Do The Work Wednesdays
Resistance and Addiction
By Steven Pressfield | Published: May 11, 2011
Have you ever noticed that addicts are often extremely interesting people?
Addiction itself is excruciatingly boring, in that it’s so predictable. The lies, the evasions, the transparent self-justification and self-exoneration. But the addict himself is often a colorful and compelling person. His story reads like a novel, packed with drama, intrigue, conflict and heartbreak. If the addict’s drug of choice is alcohol, the narrative is frequently one of job loss, domestic abuse, divorce, abandonment of children, bankruptcy. If Class One narcotics are the culprit, the tale often includes crime, the law, violence, even death.
Of course we fallible mortals can be addicted to a lot of things. To love, to sex, to worship of our children or parents, to dominance, to submission. We can even be addicted to ourselves (check the manual under “self-iconization,” e.g. Charlie Sheen, Donald Trump.) Such individuals can be absolutely fascinating at the same time that they’re boring as hell.
What’s the connection between addiction and Resistance?
The pre-addictive individual experiences a calling. To art, to service, to honorable sacrifice. In other words, positive aspiration. A dream. A vision of the higher self he or she might be. The intimation of this calling is followed immediately, as we know, by the apparition of Resistance. The dragon rears its head. Fear. Self-doubt. Self-sabotage.
What makes this moment so precarious is that most of us are unconscious, in the event, both of our aspiration and of our Resistance. We’re asleep. We know only that we feel bad. Something’s wrong. We’re restless, we’re bored, we’re angry; we’re seeking something grand but don’t know where to look and even if we did, we’re so terrified and so paralyzed that we can’t take a step.
Up next: a drink, a woman, a habit. Addiction replaces aspiration. The quick fix wins out over the long, slow haul.
Addiction becomes the evil twin of our calling to service or to art. That’s why addicts are so interesting and so boring at the same time. They’re interesting because they’re called to something–something new, something unique, something that we, watching, can’t wait to see them bring forth into manifestation. At the same time, they’re boring because they never do the work.
I have a dear friend who’s addicted to love. (I can relate to this myself.) I’ve known her my whole life and it’s absolutely excruciating to listen to her stories. She goes from one intensely romantic, all-consuming affair to the next. She is in agony throughout the affair, and it always ends in agony. It will not surprise you, I’m sure, when I report that this woman is one of the most gifted, intelligent and talented people I’ve ever met. She’s a piano genius. Her photography win prizes. And she’s a near-world-class athlete; she has swum in the Maui Channel open-ocean race half a dozen times.
Over the years my friend has developed a philosophy (you could almost call it a religion) about pursing the Sublime through Love that is so complex and so convincing that she can not only talk herself into it, but you or me too if we sit still long enough to listen to it. She is absolutely mesmerizing. At the same time the experience is bone-numbingly tedious, to watch her transit from one great love to the next, with each story playing out according to the exact same script and each ending in the same dead end.
My friend knows this is Resistance. We’ve talked about it a hundred times. She’s running away from her gifts and she knows it. But the addiction is too strong. She has become identified with it. It has become who she is.
Why is this so boring? What exactly does “boring” mean?
Something that’s boring goes nowhere. It travels in a circle. It never arrives at its destination. The circular nature of addiction is what makes it so excruciating. No traction is ever gained, no progress is ever made. We’re stuck on the same endlessly-repeating track. That’s what makes it like hell.
The critical point is the link between Resistance and addiction. When, for whatever reason, you and I cannot overcome the forces of self-sabotage that block us from following our calling, the next easy step is to seek relief from the pain, the shame and the self-reproach we feel by submerging ourselves in a form of substance-induced oblivion or self-abandonment that travels under the name of addiction.
[To be continued}
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Steven,
I just recently completed “The Work of Art” and “Do the Work.” They are both incredibly inspiring books. They both speak to the heart in a manner that is hard to explain.
Thanks, especially, for sharing your own struggles. Verbalizing your struggles helps me latch onto your ideas much better than just realizing your successes.
Thank you, thank you!
Oh, yes, addiction certainly works for Resistance. I do drink out of shame and to quell the pain, but mostly, I think, because if Resistance can persuade me to drink on any given night, the battle tomorrow is only half as hard (for him, that is). I’ll feel weak and sick and be no match for Resistance. And thus go my days.
Another insightful piece that struck close to home for me.
I’ve read through War of Art a few times and the chapter on addiction always struck a chord I was reluctant to listen to. Having dabbled in my fair share of illicit substances when I was younger, I could justify smoking cigarettes as an improvement.
But as I wrote the first draft of my novel (thanks in a large part to your words) my consumption doubled. Now that I’m rewriting (or rather not-rewriting these past few weeks) I’m coming to see smoking as a form of resistance. Not only does it sap my time and energy (not to mention my money and my health), what makes it particularly insidious is the fleeting but very real sense of satisfaction it brings. I’m understanding that this fix is a poor surrogate for the long term satisfaction of seeing my work through to the end.
I’m indebted to you for inspiring me to dive in and write my book, but now you’ve got me closer to putting down cigarettes as well. Thank you.
You’ve opened a wiggly can of worms here IMO. As an active addict, and someone doing the work I am constantly challenged. I began drinking because of resistance many years ago. Now I am as an admitted late bloomer doing the work, finding myself, my gifts, how to best use them and do my good work in the world, but my brain thinks we are still fighting resistance. It’s a paradox and also a brain chemistry issue. I know I need to put down the beer to do my best work, but it is more than resistance that stops me.
However I can say that your books get me closer. Understanding the dynamics is a big piece of making the changes.
Resistance and addiction, I never thought they were close allies but I was wrong. Addiction allows the fear to take over and to dominate the person
Addiction is another fight.
Steve, I was an active alcoholic for 35 years. I’ve been in recovery (AA) for 20 years. During my active years I was totally held back by Resistance. In recovery, I can Do The Work. Can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. Thanks for the post.
Thanks, Steven. I see this in myself. How do I fix it?
Looking forward to reading more.
Simply outstanding…as always. Keep up the good work. You’re doing great things here Steve.
Another thought-provoking blog. Thanks.
I was a little hesitant to broach this subject on the blog — and curious to see what sort of reaction it would provoke. Thanks, you guys. It cuts close to the bone for me too. We’ll keep after it in the next few weeks. Thanks!
Steven, I am surprised you were hesitant to put this up on a blog. Btw love your “do the work” book, got it on audio and listen to during my train rides. Thanks.
As Seth says, he does exactly what his resistance doesn’t want him to do and I am sure you did that as well and you decided to write this blog post.
Thanks again for being you and sharing your wealth knowledge with everyone.
Hello Mr. Pressfield,
I stumbled into an recording with Robert where you mention “The craft wil kick your ass”.
Are you willing to enlighten me about that frase?
And please give some feedback on: When do you know
thats my craft(like a calling)?
Kind regards
Jos Tobben Netherlands
Addiction is a bitch. She is a teacher if we pay attention. But how do we pay attention if we are addicted. That’s the bitch. Hopefully we have a moment of insight and realize that the chosen addicted path is really an unchosen diversion. If we stop long enough and just listen and trust, I think we can turn it into something really powerful. If the lessons are not learned the misery continues. Talk about an incentive to understand something! If we listen to the first callings we had as children and young adults then perhaps we can answer in a way that serves us. Re-channeling the energy towards a productive positive outcome is very doable. Not easy, but doable.