Description: The causes of addiction are not just based on a mental problem. Spiritual research indicates that often an addiction has its root cause in the spiritual dimension. This article is recommended reading for those individuals and their families that are struggling with addiction.
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Table of Contents
1 What is the modern science view of the causes of addictive behaviours?
There is no consensus as to the aetiology (cause), prevention and treatment of addictive disorders. A United States government publication, ‘Theories on Drug Abuse: Selected Contemporary Perspectives,’ came up with no less than forty-three theories for chemical addiction and at least fifteen methods of treatment!
As an example of this confusion consider that many people believe that addictive behaviours such as gambling and alcoholism are ‘diseases’. But others consider them to be behaviours learned in response to the complex interplay between heredity and environmental factors. Still others argue in favour of a genetic cause.
Some researchers point out that, unlike most common diseases such as tuberculosis, which has a definite cause (a microbe) and a definite treatment model to which everyone agrees, there is no conclusive cause or definite treatment method to which everyone agrees for most types of addictive behaviours.
This lack of agreement among experts results in problems with prevention and treatment approaches for many addictive behaviours.
Accordingly, although billions of dollars are budgeted to reduce addictions and substance abuse, there is no consensus on the cause of addictions. The Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF) suggests that if the governments of the world were to focus on the spiritual causes and spiritual treatment of addictions in their research, they would have a greater amount of success in curbing addictions.
2 Spiritual research into the causes of addiction
2.1 What does spiritual research into causes of addiction mean?
Spiritual research into addiction means research into the spiritual causes and healing of addictions by means of an advanced and activated sixth sense (ESP).
2.2 Who can diagnose through spiritual research?
Diagnosis of the specific spiritual cause of addictions is possible only by a spiritually evolved person who can perceive the subtle dimension. By spiritually evolved we mean a Saint i.e. one who has achieved the spiritual level of 70%. A person with an active sixth sense (ESP) can perceive the root cause, but if he or she has not attained a minimum of 60% spiritual level, the diagnosis must be verified by a spiritually evolved person (Saint) above 70% spiritual level.
Refer to the following articles for details:
- According to the Spiritual science, who can be considered a Saint?
- How does one conduct spiritual research?
2.3 Type of addictions covered in spiritual research
The scope of spiritual research on addictions conducted by SSRF encompasses all types of addictions.
2.4 What are the causes of addiction?
The extent of the ‘known world’ as compared to the ‘subtle spiritual dimension’ is in the ratio of 1: infinity. Through spiritual research methodologies, we can look into the spiritual dimension and ascertain the extent to which it affects our lives. However it is pertinent to add that the subtleties and shades of the various spiritual factors and their interplay can be very complex and intricate. It is for this reason that one can at best document up to 80% of the contributing spiritual factors. However even with this limitation, just by taking the spiritual dimension into account, spiritual research is far more holistic than conventional research in getting to the bottom of why things happen.
Spiritual research to ascertain the root causes of addictions provided the following results:
| Cause of addiction | Average percentage contributing to the addiction1 |
|---|---|
| The physical dependency on the addiction |
30 |
| Mind and ego |
302 |
| Spiritual causes i.e., possession by ghosts or departed ancestors who want to experience the addictive substance through the person they possess |
403 |
| Total | 100 |
Notes:
1. The figures in this table are just averages and can vary considerably on a case by case basis. The important point is that there is a high likelihood of a spiritual influence currently unknown to modern science.
2. This aspect is due to the mind and ego. For example, due to peer-pressure or just to show off, a teenager may begin to use an addictive substance. This is often the case with smoking where the tendency is to give the impression that one is ‘cool’.
3. The proportion of spiritual causes of addiction can vary considerably. Even if the addiction initially is because of psychological reasons, negative energies can take advantage of this weakness in a person to affect them. Thus the addiction that may have started with a physical or psychological reason soon escalates into a spiritual one. Keeping this in mind it is therefore quite understandable that 68% of smokers in the USA would like to quit but have so far been unable to do so (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Addicts are unable to give up an addiction even if they want to because of the influence that the negative energy has over the addict.
Breakdown of spiritual reasons: Between ancestors and ghosts as a spiritual cause of addictions, ancestors account for 30% of spiritual reasons while negative energies or ghosts account for 70%. Ghosts or subtle bodies of departed ancestors affect or possess people for two main reasons:
- To satisfy their own craving for the addictive substance
- To trouble the person by making him an addict
Refer to the article on, “Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to give me pain?”
People with multiple addictions can either be influenced by multiple ghosts/departed ancestors or just one ghost/departed ancestor with multiple addictions.
Relapse of addictive behaviour has been a very sore subject within the field of addiction. It is considered a sign of failure. Spiritual research shows that because the spiritual dimension is the root cause behind many addictions, this is one reason for the low success rates of treatments that are being conducted at a physical and psychological level.
Physical treatment means rehabilitation involving quitting the substance and then treating the withdrawal with chemical medication. Chemicals like methadone are used as safer substitutes for the original abused substance.
Psychological treatment includes counselling, formal and/or informal psychotherapy etc. with or without physical treatment.
Around 90% of heroin and opiate addicts relapse. One study found that of 109 subjects who had achieved sobriety in heroin rehab, 99 relapsed. Of the 99 people who relapsed, 64 did so within one week. (Source: Smyth et al., 2010)
Methamphetamine relapse rates are as high as as 87%. (Source: Brecht and Herbeck, 2015).
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that About 90% of people in recovery for alcohol use disorders are likely to relapse at least once over a four-year period. (Source: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
2.5 Addictions from the perspective of destiny or free will
According to the spiritual Path of Action (Karmayoga), all our actions are either destined (not in our control) or due to free will (within our control). As a rule of thumb, in the current era 65% of our actions are destined and 35% are due to free will. However in the case of addictions, the proportion of the destined element is far greater. Major life events such as birth, marriage, major accidents and death are completely destined, i.e. the role of destiny is 100%.
The actual proportion of the destined element in a particular addicted person can only be ascertained by individuals beyond the 70% spiritual level (i.e. Saints) or by those with very highly advanced sixth sense.
Refer to the article “Spiritual root causes of difficulties in life”.
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