For the person seeking recovery from addiction or alcoholism, the term “ spiritual awakening ” can be unpalatable and enthralling at the same time. Consequently, the spiritual life grabbed me by the throat the same way addiction did—with a lighter touch, of course. The spiritual life is a 180-degree turn from a life driven by the disease of addiction. “Driven,” in this case, doesn’t mean merely “nudged” or “pushed.” “Driven” means to sit in the passenger seat and let go of the illusion of choice. And so begins our progressive descent into the Darkness. A spiritual disease So it’s by circumstance, rather than virtue, that I was driven to recovery. Then and only then did I discover the fatal nature of what I was truly up against. The juggernaut of a “spiritual disease” controlled my every thought, word and deed. Before I could accept that a spiritual awakening was, in fact, my solution, I had to first accept the stark fact that I was suffering from a spiritual dise...