A Spiritual Journey Through Hitting Bottom
What is rock bottom?
When we speak about addiction, “rock bottom” is a term that is used again and again. Recovering addicts will tell you that they had to hit “rock bottom” in order to turn their lives around. People who have suffered from mental illness might well say the same.
But how do you know you've hit rock bottom? Does it really matter?
Defining Rock Bottom
One doesn’t necessarily recognize when they've hit rock bottom. They might go on moving sideways for a while. But there is a realization that suddenly enlightens them. This is the recognition that:
“If I carry on like this, I’m not going to make it.”
The readings you'll hear at any Twelve Step meeting include the statement that its members were on a path towards “jails, institutions, or death.” They knew they had hit rock bottom when they understood this fact on a visceral level.
Some people can only acknowledge this once they are in an institution. At this stage, it can still be a significant turning point. Ideally, someone entering an institution knows that they have to make changes. But as long as they make this realization while the opportunity is still available, they can make use of their remaining time there.
Even those who have ended up in jail still have the chance to recognize rock bottom. At that point, they can find out how to make the most of the time and resources available. They now understand that unless they get help, even if they get out of jail in the near or distant future, they'll be right back at square one.
Why Rock Bottom Is Often Necessary
In an ideal world, no one would have to hit rock bottom. It is a terrible place to be. By its very definition, it feels unbearable. Recognizing that you're at rock bottom is traumatic, and it will take time to recover from the scars.
But hitting rock bottom is often necessary, for the simple reason that one is forced to make a choice. That choice is to do whatever it takes to turn things around, even though it seems impossible.
The Spiritual Journey
For most people who suffer from addiction, recovery does not look like a realistic option. They look at their lives and compare them to where they want to be. There seems to be such a huge gulf that it feels futile to even try and get there. They end up continuing along their self-destructive path because they think there’s no other realistic option.
At rock bottom, keeping on carrying on is no longer an option. Recovery might seem like an impossible mountain to climb, but they have no choice but to try.
The cliché is that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. After a while, the spiritual significance of this simple saying becomes clear. Every step along the journey is as important as the one before it and the one after it. Because the end is out of sight, one has to stop searching for it.
Once you stop obsessing about the end, the present becomes meaningful. Substances generally represent a method not of getting to the top, but of pretending that you're already there. When one can no longer pretend, you're forced to realize that not being there is not the problem. You learn that life on the way up is meaningful, no matter where on the journey you are.
Hitting rock bottom is not just about realizing the only way is up. It forces a person to recognize the meaning of life right now, and that the journey can be as meaningful as the destination.
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