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Dear Patty,
Addictions and overindulging arise from misguided attempts to feel better. There is a deeper hunger driving this behavior, but because you're not addressing that deeper need, no amount of other stuff will make you feel satisfied. Since you're not conscious of what's really going on, you gobble up more and more of what you don't need because it brings you quick but temporary relief. This is like endlessly watering a plant that needs more sun; the plant won't thrive and will probably begin to languish because even though you're giving it a lot of attention, it's not getting the light it needs.
Let's say that to get more sun, the plant would have to be carefully transplanted to a nice sunny spot on the other side of your property. If you move the plant, you can move on to all sorts of other wonderful endeavors because you won't have to endlessly deal with that problem anymore. This doesn't necessarily mean you're going to move the plant, of course. There are all sorts of reasons you may avoid doing whatever has to be done to fully take care of the situation.
You may not consciously realize what is needed. It may be that you've never transplanted a plant before and are afraid that you'll mess things up and kill it. You may assume it will take too long and be a very messy chore and you just don't want to deal with all of that right now. If there is a watering can nearby, it may seem so much easier to just give it a little more water in hopes that this remedy will do the trick.
Like plants that need more sun, people who develop addictions have needs that aren't being acknowledged or addressed. By way of just one example, many people who have anxiety issues self-medicate with various substances. They may not consciously realize why they feel compelled to self-medicate. They may be afraid that digging in to those bigger issues will be overwhelming or painful. They may not know how to address those deeper needs, or feel like they just don't have the time and energy to deal with those problems right now. They just want to feel better fast, and they've learned from experience that over-indulging is a quick and easy way to get a lift – at least for a little while.
The more a person uses a certain coping technique, the more it becomes an engrained habit. At the same time, because they aren't dealing with their issues, life tends to grow more challenging and overwhelming. This is why addictions to food, alcohol and drugs become more and more difficult to break until a person hits rock bottom and their desire for change grows stronger than their desire to avoid unpleasant or difficult emotional issues.
To break free of addiction, it's essential to start facing whatever you've been trying to avoid. This is where spiritual growth and healing come in. For example, seeing a hypnotherapist can help you become conscious of the issues underlying destructive behavior, find healing, and develop healthier habits. From traditional counseling to hypnotherapy to meditation, there are many ways to face the issues underlying addictive or compulsive behaviors. To become free, the important thing is to make a decision to do whatever you have to do to fully resolve the real issues.
We can't create what we want in our lives without resolving inner conflicts and issues, for most of what we manifest arises from a subconscious level. This means we must consciously face and work through whatever issues may be underlying addictive behaviors to gain the power to use the law of attraction. For this reason, the more we devote ourselves to spiritual growth and personal improvement, the more powerful we grow as conscious creators of our own realities.
To use the law of attraction to quit drinking, lose weight, or achieve any other goal, you have to focus on what you want, not what you don't want. With this in mind, it's wise to let go of thoughts like I want to QUIT drinking or I want to STOP overeating. Instead, focus on who you do want to be and what you do want to create in your life.
It's also wise to lighten up. I know addiction is a serious matter, but if we beat ourselves up about what we've done in the past, we'll beat our vibration down. If we view a goal as being very hard to attain, we'll just make it harder. This is why making peace with potentially not achieving a certain goal often empowers us to achieve it. By letting go of fear that we'll fail and embodying the truth that all is well, we empower ourselves to gracefully flow toward where we want to go.
We overindulge because we want to feel better. When we alter our brain chemistry through things like drugs, alcohol, sugar, shopping, etc., our vibration rises and we get high. If we don't know constructive ways to achieve a higher vibration, we become dependent on such practices for an immediate but temporary boost. Instead of viewing yourself as addicted to a particular habit or substance, it may be helpful to recognize that what you are really addicted to is feeling better, and that wanting to feel better is perfectly natural. It would also be wise to study more constructive ways to boost your vibration when you need a lift.
Be gentle with your body and patient with your heart. Make sure your goals are coming from a purely positive place of self-love. If you hate yourself for your past decisions, you'll have a hard time manifesting positive change. Instead, approach your goals loving yourself, wanting to feel better, seeing yourself as capable of creating what you want and happily visualizing yourself as you want to be.
It's also important to remember that since most of what we manifest arises from a subconscious level, how we see ourselves is very powerful. If we view ourselves as overweight alcoholics, we'll tend to be overweight alcoholics. We have to come to see ourselves as we desire to be in order to become that person. This new image of ourselves must become brighter, more vivid and more alive than any old images we had of ourselves, which requires vigilant inner work. For a while, every time a situation comes up in which you would have overindulged in the past, you'll have to override the thoughts, impulses and images that come up with the new way you want to be and behave. This may take a lot of will power and mental diligence at first, but the more you do it, the more it will become a habit. Eventually, those new images will become how you naturally see yourself and who you actually are.
Ask yourself what unmet needs are driving these undesired behaviors and find new ways to feel better. Get very clear about what achieving freedom from addiction means to you. Visualize yourself healthy, attractive, competent, empowered and free. Don't fixate on undesired behaviors; the important thing is to vibrationally align with how you want to be and feel, and keep this vision vibrantly alive in your heart and mind. --Julia
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