5. Things I Never Should Have Done

04/19/22 • 23 min

When we violate our values or moral standards we feel guilt and this is an emotion that really gnaws at us. Addicted persons have more guilt than the average, because the disease itself causes the loss of values and morals. Addicts use many techniques to try to avoid guilt such as: rationalization, blaming, minimizing, and using anger to control. The cure for guilt is confession and admitting what has been done that is wrong and then receiving forgiveness.

Previous Episode

4. Fast, Fast, Fast Relief!

Painful feelings like guilt, shame, fear, anger, and grief are things we definitely try to avoid and the use of addictive agent looks like not only a quick, but easy way to avoid these feelings. We start out thinking that these agents are going to solve our problems and for a little while it looks like they do, but eventually they end up not solving problems, but causing problems and then it is too late.

Next Episode

6. Shame On You

The companion emotion to guilt is shame. They feel similar inside us, but come from two very different places. Guilt is feeling badly about what I have done. Shame is feeling badly about what somebody else has done to me. When we are abused in some way or neglected, we begin to view ourselves as bad, dirty and worthless. The cure for shame is exposure of what has happened and then feeling accepted.