Two nights ago I ventured out to an SLAA (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous) meeting to pick up my one-year medallion. While I was there, I also sat through the beginner’s portion of the meeting where the topic of the evening was about withdrawal from the addiction. A newcomer had posed the question of how to handle withdrawal and what happens during it. Ironically, not a single person that shared their helpful insights mentioned anything about prayer, meditation, or God.
I’ve gone through withdrawal now from addictions I had to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, caffeine, and sex and love. In each of them, the major key to getting through the withdrawal process was in turning to a Higher Power for help. To seek that Higher Power, which I choose today to refer to as God, I have utilized prayer to speak and meditation to listen. On some level at this present moment, I’m still going through a withdrawal and healing process from a lot of the toxic energies I took on when I was an active addict. On most days, I am utilizing prayer whether I’m in my car, my bedroom, out and about such as in a movie theater, or in any other place for that matter. Talking to God through prayer doesn’t necessarily mean having lofty sentences and eloquences like a sermon might have. For me, sometimes it’s just about repeating “God please help me have the strength to keep going” over and over and over again until I get through a painful moment. Other times I’m doing the listening part with meditation. I try to do at least 35 minutes every day of sitting in complete silence where I just allow myself to be a receptor of any messages that may come from God.
Through all my prayers and meditations that I’ve done over the years as I have withdrawn from addictions and gone through healing periods, I have been guided by God to the things that were healthier and helped me. Many people in that room of the SLAA meeting I went to the other night had great suggestions for this newcomer on things he could do as he withdrew from his sex and love addiction. I watched as he took notes and did the best he could to pay attention to what everyone was saying. But what I felt people weren’t grasping is that the path that his Higher Power might have for him to deal his withdrawal could be completely different than what they were all suggesting from what worked for them during theirs.
When the beginner’s portion of the meeting ended, I spoke to this man and told him how prayer and meditation helped me get the guidance I needed. I wanted him to know that his Higher Power could provide him all the direction he needed to get through his withdrawal. All he needed to do was just ask through prayer, wait patiently, and listen in quiet moments for the answers, such as through something like meditation. While most of us may never see God in a human form during those moments of seeking guidance during a withdrawal period, the reality is that God’s presence is there and we can tap into it in any given moment by just having a conversation and then being still and listening.
Withdrawal is a very challenging and difficult process to handle no matter what addiction someone is coming off of. There are infinite ways that can be helpful for an individual to navigate safely through that time period. At least in my journey’s case in life, the best and only Navigator who has helped me to do that is God. Through God’s help, I have continued to find all that I need to deal with any withdrawal, pain-filled, and healing based process. I hope this newcomer will find the same is true for him.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson