Have a look at the physical toll meth has had on these drug users. You can’t believe the changes in their face in such a short while, however the changes to their minds and hearts are even more devastating. This is all about selling out - the sacred exchanged for the profane, selling your birthright for a bowl of soup. The way of the ignorant, the desperate, the indolent; the prostitute, the mercenary. But before you judge, ask yourself what YOUR addiction is.
It all starts with the “Road Less Traveled” - a choice at a crossroads, and then the consistent choice to remain on that chosen path. And though the choice to leave that destructive path may get harder to make as time goes by, the level of pain also increases the motivation available to those who would recover their very souls.
Your addiction may be acceptance (usually from the wrong people), or comfort, or pride (not wanting to appear to fail), or your job - whatever it is, it’s taking you down the wrong road and you need a point of decision, a momentous moment, which is usually initiated by someone stronger and more objective about your present situation than you are. This is crucial; getting advice from a fellow prisoner or junkie seldom works. In the movie, School for Scoundrels, “Dr. P” asks his class, “How many of you read self-help books? You can’t help yourself, because you’ll be getting help from a complete asshole!” Actually, he’s right. We need a good mentor, and we need to continually, consistently, work on getting freed from our addictions. “So cut through the strap and the thong and the rope. Loosen the fastenings. Unbolt the doors of sleep and awake” - the Buddha.
The negative effects of compromising your values and ideals are even more destructive than meth or crack. And the resulting downward spiral of self-destruction can take you to a place where you no longer believe it’s possible to escape, so you cloak your fear and self-loathing in arrogance and cynicism. Your favorite retort becomes, “It’s simply too good to be true - a ripoff. Anyway, I don’t have time.” You’re right, in a way - you’re ripping yourself off and your time is running out. You deserve to reach your full potential. Your family deserves it. It’s not too late.
Come out of hiding. Too many of you are hiding in seminars, programs, dead-end jobs, and other poor excuses for procrastination and avoidance. Pull your head out of the sand and see the abundance of opportunities surrounding you. Get addicted to success.
