Many people often attempt to use Band-Aids on their addictions, but in the long run they never work. That’s because the problem isn’t in managing the substance of the addiction itself, it’s with something much deeper in the addict themselves.
First, here are five examples of what a Band-Aid looks like with an addiction:
- Taking Antabuse to prevent the consumption of alcohol.
- Taking Methadone, Suboxone, or any other medication to stop the consumption of opiates and other drugs.
- Restricting one’s access to the Internet on their phone or computer with a password to stop the watching of pornographic material.
- Using Chantix, “The Patch” or vaping to stop smoking cigarettes.
- Getting a gastric bypass, “the sleeve”, or having one’s mouth clamped shut to prevent overeating.
While each of these Band-Aids can be used to help one reach recovery, in and of themselves, they won’t ever prevent the addiction from returning, as they only put a temporary stop to the usage of the substance of the addiction.
I once knew a guy who kept trying to drink alcohol while on Antabuse. I knew another who became addicted to Methadone while trying to quit opiates. Then there was a person I knew that had Internet restrictions placed on their phone and computer and just went to the library to use their computers there to watch porn. I’ve also known people to smoke while taking Chantix or to vape even more than they once smoked. And I’ve even known a few people who had surgery to deal with their overeating and watched them lose several hundred pounds only to gain it back in a year or two.
To fully prevent an addiction from returning, it honestly takes a lot more than using a Band-Aid. The only solution I’ve ever found that worked was through the 12 Steps of recovery, as they were the only thing that delved deep within me to figure out why I was succumbing to the addictions in the first place. They helped me perform “surgery” on myself to remove the unwanted character defects that regularly drove me into all my addiction behaviors. But most importantly, they helped me find a closer relationship to my Higher Power, God, who ultimately showed me I didn’t need any type of Band-Aid to remain clean and sober from an addiction.
Unfortunately, people want the quick fix these days, especially when it comes to stopping an unwanted addiction. That’s why they look for those Band-Aids. I have to laugh every time I see those late-night commercials for those resorts and spas that promise freedom from addiction in a mere 30 days of staying at them. I truly feel sad for those I meet who believe Band-Aids like this solidly work in the long run because they never do.
I’ve never met a single person in over 22 years of exposure to the 12 Steps and the rooms of recovery that have used a Band-Aid and remained clean and sober for very long. Can it happen, well, I’m sure it can, but then the dependency is always on that Band-Aid to remain clean and sober. And honestly, that doesn’t usually lead to a very strong recovery.
So, if you happen to be someone who’s struggling with an addiction and considering using a Band-Aid to be the end all for it, just remember, it may work temporarily. But if you truly want a healthy and long-lasting recovery, you eventually are going to have to face the very thing you are avoiding by using a Band-Aid, that being all the muck deep within you, as that’s precisely what you need to face in 12 Step Recovery to find freedom for good from your addiction…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson