a*T*T*I*T*U*D*E*S T*H*A*T A*L*L*O*W A*D*D*I*C*T*I*O*N*S

The most likely & preventable way to die in america is a drug overdose!

Addiction can be defined as a continuous or repeated involvement with a thought, substance or activity regardless of the harm it may cause to self or society. The motive to maintain "the relationship" is generally centered around pleasure, profit or power. There are spirits operating behind every addiction that overwhelms the addict. There is a difference between an irresistible urge and an urge not resisted. Obsessive behavior is something most of us have some experience with. Eating too much sweet candy can cause a sour stomach. Many of us are able to recall some occasion in life where the temporary gratification of overindulgence destroyed some future aspect of normality. The experience does not make us addicts, it should teach us a lesson. It is our everyday consistent practices that prepare us for and see us through our daily performances in life. Although we will be touching on physical drug addiction, the main focus of this writing will be the interrelated mental maladies and spiritual wickedness. Today's Interventions must be vast and inclusive to cover the many aspects of addiction. Our permissive culture along with many of its practices are the primary contributors to many addictions. Our lifestyles represent the things we believe, and they are clearly depicted within our practices. The practice of discipline is imposed from an external source then later embraced internally.

"For too long, preventable deaths and injuries have been called 'accidents,' implying unavoidable acts of God or fate that we are powerless to stop. This is simply not true." Examining a variety of federal and state data, the NSC found the lifetime odds of dying from an accidental opioid overdose were 1 in 96. For motor vehicle accidents the odds were 1 in 103 and 1 in 114 for falls. The lifetime odds of suicide were greater, at 1 in 88.

THE NEW TREND OF ADDICTIONS GO FAR BEYOND ILLEGAL DRUGS!

LET'S FACE IT, WE LIVE IN AN ADDICTIVE CULTURE! Addictions to foods, drugs, video games, pornography, sex, alcohol, tobacco, internet, texting, posting, gambling and many other habits are overwhelming our society. Although some of these addictions are chemically or physiologically symptomatic, they all have a psychological and spiritual component. Addictions always carry a component for repetitive compulsive and exploitative expression. They express the energy of their existence invisibly though spirit and visibly in behaviors. Addictions establish and reinforce their dominance through repeatedly exercising their will competitively in the priorities of those it infects. Addictions seek not only to survive but to thrive as the primary concern in the life of the addict, even at the cost of life itself. The behavior is similar to a virus.

OUR GREATEST ADDICTION IS A MORAL CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE!

An addictive thinking habit affects our physiological and psychological behaviors. Whether we are aware of or alarmed about it is questionable.  It seems that we are growing dumb or becoming numb to these multiple subtle influences. It appears that ads, posters, media, text, mail, phones, channels, games, blogs, sites, feeds and other technologies are overwhelming us. We must not be so naive about the effects content makers are having on society. The creation will always bear some attribute of its creator.  Whether it be content, characteristics or code some attribute will be inherited by design or default. Yes, even computer code has gender!

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OUR ADDICTION TO DISHONESTY LIES AT THE CORE OF MANY OF OUR MALADIES!

"Greed is not good."  Regardless of what Micheal Douglas proclaimed in the movie "Wall Street,"  greed will remain one of the seven DEADLY sins. Some people in sports have said, "if you aint cheatin you aint tryin."  The desire for that edge or advantage has developed into a "corner cutting culture."  Using terms like "bending the rules" to  justify our actions, processes and procedures is commonplace. The corruption of our core values is infectious and all of creation is suffering from it. Cheating to beat has become ok as long as no one gets hurt or caught. Our society is now accepting that "getting over" is alright as long as we "get by." Advertising deception has now become a mainstream method to make profit. Scams, just like cigarettes and opiates, are a normal part of our culture. What is a scam and where did this word come from?  Scammers, formerly known as con artists are the latest breed of deceptive cheats. The labels for dishonesty generally describe the method of deceit. Most scams are "so called" business deals with fraudulent intentions. Duplicity infers double sided dealings in speech or conduct and chicanery involves a scheme to create a false belief.

Integrity, honesty and morality walk hand in hand. We cannot posses one of those characteristics without having some portion of the others. Society sets the standards for integrity and honesty but each of us must maintain our individual moral standard internally.  Morality, regardless of the values it defines gives us a standard, a point or a line to measure behavior by. Without it we would be able to justify any action through logic. Cheating on an insurance claim, playing cards or during board games seems harmless. "We're not hurting anybody," is the lie we choose to tell ourselves when we cheat just to win. Although we may not recognize all of the effects, a morally bankrupt society spawns all types of manifestations at multiple levels. This births aberrant behavior within various aspects of society in much the same way that extreme weather and earthquakes coincide with the way we are treating our planet. The bar has been set so low now that athletics and entertainment garner more attention then disease or hunger. Cheating in any form is unacceptable and dishonesty at any level is wrong. If we find a suitcase full of money, even if no one else knows, it does not belong to us; we can spend it but it is not ours.  The price of integrity has a cost but can't be bought! To buy the truth we must be willing to sell our soul. While in fact we purchase a lie resembling truth.

Negligence is one of the manipulative forces behind societies self deception. Corruption exercised from the core of our culture can influence even the most conscientious among us to make compromises. Imagine segregating crime by color! We call financial crimes "white collar crimes." Just like "white lies," we lessen the gravity of such actions to acceptable levels. The person, persons or organization that steals a wallet is the same as the one that empties a retirement account. Corruption is like a disease. Like cancer it spreads and infiltrates parts that are seemingly unrelated to the original infection. It's not just in politics! Look around! It's in our every day dealings and business practices. The drug and medical care industries prioritize profits in front of helping and healing. We endorse shortcuts and tricks within our teaching  and training methods; perhaps to offer an easy way out. The addicts of our society are the first victims of such negligence. While the second victim is society itself. Enabling aberrant behavior fosters abusive relationships. Recovery or resolution takes place when both parties are honest with themselves, one another and the process. Practice does not make perfect, but it does make improvement if practiced properly. Integrity like money radiates and trickles down only if directly practiced and equitably applied. When we practice calling "a spade a spade" regardless of who's holding the hand we raise the bar, standard, values for all. This begins at the individual level and expands in all directions. We are not powerless!  We all posses the power of practice when we choose to exercise it.