Angel & Demon Voices of Addiction and Recovery

As most drug addicts and alcoholics know, addiction has two faces with two distinct voices. And an addict is constantly pulled between them. There are two voices of addiction and recovery.

The first voice, who we'll simply call the "angel", is the voice of reason. This is the small and gentle self speaking up occasionally to let the alcoholic or addict know something is wrong. Their life is off track. They’re making poor choices. They’re letting friends and family down.

All of these are signals sent from the angel. Others might call this voice one’s conscience, or “Jiminy Cricket.” Whatever the name, the fact remains. This inner voice is a constant presence in the mind of an addict. Deep down, they know their addictive behavior is destructive.

Each day, after repeated failures and innumerable bad decisions, every person in addictive addiction, whether from alcohol, other drugs, or unhealthy behaviors, must wake to face the voice of reason and truth. In those moments, the angel whispers - sometimes almost nearly imperceptibly - that they need help.

Serious and professional help to overcome their addiction before it’s too late.

To anyone else, it would seem that quitting would be easy. Follow the guiding advice of inner reason, and just stop drinking or using drugs. To an outsider not bound by addiction, this logic of following the angel’s voice would hold true. End of discussion.

But for the addict, there is another voice. For our purposes here, we’ll call this voice the "demon". This is the monster all addicts live with, a voice that says, among other lies, “it’s OK - have that drink,” or “go ahead, you deserve it.” Despite the fact that the alcoholic/addict woke with an angel in his or her ear, in active addiction the demon’s reasoning eventually wins. The demon’s words are the justifying lies that an addict tells himself or herself regularly.

Even as an addict’s life spirals out of control, he will tell himself his best choice is to drink or satisfy his drug habit. He could be broke, alone, in emotional despair, at rock bottom, and even as the angel reminds him he’s better than that, the demon will trigger an addict’s impulses and convince him that indulgence will deliver swift gratification.

For the active addict, this temptation is too great to resist.

What are your voices of addiction and recovery saying?

When we pull back from metaphors of monsters and muses, and look at the whole of addiction, we can see that these “characters” are nothing more than conflicting states of mind that every addict experiences on a daily basis.

And whether an addict listens to the voice of reason or of impulse, they both stem from one place within. By understanding this internal conflict, and learning to work within and explore the many states of mind, an addict can begin to make immense strides toward recovery.

Recovery through self awareness is one of the hallmarks of Serenity Vista’s highly-individualized drug and alcohol recovery program. Instead of fighting the battle alone, and going back and forth between right and wrong, contact us today to start and stay on the right side of life, the side of recovery.

Are you ready for real change? Listen to that small, still voice within.

Reach out today and open yourself to complete life transformation!

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