Thursday, May 5, 2011

Addiction in Women

"Some of Eve's daughters choose to hide in food, work, alcohol, drugs or relationships. Our addictions function as a veil of shame separating us from the human community. At times we long for recognition. We search for magical insight or treatment that will exorcise the flawed part of us. At other times our addiction feels like a warm protective covering, behind which we hide essential parts of themselves in response to and in avoidance of the exposure, scrutiny, and judgement of others.

Isolation from others and alienation from ourselves culminate in the contraction of our lives. Fearful of exposure, depleted of our life energy, our lives become smaller. We are available for superficial relationships - the ones that don't require access to the hidden parts of ourselves. Addiction becomes our gatekeeper circumscribing our lives. We live within a very small circle, fearful of moving out to explore, to experiment, to risk exposure. If we venture out too far, the critical voices begin and we return to the safety of our contracted existence. Numbness (no feeling), boredom (predictable activity), and habit (controlled regularity) become our companions."

- Patricia Lynn Reilly, Be Full of Yourself, (43-44)

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