Addiction is Not Black & White... Here's Why
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Most of us have learned to look at the world through the lens of success vs. failure. This creates a black & white, harsh reality in which anything that doesn’t qualify as an absolute victory is considered a loss. Unfortunately, this is the language of addiction treatment as well - you’re either sober (winning) or not (losing) and there is no between. At IGNTD, we look at things completely differently. Instead of an all-or-nothing approach to winning and losing, we assess progress and success in a manner more similar to grading.
This exercise will make it clear why this approach is so much more powerful and how it’s beneficial for measuring progress.
You will be shown three images in sequence. Look closely at each successive image and note what you see.
What do you see in the image below?
DO NOT GO PAST THIS POINT UNLESS YOU’VE LISTENED TO THE EPISODE AND FINISHED THE ABOVE SECTION!
Now, what do you see below? What can you see that you couldn't before?
DO NOT GO PAST THIS POINT UNLESS YOU’VE LISTENED TO THE EPISODE AND FINISHED THE ABOVE SECTION!
What do you see in this final image? What do you see that you couldn’t see in the other images?
As you can see, looking at the world through an all-or-nothing black-and-white lens obscured details, removes nuance and makes it nearly impossible to tell what is truly going on in any given scene. Unfortunately, chances are that you have been taught to view the world this way, which means you currently see yourself as a failure.
You see yourself as an addict. You see yourself as someone who is incapable and who has proven to be hopeless.
We want you to understand that this is a myth. The problem is that any details of your growth and improvement have been obscured by the perspective you’ve been taking. The truth is that the world doesn’t work in black and white and the pictures you just examined are a great example of why - the world is much more interesting when the details and nuance are added back in.
When you engage in black and white thinking, you fail to see the full picture. The world looks bleak and hopeless. Part of our job here at IGNTD is to help you learn to see every situation, relationship, or pattern in the world through a nuanced lens, not the black and white one with which you have been taught to use.
Now that we’ve talked about black and white, all or nothing thinking, here’s a challenge for you. Come up with an example in which you’ve engaged in this sort of thinking about yourself. It could be from your recovery or life in general — anytime that you felt like a “failure”, “loser”, or “addict”. Journal about that experience below and how you felt at the time. Share with us via Instagram or via email at info@igntd.com
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction and wants a shame-free approach to break free, the IGNTD Hero Program is here to help with a free 14 day trial.