Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

December 7, 2015

Sleeper Waves

If you are hanging out at the beach and assume you have a sense of the rhythm and strength of the waves, it can be tempting to turn your back to the water and enjoy the view.  This is when you are most vulnerable to sleeper waves, the larger, more powerful waves that get mixed in with a normal set of waves.  When your back is turned and a sleeper wave hits, at the very least you get wet; at the worst, people die.  Sobriety from addiction has this same dynamic.  Just when you believe you understand the strength and rhythm of your addictive urges and you stop paying attention, there often comes a sleeper wave of addictive energy.  At best, you find yourself struggling with your addictive urges and triggers; at worst you relapse and impose the consequences of your relapse on others as well as yourself.

What does it look like when I stop paying attention to my addiction?  When have I been hit by a sleeper wave of addictive energy?  What gifts await me if I keep a look out for sleeper waves?