This is a guest post by Patrick Meninga at Spiritual River. He speaks with the power of real life experience about his spiritual awakening in his recovery from drug and alcohol addition.

What can addiction teach us about entrepreneurship and spiritual growth? Quite a bit, it turns out.

I am a guest poster named Patrick, and I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for many years before finally finding a spiritual path in recovery. The process that led me to this path of success in recovery could be referred to as a spiritual awakening. This is ultimately what is required for anyone to escape the trap of addiction.

I realize that most of you reading this now are probably not addicted to drugs and alcohol. That’s great actually, but please read on and discover what overcoming addiction can teach us about spiritual growth in our own lives.

In particular, I’ve narrowed it down to 5 key concepts that I learned about in recovery that can apply to anyone:

Concept #1: Hitting bottom and surrender

In order for an addict to recover from addiction, they have to hit bottom first. This means that they lose most or all of the things in life that were really important to them due to their addiction. In essence they lose everything, including themselves. This leads to what we might call “the point of surrender.”

Surrender sounds like a negative term, but it is actually quite positive and liberating. When you surrender, you stop fighting. You stop struggling with something that is hopeless (like a life of continuous addiction). Surrender opens the door to change; to a life lived differently. The key here is that, in order to finally surrender and make a change in your life, you usually have to hit bottom first.

Application for you: Maybe you’re at a dead end job and dream of starting your own business. Maybe you’re spiritually bankrupt and feel like your existence has become meaningless as you long for a way to reach out and connect with others. In any case, you can apply the principle of surrender in your life when you see yourself fighting and struggling to maintain something that you don’t really want for yourself.

It can be hard to turn our back on a job, even if we hate it and the pay is lousy. It takes courage to chase our dreams. Surrender is scary. It is like the first step off a cliff. But it might be a necessary step for you in order to truly spread your wings.

Concept #2: Cutting through denial

Addiction is like running on a hamster wheel while claiming that you’re not on a hamster wheel. You’re panting with exhaustion and ready to drop dead, but you still stand firm that you are not on a hamster wheel. This is denial.

I know that because I’ve been there. I’ve been on the hamster wheel and struggled to hold my life together while the people around me tried to convince to get help. But I did not want help, and insisted that there was no problem.

Application for you: Obviously I broke through my denial and eventually got clean and sober. But the threat of denial persists, even in recovery. Today, I can find denial creeping into my life in other ways…ways that are much more subtle. For example, someone might be stuck in a relationship that they know is no good for them. Or there is always the idea of the comfortable dead end job.

If we want to make progress in our life then honest assessment is critical. Sometimes we stick to safe and comfortable but hold ourselves from realizing true growth. The mechanism by which we do this is almost always denial. Learn to identify the “hamster wheel” in your life and free yourself from the chains of denial.

Concept #3: Asking for help and networking

Addiction is mind-boggling in that we cannot overcome it by ourselves. If we could, then it would not be addiction. In order to recover the addict must ask for help.

Once in recovery, the addict gains strength by networking with others who are also in recovery. There is strength in numbers and strength in sharing our experiences. Reaching out to others is part of the learning process. In recovery, addicts help each other to stay clean and sober. This is the power of networking. And it starts by asking for help.

Application for you: Whether you are struggling to find your spiritual footing or aiming to start a new business for yourself, you can benefit from reaching out to others and asking for help. Networking is powerful and you can gain as much by helping others as you can by asking others for help. Just ask any of the ordinary people who have sought out a life coach and thus transformed their lives with new powerful experiences. This demonstrates the power that guidance and networking can give you.

Concept #4: Commitment to personal growth

There is a principle in recovery from addiction: “You’re either working on your recovery, or you’re working on a relapse.” What addicts have found is that they cannot stand still in their growth efforts. If they do, they inevitably relapse and return to addiction. The only solution is in pushing themselves to grow and move forward. Always seeking positive action. Always seeking a higher spiritual truth. Always looking to connect and help others. If a recovering addict stops growing, they risk relapse.

Application for you: Complacency happens when you’ve gotten too comfortable and are no longer pushing yourself to grow. Fight complacency and always be striving for something. Have some goals or a vision for your life in the back of your mind. It’s no longer enough to come home and watch television all night. What are you creating with your life? How are you going to impact the world? Push yourself! Addicts must do this just to have a shot at staying clean. You should push yourself too.

Concept #5: Reaching out and helping others

There is a saying in recovery: “You have to give it away to keep it.” This means that, in order to stay clean and sober, you have to reach out and help others to become sober. This works in a way that no one could have predicted. In fact, nothing works better at keeping people sober than having them reach out and work with others in recovery. If there was ever a secret to sobriety, this is it: Help others and you help yourself.

Application for you: Reach out and help others. Simple but powerful. Doing so initiates a powerful feedback loop because you feel much better about yourself and your own self esteem is enhanced. In the long run, “network karma” will make sure you benefit from your previous efforts, and you’ll find that doors open for you quite easily because of your helpful attitude.

Addiction not required. This stuff works for anyone.

Today I am grateful that I was “cursed” with addiction, because it led me to a full life in recovery and a spiritual path….something I might never have found if I had never become addicted in the first place.

I’m confident that anyone can benefit from the principles that I’ve used to maintain sobriety. Today my life is an exciting mix of holistic growth, working with others, and spiritual exploration. I used to be trapped in addiction, but now I am truly blessed and grateful to be on a spiritual path.

Patrick Meninga is the author of the Spiritual River. Check him out if you want to learn more about how to help alcoholics. (Photo by Georgie Sharp)

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