March 22, 2006

Yesterday the addict went to the dentist. It was the first such visit in over five years. And what did the addict get for his efforts? An hour of pain and an invitation to return in the near future and pay more money for some exploratory drilling!

But as the addict sat in "the chair," he couldn't help thinking about this whole body thing. So much of the time the addict tries to understand himself through thoughts, values, beliefs, and committments. And here the body comes and intrudes on the addict's self-understanding with a gratuitous round of pain.

The addict knows that recovery lies in surrendering to a Higher Power and in forging closer relationships with other humans. The 12-steps equip the addict with a process of self-evaluation and self-improvement through honesty and accountability. But what about pain? What about an hour spent in the dentist's chair, or a day at home sick in bed, or serious physical injuries?

The truth is that the addict encounters the world through his body. The body cannot be denied. And addiction is often used to mask physical pain as well as other wounds. But escaping the body is not the way out of addiction. Alas, pain must be part of life. The question is, what will the addict do with the pain? Deny it? Embrace it? Medicate it?

No. The addict must simply recognize it for what it is. Pain is a necessary consequence of the gift of life, a body, and the senses to encounter the world around him.