The Gift of Despair

When our over reliance on self has failed us and the low point of our addiction exposes the gap between who we are and who we wanted to be, the shield of denial we have created around our addiction begins to crumble.  At this point we are forced to look outside of ourselves for a solution to our problems, and the recognition of our Higher Power becomes impossible to avoid if we are to be freed from the bondage of self and the enslavement of our addiction.
As humans we are born with a desire to be comforted and loved, but this desire makes us vulnerable to diasappointment.  If in our youth we did not have a nurturing environment or God did not respond to our prayers or wishes in the manner in which we desired, we may have developed a tendency to look inward for the solace that our environment did not provide.  As we grew older we may have found that the solutions to life's problems could no longer be found in the isolation we had chosen, and instead we may have begun to find relief with mind altering substances. 
When this path was chosen, the repeated euphoric successes we experienced ultimately led us to an attachment as we developed an obsession for the effects of our drug of choice.  The relief they provided may have continued on for some time, but ultimately our addiction turned against us and robbed us of our freedom of choice, our judgement, and our well being.  When we finally "hit bottom" the only feeling we had left was an overwhelming amount of despair because of the life we had created by relying on self-will and a denial of a Higher Power or God.
Paradoxically, this "Gift of Despair" that comes with "hitting bottom" allows us to let go of the bondage of self and seek solutions defined outside of ourselves.  These solutions come in the form of the 12 Steps as outlined in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, seeking our Higher Power, or restablishing our relationship with God.  Only through these external solutions can we detach ourselves from our addiction and begin to regain our freedom.  In Gerald May's Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions he states that "detachment is the word used in spiritual traditions to describe freedom of desire."  It is through spiritual growth that we are able to overcome our reliance on self, accept God's grace, and detach ourselves from our obsessions.  As an example of God's foregiveness and grace, the Great Hindu Song of God states "Only by love can people see me, and know me, and come unto me.  Those who work for me, who love me, whose End Supreme I am, free from attachment to all things, and with love for all creation, they in truth come to me."
If you or a loved one has reached the low point of their addiction, or "hit bottom" as some people say, then perhaps it is time for you or them to seek profession help.  If you're in the Sacramento region of Northern California, then Pathways Recovery provides several options for people seeking addiction or substance abuse treatment or counseling. For many people they will need to check themselves into our Sacramento Detox program, but for others they may choose to seek help through our Outpatient Substance Abuse Counseling office located out our office in Roseville, CA.

Related Links:
http://www.choosehelp.com/christian-recovery/steps-1-2-coming-to-grace-through-recovery
http://www.12wisdomsteps.com/
http://www.counsellingchangeslives.com/rockbottom.html