Understanding Addiction with Compassion

In this episode, Beth and yoga instructor Lauren Aune take a compassionate look at the subject of addiction and substance use disorders. Lauren shares her own story of addiction and recovery and how she uses her experience to help others. She believes that addiction is a coping mechanism developed in response to pain and trauma and urges addicts and the ones that love them to use a lens of compassion when addressing the root cause, focusing less on what is “wrong” with the person with an addiction and more on what happened to that person. Individuals suffering from addiction almost invariably feel deep amounts of shame which becomes a vicious circle of secrets, self-sabotage, isolation, and additional feelings of shame and loneliness as a result. There are many reasons people develop substance abuse disorders to cope, including loneliness, trauma, depression, social anxiety, relationship problems, and a lack of purpose or meaning in their lives. Addiction may serve as a temporary relief, but over time, addiction just compounds these problems rather than resolving them. There is hope for healing! When addicts learn to develop self-love and work through the pain and suffering of their lives in a healthy manner, their need for unhealthy coping mechanism starts to lessen. Lauren believes this is done in a myriad of ways, but finding community and connection is KEY to healing the shame and isolation that comes from addiction. When we share our stories of vulnerability and they are met with love and empathy, that is THE prescription to for connection and healing! Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org