There are no real identifiable causes of addiction, but there are many factors that we are exposed to on a daily basis which may contribute towards the development of an addiction.
Whether internal or external, every person has a set of concerns that they find themselves head to head with on a daily basis.
These concerns typically have a nasty way of impeding on our inherent ability to find joy and fulfilment. As a result, we sometimes turn to substance abuse as a means of silencing the pain we experience.
Having concerns, regardless of their nature is a normal part of life. However, it’s how we acknowledge, address and manage these concerns that matters.
There is a simple model which can help us with this and it’s known as the circle of influence and circle of concern model.
The method is simple but extremely useful and it works by setting aside time to sit with your concerns, whether it be your trauma, your past mistakes or the loss of a loved one.
If it’s something that gives you anxiety, makes you unhappy or want to use again, it’s a classified as a concern.
Some may wonder why we would want to spend time with the thoughts or feelings that weigh heavy on our hearts, but this is a crucial step in the process of separating your circles.
Once we are able to see our concerns with honest eyes, we can identify which of these we are able to control and which are out of our control.
Those that we have control over can move into our circle of influence. Those that are out of our control can take their place in our circle of concern.
This is a practice of self-awareness which is one of the core principles of addiction recovery.
Now we have a choice. Where are we going to choose to operate from? Where are we going to direct our focus?
By choosing to stay inside of our circle of concern, we choose to invest our energy in something which only takes and doesn’t give back.
Inside this circle is where we breed negativity and surrender our power over to the concerns found here so that they may have control over us.
It’s in this circle where we become victims of our circumstances and we begin to isolate ourselves by blaming others for where we find ourselves.
This is an unfavourable position to be in when recovering from addiction.
Inside this circle is where we find the concerns over which we have some degree of control. This is where our focus and energy should be.
When we spend time on concerns that we can ultimately change or influence, we develop a strong sense of accomplishment and progress.
Feeling accomplished is hugely beneficial while on the path of recovery. It restores the faith we have lost in ourselves and reminds us that we are capable.
As we pour our energy into our circle of influence, we slowly dismantle our circle of concern and we regain our strength to overcome obstacles.
In the beginning it may be challenging to stay actively aware of where we are directing our energy and we might find ourselves back in the circle of concern before we know it.
This is where the practice of self-awareness comes in. Self-awareness doesn’t come overnight – it requires presence, mindfulness and practice.
It’s in our day to day experiences and activities that we must make decisions about the way we see ourselves and our future.
It’s up to us to choose whether we are going to focus on our failures or mistakes, or on our victories no matter how small they may be.
The small victories along the way are what help us build our circle of influence as we chip away at our negative beliefs about ourselves.
The path of recovery requires an equal ratio of faith and action. Every day we are given a new opportunity to make more valuable decisions while having faith that we will achieve our goals.
These decisions include leaving behind the past and everything that goes with it to move forward towards recovery.
We are always going to be faced with trials, tribulations and concerns, but let’s remember that the ones we have no control over do not need to have control over us.
Although the causes of addiction remain scientifically unclear, our external environments can play a massive role in our daily struggles and stress levels.
However, our programmes focus on learning self-awareness as well as developing practical tools which can be used to divert attention away from daily triggers.
For more information about our addiction recovery programme, please feel free to contact us.
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