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A few times I mentioned that a daily regimen of intense triathlon training is not sufficient for me to overcome drug addiction and the underlying wackiness and related insanity that are byproducts. I could never have come directly from where I was to where I am. I don’t have that kind of power. Though the idea of addiction as a disease accepted, most still think of it as a condition of willpower. I think this is because, though the disease concept is true, it makes no sense. It isn't really the responsibility of the normal person to firmly grasp this. It is the responsibility of the alcoholic or drug addict (I consider my self both) to understand this. It is a multifaceted illness in that it affects the body, mind and spirit. The body aspect is relatively easy to fix- remove the substance. If this was sufficient detox and treatment centers would have near perfect results. The mind and the spirit aspects are the seemingly impossible ones to fix. There is no way to do this that I have experienced or been aware of that remedies this without some sort of spiritual experience. I know that this is brings a lot of preconceived ideas of what 'spiritual experience' can mean. To me it means to utilize the power of God to deal with the problems that run to the core of my being. Though I have often clung to this idea as a means to an end - the end being not needing to instantaneously feel different, sobriety is a by product of the spiritual experience.
So how does one get this experience? I have seen it happen in churches. I grew up very active in an non-denominational Christian church and I definitely knew people who had been freed from addictions through God in this setting. However, there is one place where all traditions, concepts and steps are centered around the concept of helping those the need it find this effective spiritual experience - Alcoholics Anonymous. In my experience and observation, if someone goes to AA and works the 12 steps with someone who has worked the 12 steps and doesn't stop they will get the results. I don't think I will ever really understand the mechanics of this, but if I could that would make me more knowledgeable than God. It is like tri training. You follow the directions of someone who has completed the goal you are hoping to attain and you get there. It may not look or feel exactly how you imagined, but you get there.