What does agency mean?

I once listened to an incredible podcast interview with Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress. He spoke at length about the word, “agency”. What he meant was a kind of freedom. In fact, his life’s work has been to provide people with a platform of self-expression that they can control and own for themselves. This use of the word can be readily applied to the process of recovering from addiction and finding freedom and authenticity in life. This is what I mean by addiction agency.

From Addiction To Freedom.

In active addiction, you do not have any freedom. At the very least, the drugs are keeping you in a prison of isolation and dishonesty. Breaking free of the grip of active addiction may be one of the hardest things you ever do. However, once you are clean, you face the possibility of a life of freedom and happiness.

What is happiness?

Addiction and drug use can lead to a distorted sense of what happiness is. You may believe at first that instant gratification is what makes you happy. If only you had all a lot of money and people would do what you want them to, you could be happy be getting what you want. Unfortunately, you will find that getting everything you want does not make you happy. Just look at the rich and famous people who fall into active addiction and depression. So, to be truly happy, You will have to look elsewhere.

Ownership and service: Working towards Addiction Agency.

When I talk about ownership, I don’t mean it in the traditional sense. Hence, I am not talking about owning land, stocks or precious metals. What I do mean is ownership of various aspects of your life. We all have gatekeepers who tell us what we can or cannot do. My view of ownership is the elimination of as many gatekeepers as possible. I see this process as one side of the happiness coin. The other side is service. Helping others to solve their problems and find their own success in life is the best way to achieve a deep sense of happiness and fulfillment. Therefore, I recommend working towards owning your life so that you can help others. Addiction Agency means getting clean through addiction therapy and then working towards finding freedom in your life so you can help others to find freedom in their lives.