Written by: Marnix Pauwels, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There’s no such thing as a drinking problem.
Or a drug problem.
Or any other problem that is somehow connected to things we do in ways that are unhealthy and
compulsive and obsessive.
Even though there are many activities we can get hooked on in a really fucked up and undermining way, they are not the problem.
None of them.
They are just dubious, temporary ways to deal with what we REALLY fear:
Discomfort.
We can’t stand it.
We run away from it.
We drown it in whatever we can get our hands on.
But our addiction of choice is not our choice.
There’s not a single addict in the world who wants to be addicted.
What they want, what we ALL want, is just to feel good.
To feel safe, to feel whole, to experience peace of mind, or at least realize that it’s just around the
corner instead of forever out of reach.
We want to be liberated from the incessant criticism of the mind, from the pain of our imagination.
And the habits we call addictions are just clumsy (and often really effective) ways to get there.
They are distractions.
Diversions.
Temporary walls of separation.
But they are not the problem.
Truly understanding this will lead to healing.
It can show us the real, ultimate solution for our problems.
Because it’s not really about quitting the habit:
it’s about learning to be uncomfortable.
About resilience.
About weathering the storm.
And by doing so, by starting to feel the vivid peace we try to accomplish by our addictions, we can
trust and let go.
There’s no substitute for being high on life.
It’s the thing we are all looking for.
And it doesn’t have to be a problem.
Marnix Pauwels, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marnix Pauwels is a Dutch transformative coach and author of eight books -mostly- about mental health, living in Amsterdam with two cats. He has worked in advertising as a copywriter and Creative Director for 30 years, is a singer/songwriter, and has extensive knowledge of addiction/compulsive behavior, depression, and anxiety, deepened by personal experience. Marnix has always been fascinated by what drives people, and more in particular, what drives them crazy. He’s read over 5.000 books on self-development/improvement, life-hacks, and spirituality viewed thousands of videos on the topics, and kept on exploring the depths of the human mind and how to navigate our psychological storms with grace and respect. As a transformative coach, Marnix has helped thousands of people find a more playful, exciting, creative, and liberated life, living from a clear mind and a deep trust in their personal resilience. Marnix is a curious world traveler who loves to meet new people, write, wonder, and keep fit and happy.
