Withdraw Gets Me Closer

I was sitting with someone the other day and we were discussing withdraw in terms of substances and/ or alcohol. Irritability, insomnia, cravings, impact to appetite, cognitive changes, and depression/ anxiety states are some of the most common. And while withdraw can have a 'loaded' connotation for individuals (often attempt to avoid like the plague), its actually much more common and more prevalent that we think.

We withdraw from several things throughout our human experience and while some of the symptoms are the same, there is a great deal of overlap in the occurance of withdraw. Almost anything that we use to change or treat a condition that our body acclimates to causes withdraw in its absence. Think caffeine for example -- ever met someone who has not had their morning fix of coffee? The low energy, the irritability, sometimes headaches, and other symptoms come up. And suddenly, they have their caffeine and total flip. Or sugar -- same experience. And can be expanded into work, sex, love, prescribed medications, etc. Withdrwaw is a human experience and not just for 'those people who struggle with substances'.

So, the withdraw is our body wanting something to come in and change the chemistry. We 'need' to feel good (get the dopamine back up). The settling

of the system without the thing is the withdraw. So the cycle of addiction is use, withdraw, craving, use, withdraw, craving, etc. Well, in a simplified form. So it can seem like withdraw leads us back to the escape.

What if we are able to navigate the withdraw? Jsut for a moment? What is it calling us to return to? A 'restored' state? A state that we have always been or a state of working with what is?

So, welcome the withdraw and know that you are human. We all move through it, even if we dont't identify with it.