Addiction? My Sobriety Taught Me Humility
Sobriety? One of the greatest teachers of humility.
It surprises many people who do not know my past, that besides being a number one best-selling author, counselor, minister, and more… I have a background of 30 years of addiction to alcohol and cocaine.
My past experience has been an incredible benefit in many ways, while some people say there are no benefits to addiction I feel so strongly in the opposite way.
As an alcoholic starting at the ripe young age of 12, I found that I could submerge my emotions, and not deal with my anger, rage, and pain… As long as I had alcohol or some other drugs in my system because I had no idea how to cope with these emotions in a healthy way.
In the past few years, addiction has risen dramatically, the sale of alcohol is off the charts, relationships are being destroyed, and what were once healthy role models as parents have become the exact opposite of children living in the same household.
When I decided to get sober years ago, I was arrogant, I thought I knew at all, and even when I entered a treatment facility I was directing them on what my treatment program should look like.
Insane? No, just one of the traits of the alcoholic: arrogance.
What’s the opposite of arrogance? Humility.
When the counselors in the treatment center were full of my nonsense, they blocked me from entering my room one day and said “Essel, your best thinking got you into a treatment center, we don’t care how much experience you have, we don’t care how many books you’ve written, we don’t care that you’re a minister, we don’t care how successful you are… Just always remember this: your best thinking on your own got you into a 30-Day Treatment Center.“
I have no idea, other than some miraculous hand of God, why I listened to these people on that day, why I took their message seriously, and why didn’t I push back?
Their logic was too strong to try to overcome. They were right. I was wrong. This was the beginning of my humility teaching, which I hold to the highest degree possible because it’s not only allowed me to be sober, sane, and healthy for many many years but I’ve taken this experience and I’ve helped thousands of people to shatter their addiction regardless how deep it is or regardless of how long it’s been around.
Humility is a characteristic that’s not talked a lot about today.
I made so many mistakes prior to getting sober, that I’ve never repeated since then because of the lesson in humility.
I can still be a little arrogant at times LOL, but for the most part, I’m very grounded, and willing to learn from so many people around me even my clients on a daily basis.
Now is the time to become humble. Now is the time to reach out for help.
If you struggle with alcohol or food or nicotine or drugs or television…Now is the time to get humble and ask for help.
If you have children? Please don’t wait another day longer! You are a role model for them, and if they see you self-medicating on a daily basis with alcohol or food or anything else I’ve listed above, even emotional spending… They will follow in your footsteps and do the same thing once they’re out of the house.
By getting humble, asking for help, and sharing these facts with your children, you can teach them at an early age that it’s OK to ask for help… That as humans we’re not supposed to have the answers to all of life‘s questions… But there are people around us that do.
I hope that you will get humble if you struggle, and ask for help today.”
David Essel‘s work is highly endorsed by individuals like the late Wayne Dyer, and celebrity Jenny McCarthy says, “David Essel is the new leader of the positive thinking movement.“
His work as a counselor and minister has been verified, by so many organizations like Psychology Today, Therapy Tribe, Theravive, and marriage.com has verified David is one of the top counselors and relationship experts in the world.
For more information on working with David one on one from anywhere in the world, please visit http://www.DavidEssel.com
Read another popular article on Sobriety? Why Is Sobriety So Hard?
