Hi, my name is Dave Marlon and this is introduction to spirituality. Now, when I first came to get clean and sober myself and people talk to me about spirituality, I thought, man, I I’m looking to reduce the pain when I drink or when I use I use the analogy of it’s like offering a fish a bicycle. Uh you talking to me about God or something was not anything I had any interest in. I was just looking to mitigate the problems of my alcohol and drug use. But I later learned that spiritual spirituality was closely intertwined with recovery. It ended up being recovery. This is Vegas Stronger introduction to spirituality and recovery. And we’re going to talk about how a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. So why spirituality and recovery?
Addiction recovery isn’t just a physical or physiological issue. It’s not just a mental issue. It’s also a spiritual issue. Spirituality helps us find purpose, helps us find meaning, and it helps us develop a connection beyond ourselves. It ends up that our substance use blocks that. This isn’t about religion. It’s about transformation. I learned that addiction is closely intertwined with ego. Addiction thrives on ego and it tells us things like I could do this on my own or I don’t need any help. Ego tells us we are in control even when our loved ones and the people close to us could tell that we’re clearly not. Recovery begins when we let go of this sense of control. Now it ends up that humility is the doorway. Now we often think that humility is weakness but it’s not. It’s honesty about our own limitations and humility opens the door to our spiritual experience. The step one in AA is we admitted we were powerless. For a guy like me, admitting I’m powerless, that was a hard thing for me to do, but it ended up being a a keystone that I’ve been able to build a beautiful life and a recovery on. So stay with me here. In the appendix two of the big book, it talks about and it defines a spiritual experience. It’s a page and a half. Any one of us could read it and it doesn’t say it’s it’s something to do with Jesus or something to do with Judaism. It it defines it very broadly. it it ends up calling it a profound alteration to our reaction to life. It could be sudden or it could be gradual. It could be marked with a a sense of peace, purpose, and connection. And it happens when self-centeredness me is replaced by openness. I like saying when you’re open, honest, and willing. So what is spiritually not? Well, it’s not Catholicism or Judaism or Buddhism or any organized religion. It’s not dogma or doctrine. It’s about a power greater than yourself. Whatever it means to you, it’s just not you. And that’s the point. Now, Victor Frankle was a he was a psychiatrist who was held captive in in a Holocaust concentration camp for years. While he was there, he was documenting and studying people. And he learned that the strongest Olympic athletes were often not able to survive. and the the most educated doctors and scholars weren’t able to survive. But it was those who have a why to live. They could almost bear anyhow. So spirituality ends up giving us a why and a purpose. It gives us a connection beyond suffering. This ends up being ego verse spirituality. An ego is I’m in control. It’s isolate yourself. It has shame within it. It has self-will. I’ll do this. And it’s really fearbased. Spirituality is the polar opposite of all of that. And instead of being in control, it’s I surrender. I’m open.
Instead of being isolated, it’s connected. Instead of being shameful, it’s acceptance for life on life’s terms. Instead of being selfful, self-will, it’s willingness. And instead of fear, we become driven by faith. So, what does a spiritual awakening look like? Well, it’s a sense of freedom from our obsessions. It’s a feeling connected to others. It’s a deep gratitude for each minute, each hour, each day. It’s a willingness to be of service to our fellows. And it’s a trust in a higher purpose.
So, how do we cultivate spirituality? Well, right as I got into recovery, I developed what I call my daily disciplines. And every morning I wake up, I begin by rolling out of bed, getting on my knees, and saying some prayers. What this h does is when I wake up, I’m immediately thinking about me, myself. But when I get on my knees and I say some prayers, I begin to think about my higher power. I get end up thinking about my will. uh and and my will to serve others. I’ve also inte integrated meditation which I used to think I had an ADHD exclusion and I didn’t have to engage in in meditation but through the 12 steps I actually learned to meditate and and rise outside of my consciousness to be able to see the forest from the trees. I’ve also switched from what do I get to who could I help being able to help others. I’ve implemented gratitude practices and you know just being thankful for today thankful for this breath thankful for the relationships with people close to me. I became open to growth and change and recognized that I was not just doomed to live this life that was caught and repeat and I’m able to grow. I’m able to change. I’m able to be of service to others. Now at Vegas Stronger, our approach is that we’re inclusive and that all beliefs or no beliefs they are welcome. We are trauma-informed and judgment free. And by that we mean that we recognize that each of our clients has their own traumas and that while some of them may have been horrific, those don’t define who we have to be going forward.
That we could surrender and we could move forward open and willing and have a new experience, a new experience of usefulness. We encourage personal exploration. We encourage using tools from the 12 steps or Victor Frankle or from your spiritual institution. But you get to define who your higher power is or what your higher power is. As a final thought, spiritual life is not a theory. It’s something we actually live. And recovery is essentially a spiritual journey. It starts by admitting it’s not just about me anymore.
Welcome to spirituality here at here at Vegas Stronger. My name is Dave Marlon. Thank you.
