There’s nothing worse than being trapped and knowing you are trapped. What makes it even worse, is knowing that you are trapped and it is likely you will die a trapped person. That is addiction. Addiction is a trap and can appear inescapable. Recovery is escaping from that trap. One of the saddest things is for someone to be standing in front of the door that represents their being trapped, having the key to unlock the door, and not escaping. When we were in the midst of our addiction, we did not know there was a door, let alone have a key. Many years ago, I was introduced to a dramatization of addiction and how inescapable it can be for so many people. Since perception is reality, if it feels like it is, then it is. The name of the drama was “The Hole of No Hope.” It was about a person who felt they were in an inescapable position with their addiction. As it turns out, given an opportunity on one side of the coin and the willingness on the other, the person did escape, what they had previously viewed as inescapable. What does escape mean and how can we best apply it to today’s topic? Escape is defined as; to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty.
When I consider this definition, there are a number of things that come to mind. First, to slip or getaway is important because that is exactly what we are doing. We are getting away. We are slipping away from our fate, that is worse than death. For many of us, it is death. For those of us who fall short of death, in some ways, we wish we would die. I love the next part of this definition where it states we gain or regain liberty. To be liberated or to be set free is a feeling that anyone in bondage could only pray for. For most of us, we were on the brink of losing hope or lost it altogether. Some of us had never been free or liberated. We had always felt that we were in some type of inescapable bondage that gripped us so tightly that escaping was akin to that example in The Hole of No Hope. As we enter recovery, we realize that our perception was our reality. As much as our addiction appeared to be inescapable we found there was a way to escape. Not only were we able to escape, but we could resurrect our lives into a meaningful and purpose-driven way of living. Can we escape the Inescapable? Of course, we can. We must find a plan, believe in the plan, and then work to plan. We need to work on this plan one day at a time for the rest of our life. We will regain or gain the liberty that eluded us for far too long.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
All posts by Robert Pardon