How To Raise (or Enable) An Addict

I have a new course on DailyOm that launched this month called - UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION. This course is a 28 day study coming from my new book - How To Raise (Or Enable) An Addict. This post is the epilogue - the ending of the work... movement toward an enlightened view of addiction:

What is an enlightened attitude toward addiction? I guess it is living and perceiving the experience I am having with my addicted loved one, child or adult - as something that is part of my spiritual growth…an awareness that can eventually bring me true freedom from the cycle of fear, shame and pain toward insight, wisdom, education, knowledge, illumination, awakening…

I can choose to see the experiences I am living as transforming, unfolding, expanding and advancing my being. I have raised my child according to the consciousness I had at the time. Today, I have raised my consciousness and I am able to love more, react less.

I forgive myself in a radical way for not knowing what I was doing when I did all the things to assist in creating a drug addict. I did all the wrong things… I was always an enabler, trying to save, keep peace, control, help, care-take, do-for so my children would not have to experience pain. Yet, they were experiencing pain and I was not able at the time to take them out of that situation.

Now I know it was all part of something else. I guess we all agreed to have this experience as souls before we came together this earth time. I understand how one can unconsciously raise a drug addict…. There is so much to know about birth trauma, child and brain development… how were we supposed to know that as young mothers? We did not. I did not.

Today I love it all. I have a new attitude about addiction. I hate it and I accept some of it, and I still do not treat my addicted loved ones always with compassion. But, now that I am here in this moment writing and remembering and teaching and being in my own passion, I re-commit to love. I re-commit to enlightenment and understanding of what is really going on in this crazy, wonderful Universe…and I know it is all part of a bigger picture. And the time is here and now that we can raise consciousness.

And so it is.