July 17th, 2007, John Poulos died in a hospital room surrounded by strangers. He blew a .38 when he arrived at the hospital. His blood alcohol level was 4 times the legal limit. John was a handsome, charismatic, and charming 38 year old alcoholic. John was my nephew. I was the last call on his cell phone before he called the hospital for an ambulance.
John’s death inspired a book entitled, “The Soul of an Addict,” which contains “The 7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety.” As a recovered alcoholic and drug addict, and recovering co-dependent, I have spent over 15 years working with addicts. Although I tried many times to help John overcome his addiction, I could not reach him. No traditional recovery models, step programs, or treatment centers, had the tools to help John overcome addiction.
Only through John’s death did I find the spiritual awareness to channel an intuitive, alternative recovery model to help addicts, and those involved in the life of an addict. John’s Soul has found a way to do something his Ego was not capable of doing when he was experiencing his physical journey; it has found a way to let the power of its healing light touch the lives of those who are still struggling in the darkness of addiction.
Although traditional recovery programs can be a spiritual journey for many people, some of the most enlightened addicts need something deeper; something that will awaken the voice of the soul; the “Third Voice.” The “Third Voice” is the interpreter for a “Divine Power” that is constantly trying to reach us through our intuition. Making a deep and meaningful connection with this voice is the key to accessing the Divine Wisdom that will lead us out of the darkness of addiction and into the light of our spiritual awakening.
Addiction comes in many forms; from watching too much TV to smoking Meth. Behavioral addictions can be as devastating as chemical addictions. Food addictions from overeating to anorexia, shopping, gambling and co-dependant personal relationships can destroy our spiritual progress as fast as drugs and alcohol. Our culture is buried in technology and a new and powerful attachment to computers is driving internet sex addiction to epidemic proportions. All addiction leads to the same revelation; There is a hole in our Soul that is starving to be filled with spiritual attunement and we are filling that hole with everything we can to anesthetize the pain from our past, the fear of our present, and the uncertainty of our future.
In the drowning noise and chaos, the still and powerful “Third Voice” is calling for us to awaken to our personal truth. The “Soul of an Addict” and “The 7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety” is a program focusing on empowering individuals with the tools to overcome addiction by doing specific steps to awaken an intuitive connection with the “Third Voice.”
The voice of the addict constantly tells us why we will fail. It breeds weakness and renders us powerless by reminding us of our past pain. It must keep us in pain in order to survive, for without the pain it has no allies to force us to act on our addiction. This voice is relentless and silence is its enemy.
The “Third Voice” is the wise, knowing, empowering “Voice of the Soul.”
It will save your life if you will listen. This voice knows the dangers of our addiction and the dangers of loving an addict. It is the voice that tells us when to stop, when to quit, when to run, when to stay, when to have courage, and when to surrender.
The third voice can be called many things; intuition, gut feeling, the still small voice, the inner self, the higher self or a myriad of other definitions that represent some kind of inner wisdom and internal dialogue that is beyond our limited human consciousness.
Although the “Soul of an Addict” & “The 7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety” were intuitively channeled, the core of the message of this spiritual recovery program, is that EVERYONE has the ability to intuitively channel Divine Wisdom from a Divine Source. The entire project, including the SOA (Soul of an Addict) Sunday support meetings is devoted to teaching anyone dealing with chemical or behavior addictions, and those involved in unhealthy codependent relationships, how to channel their own “Third Voice.”
Ultimately, every human being has the ability to gain intuitive awareness and wisdom without the need of a medium. Although I would personally be considered a medium, it is my desire to empower each Soul, especially the Soul of an Addict, with the ability to access intuitive wisdom without any interpreter except their own “Third Voice.”
“Soul of an Addict’ & “The 7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety” is about empowerment because the “Third Voice” is the interpreter for a Divine Power and Divine Power is anything but powerless. While an addict or a codependent is engaged in their negative behaviors their life is powerless because they have no connection with their Divine potential. The moment the choice is made to align with the “Third Voice” and the commitment to change occurs, and the behaviors stop, the concept of powerlessness becomes obsolete. How can we be powerless if God, however we choose to define God, is the life force that is guiding our lives?
The moment we dedicate our lives to aligning with the “Third Voice,” the voice of the addict will lose its power. Choosing to disengage from the distractions of technology and devoting time to listening to the “Voice of the Soul” is the first step in aligning with its guidance. Learning to channel the wisdom of the “Third Voice” will silence the voice of the addict and we will finally discover the true path to our personal destiny, free of addiction, empowered by Spirit. The “Third Voice” will become our constant companion on the journey to enlightenment.
Author of “Soul of an Addict” and “The 7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety”
Director of SOA “Soul of an Addict” Support Group; Plymouth Creek Community Center, 12:00 noon every Sunday, Free event; donations appreciated
Key To Life Center, Sunday Services at 10:30am at Plymouth Creek Community Center, Free event; Donations appreciated
Key To Life Center dedicates the last Sunday of each month to the “Soul of an Addict” and “7 Spiritual Steps to Sobriety” project. Topics discussed focus on issues dealing with addiction, codependency, and spiritual recovery.
Key To Life Center is a non denominational, Spiritual organization. Sunday services include Guided Imagery Meditations, Diverse Spiritual topics, and Inspiring Musical performances by incredible award winning musicians including Key to Life Center’s Musical Director: Debbie Duncan, Michael Monroe, Patty Peterson, Mary Louise Knutson, Donnie LaMarca, Peter Schimke, and other amazing performers.
