Addiction is a medical condition that impacts potentially billions of people globally. When drugs and alcohol are the addictive substance in question, they have long-term and significant health impacts; the WHO estimates that half a million deaths are attributed to substances, and over 42 million years of lifespan are lost every year to their impacts. The impacts are huge, and are felt by nobody more than those with addiction themselves. Addiction is not limited to psychoactive substances, either, with everything from shopping, to video gaming, to eating often becoming problematic for individuals with the condition. Much of addiction is a matter of psychology, and the spirituality, lessons and disciplines of Sikhism can provide guidance.
Understanding addiction
Whereas addiction has previously been seen as a weakness or dependance on the qualities of a particular substance, new reviews of the condition and how it operates has revealed it to largely be psychological. People with addiction will typically find one tool or substance that they become attached to, but it could just as easily be anything else - or a combination. Many have come back from childhood traumas and mental conditions, and, according to a report by the New York Times, are seeking ‘delay discounting’. This is where people dealing with addiction will take the opportunity to take whatever positives they can in the short-term, with a long-term future unclear.
This is why people with addiction often have compulsions. In shopping addiction, that compulsion is seen in exchanging money for goods, whether it be shopping, food, or impulse buying. Tackling those desires requires discipline, a reordering of thoughts, and crucially, some form of therapy. Sikhism has some answers to the fundamentals at the heart of this.
Kirat Karni
One of the three pillars of Sikhism, Kirat Karni is profiled by the SikhWiki in the following words: “To work and earn by the sweat of the brow in an honest way, to live a family way of life, and practice truthfulness and honesty in all dealings.” While this is a wider application to work, it speaks to a deep-seated requirement for discipline. Indeed, according to AllAboutSikhs, the Guru Arjan Dev J said “Making an effort for the Name, thou shalt live and practicing it, thou shalt enjoy peace”. Simply, the discipline that Sikhs pursue through Kirat Karni can be a really important baseline behind any self-improvement through addiction, and that discipline also serves as a tool to preserve and prolong recovery for life.
The matter of substances
Of course, within Sikhism itself there are very clear directions against the use of substances in particular. One National Library of Medicine review of Sikhism with regards to addiction notes SGGS page 15, Guru Nanak Dev, SGGS page 554, Guru Amar Das and SGGS page 1377, Bhagat Kabeer, all of which warn against the use of substances. Indeed, Guru Nanak also warned against overconsumption of food and its impact on the earth. There is, therefore, a clear line against addictive substances within Sikhism - but that does also give rise to taboo.
Breaking the shame
The clear literature against addictive substances within Sikhism means that there has been a leaning towards shame concerning these substances in the community. This is not the case everywhere; the BBC highlights one Gurdwara in Derby, UK, that seeks to draw out issues over addiction and help provide a Sikh-based approach to recovery. That’s not to suggest alcohol isn’t present in Sikh communities; one article, by the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, featured testimonies from Punjabi Sikhs who noted the prevalence of such substances in the years they grew up. Breaking down that shame is absolutely crucial if the Sikh community is to help its members combat issues of addiction. Indeed, as the Sikh Missionary Society notes, there is a universal brotherhood of mankind, as set out by Guru Nanak Dev. That includes everyone, regardless of the challenges they face.
The principles espoused by Kirat Karni are fantastic fundamentals to base addiction recovery on - regardless of the item that is being used - substance, hobby, or otherwise. However, there is an element of taboo within the Sikh community that cna challenge proper recovery. Breaking past this, and focusing on the needs of Sikhs friends in need, can be powerful.