Some perspectives to addiction will tell you that addiction is a progressive, incurable disease. u00a0Gaboru2019s perspective (which is strongly supported by recent, quality medical and scientific evidence) indicates the opposite: our brains and our bodies have a wonderful ability to repair themselves.u00a0 And this is one of the least-discussed aspects of addiction.
u00a0
So the good news is, we can heal addiction. We can rebuild the deficient factories and highways in the brain. We can learn new behaviors that, over time, replace the less effective ones weu2019ve learned.u00a0 That means we may not have to constantly struggle with cravings and fears of relapse, or worries that weu2019re going to disappoint someone, or be disappointed.u00a0
u00a0
Now, to be fair, we also have to be realistic. If I badly tear a muscle in my arm, it will heal, but it will also probably have scar tissue, so it may not be quite as strong as it once was. The same may be true of my brain. If Iu2019ve spent years or decades reinforcing a particular pattern with drug use, I can repattern and heal the brain, develop new highways and factories so that it works better.
u00a0
But it may never be quite the same as if I got all that I needed when I was an infant. So Iu2019m not going to push my luck by trying to go back to u201coccasional useu201d or u201cmoderate useu201d, in the same way Iu2019m not going to put the same stress on a torn muscle that I might have before I injured it.u00a0 And the good news is, I wonu2019t need to, because as I rebuild the pathways, Iu2019ll be able to feel the joy, excitement, love, and connection that others can feel, so thereu2019s really no need to go back to the old patterns.
u00a0
Over the rest of this program, weu2019ll be going into more depth about all of this, and learn specific strategies to more effectively communicate, learn to ask for our needs, find more common ground with our families and loved ones, and live more fully and happily.u00a0
