Are you aware of who you are? Are you aware of your thoughts about yourself, your thoughts about others, your thoughts about how you relate to others? Have you ever noticed if you think more highly of yourself around certain people? Do you pay more attention to the way people dress, or the watches they wear in comparison to yourself? Have you ever paid attention to the way you believe you might measure up to other people? It isn’t uncommon for some of the answers to be “No”. Most people are not in tune with their innermost thoughts and opinions about themselves or others. It also isn’t uncommon for some of the answers to be “Yes” and to create a slight discomfort out of shame or embarrassment for the amount of time and attention spent on comparing the self to others. Men have developed a specific kind of ego throughout their evolution. A man has to measure up to another man to know who will be the better warrior, fighter, producer of offspring, leader, protector, and more. Human beings are prone to having an elevated sense of self compared to others and a deflated sense of self compared to just themselves. Men who become addicted to drugs and alcohol are especially prone to developing an ego that is most often rooted in deep shame and embarrassment about that ego. Humility is a term and a philosophy. Having humility means recognizing your position in life compared to others. A radical spiritual breakthrough for many people is realizing that they are not better than nor worse than other people despite their appearance, material wealth, personal life, work life, and more. Humility is becoming aware of the modesty in one’s own importance. Everyone has a unique purpose and the distinct ability to live a purpose-driven life. That’s everyone. Not just some. Not just you. Not exclusive to others. Becoming aware of and adapting one’s own humility is a matter of being humble and removing the ego which stands in the way of self-awareness. Ego stands in the way of authentically noticing what is right and what is wrong. For example, addiction is full of ego. The addict is lacking in humility and humbleness when they are convinced their efforts at addiction are better than others, that they are capable of controlling their addiction better than other addicts are, etc. Addicts don’t need help. Addicts are better than other people and know that other people think they’re better. Until the addict develops humility and becomes humble. Self-aware, the addict realizes that they cannot control their addiction, being better or worse than others doesn’t matter, and they have to ask for help.
Now is the time to ask for help if you are a man or woman struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Oceanfront Recovery offers residential dual diagnosis treatment for men and women with specialized detox and executive tracks. We believe that when you change your story, you can change your life. We are here to help you change your story from addiction to recovery. The future is yours. Call us today for information: 877.279.1777
