The following post is taken from my daughter’s  interview with Tommy Rosen (see his bio below) during the 2017 International Yoga festival in Rishikesh, India.

Q: Do you believe that Addiction is a family disease? And if so, do you think that an addict can recover if their family doesn’t work on their own personal development?

A: Let’s first define addiction. I’m looking at addiction as any behaviour that you continue to do despite the fact that it brings negative consequences into your life. So right there, we’re taking a very broad perspective on addiction; so it’s of course, drugs and alcohol, but also food addiction, relationships, sex, gambling, other money-based addictions, technology addictions, the addiction to power, to drama – all of these things. Anything we do that brings negative consequences into our life – and we repeat those behaviours – that’s addiction. We are hurting ourselves, at the level of the family.

See, addiction – it’s an energy – it’s not a person, it’s an energy that exists, a frequency if you will. And when that’s alive in a human being, it’s alive in a family, and the human beings around that human being. So how do we react and interact with a person who struggles with addiction? It’s a family DIS–EASE – meaning there’s a lack of ease in the family. And the way this one person in the family (or many people in the family) has decided to deal with the lack of ease – is through these addictive behaviours.

Other people in the family might not have turned out that way. They might be doing other things to deal with the discomfort and dis-ease. For example, they may be violent, they may be passive-aggressive, they may be unkind or mean-spirited, or they may be isolating, lonely, and sad. They may be repeating terrible relationships. But again, that will end up in the bucket of addiction. So you see – nobody gets out alive! That’s the way it is. We all have to deal with our issues individually, but also at the level of our relationships – and that’s family.

See the next post in this series: Genetics versus Epigentics – a View from Tommy Rosen

Tommy Rosen Bio:

Tommy Rosen is a yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert who has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. He holds certifications in both Kundalini and Hatha Yoga and has 24 years of continuous recovery from drug addiction.

Tommy is one of the pioneers in the field of Yoga and Recovery assisting others to holistically transcend addictions of all kinds. Tommy is the founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction Online Conference series and the #MoveBeyond Group Coaching Program. He leads Recovery 2.0 retreats and workshops internationally and presents regularly at yoga conferences and festivals.

Tommy’s first book, Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life, was published by Hay House in October 2014.