won but a truth to be remembered. It is the conscious choice to stop looking for relief outside ourselves and instead turn inward to reclaim the Magnificent "I AM" presence within us. Saint Germain speaks of this innate power, describing it as "the God-Spark in your heart… As you turn your attention to that 'I AM' Presence and affirm it, It becomes an ever-active, living reality in your outer mind and world." This is not at first a grand, dramatic change, but a series of small, sincere, and consistent shifts. In moments of temptation, it is a conscious decision to pause and whisper to yourself, "I AM the Holiness of God," and "I AM the living presence of God's love."
This journey of remembrance is not a condemnation of your past but a vibrant celebration of your future, by a full return to your Ture and Eternal, Ever-Present Identity, as God “I AM.” You are not defined by the addictions you have sought to numb the pain of a forgotten identity. You are, and have always been, the magnificent "I AM" presence that shines eternally and waits patiently for your return.
