What Does It Mean to Own Your Addiction?

"People in addiction recovery who focus primarily on stopping a behavior may unintentionally miss the deeper healing that recovery can offer. Addiction recovery is more than behavioral modification; it's also about understanding how the addictive behaviors started and continued despite numerous attempts to stop."

"When they disown their addiction, they are, in essence, disowning a part of themselves. Their addiction story is part of their life, and while it may have led to extremely destructive consequences, it should never be a story that is banished from their life. This is akin to ripping a significant chapter out of a book."

"I take a different approach and try to have them reframe the addiction as an honored guest who is no longer in control of the steering wheel of their lives but is now an honored passenger in the backseat. Why is a stance of curiosity, empathy, and compassion toward the addiction important? I borrow the IFS (Internal Family Systems) mantra of "no bad parts" to explain this."

Addiction recovery extends beyond behavioral modification to encompass understanding how addictive behaviors originated and persisted despite repeated attempts to stop. Family, cultural, and societal factors often contribute to unhealthy attachments and emotional intimacy issues that increase addiction vulnerability. Disowning addiction means disowning part of oneself, removing a significant life chapter. While understandable given addiction's destructive consequences and external pressure from support networks, this approach hinders deeper healing. A more effective therapeutic stance involves reframing addiction as an honored passenger rather than an enemy, using curiosity, empathy, and compassion. This approach, grounded in Internal Family Systems philosophy of "no bad parts," acknowledges that all aspects of self serve protective functions and deserve understanding rather than rejection.

Read at Psychology Today