Introduction: What Is This About and Why Is This Important?

It is likely that several elements of the title of this article, caught your eye. You may relate to the topic, you may disagree that there is an existential component to addiction, or you may be wondering what the heck existential freedom, power, and meaning are. In this article, we will define these terms, and explore the origins and ways in which the addicted individual struggles with existential freedom, power(lessness), and meaning(lessness). Viewing addiction in this way, will hopefully lead to greater compassion and understanding for the self or others, in regard to addiction. Additionally, this new understanding may lead to more loving, positive, and innovative ways we all might address addiction in our relationships with addicts and alcoholics.

Basic Definitions

Most of us have probably heard someone referring to having had an “existential crisis”, or perhaps have used this terminology in regard to our own life, without fully understanding what we are referring to. It is socially and culturally acceptable in many Westernized countries to speak openly about our existential process, and refer to major crises in the course of life, using this label.

Let me start first by loosely defining what is existential and existentialism, and thus what existential freedom, power(lessness), and meaning(lessness) are.

Existential or existentialism, are terms to describe any topic, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, or experience that pertains to the most basic nature of human existence, as an individual, couple, or group, within the multiple human contexts we all share. When we consider the existential, we are addressing and connecting with the larger core themes that all humans grapple with, as a means to navigate the fact that we live and die, we develop, we struggle, we feel disappointment, pain, love, and happiness, we have the ability to make meaning, and be creative and productive. Existentialism is more specifically a philosophical branch of theory, that investigates the ways we live out our intrinsically existential experience as humans, and informs the studies of humanities, social and cultural sciences, and psychology. In effect, existentialism has impacted or informed all sciences related to human experience.

Thus, existential freedom, power(lessness), and meaning(lessness), are specific themes of human experience. When putting the word existential in front of basic feelings or experiences, this denotes that it is a challenge for all humans, independent of life circumstance or context. Existential freedom, power(lessness), and meaning(lessness) are overarching themes in human life. Our conscious or unconscious efforts to grapple with, or attend to these themes, create intrinsic developmental experiences and processes, that contribute to our unique personal beliefs, narratives, identities, and life decisions, as well as our success, happiness, empowerment, and fulfillment in regard to how we are choosing to live out our ever- limited days on this planet.

To be clear as day, existential freedom, pertains to how we all individually and as groups, in multiple every day contexts, seek to feel and be free. This often pertains to how we navigate the given limits of self and context, and how we maintain our tension between our autonomy, belonging and connection, and simultaneously experience expansion and hope. If one does not find a way to feel free as an element of their felt experience of existence, they may be preoccupied with finding some sort of outlet or context, that might allow them to embody autonomy and freedom, somehow.

Existential power(lessness) relates to the ways all humans attempt to find ways to feel agency, powerful and empowered, no matter how limiting or oppressive a context might be. Often, if people are unable to find some ways in which they feel adequate, capable, and have some sense of power to effect change or make a difference, or impact certain outcomes in their life, they become depressed and anxious, and will usually act out in (self-)destructive ways.

And, finally, existential meaning(lessness), involves the ways in which we humans are tasked with finding meaning for living our life, as well as in the ultimate ways we end up spending our time, or using our resources. Those who have no sense of meaning, have no values or purpose, and have a challenge finding a step forward, or an orientation toward life. In fact, many theorists might say that as a part of being human, it is impossible to not have some sort of value system that guides us, to some degree. Even when people have an existential crisis, and do not consciously know what is meaningful or important about their life anymore, they are then motivated by the pain to transform, and thus discover a new set of values, that guides them in a more authentic and deeply meaningful way. To exist for an extended period with no conscious orientation or meaning, often leads to depression. Depression is actually an unconscious way to make meaning, and temporarily resolves the deeper pain of an existential crisis. It is almost as though existential meaning and meaninglessness cannot, not exist simultaneously, and it is this tension between meaning and meaninglessness, that serves to propel us forward to live our unique human life.

Multiple Causes and Conditions for Addiction

There is a whole field of research designated to understanding the causes of addiction. Beyond the neurobiological and (epi) genetic approaches to understanding addiction, which center around the genetic predisposition to be addicted, how it is physically passed down a family lineage, and what the neurophysiological components of addiction actually are, there is research about the socio-cultural contexts that create addiction, the behavioral and psychological elements of addiction, as well as the ways in which addiction is connected to, or co-morbid with, psychological disorders and trauma.

Given this large field of research, where many angles are explored to understand addiction, it would be completely ludicrous to assume that all addiction is solely a manifestation of an existential conundrum.

So, while acknowledging these elements of addiction, that make it more than just an existential experience, I am choosing to explore further, below, some existential elements to addiction.

Addiction and The Existential Experience

I believe that to form greater compassion for the addictive struggles we all carry, as well as to understand why it may be difficult for you or someone you know, to overcome or manage addiction, we need to understand addiction from the lens of existential freedom, power(lessness) and meaning(lessness).

It is not a new idea to address the existential components of addiction, in the context of 12 Step Recovery programs, and inpatient or outpatient treatment centers. There are multiple therapeutic and addiction recovery methods that already address the existential elements of addiction, including but not limited to, motivational interviewing, Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, Community Reinforcement Approach, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Sadly, despite the literature, methods, and groups one could seek involving the existential elements of addiction and recovery, in many cultures and societies, the existential components to addiction/recovery are not shared about, nor understood. Additionally, people may have difficulty readily connecting to how current research in regard to addiction, might directly apply to the existential components of addiction.

I would like to ground what I am sharing about, in regard to the connection of existential freedom, powerlessness, and meaninglessness, to what I observed working with an addicted population.

During my pre-doctoral internship work at an addiction recovery center, I began to notice a pattern. Our exclusively women clientele, in this low-cost, county-run facility, came from rather traumatic backgrounds. These women would score rather high on our Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, which is an assessment that measures traumatic situations and contexts, that usually create trauma for individuals. These high scores indicated a childhood filled with multiple sources of trauma. Additionally, in their stories of what their families, neighborhoods, and cultures of origins were like, it became very apparent that they all entered into adulthood, with severe trauma. To make matters worse, they all continued to live within contexts that were oppressive, violent, and stark, where based on a variety of factors, their sense of how to make meaning of their past and future, as well as their ability to feel powerful, and to feel free, were deeply impacted and impaired.

These women, even some as young as 18 years old, had already internalized what some theories refer to as learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is formed when an animal or human lives and develops within a traumatic environment, from where they cannot escape. Because they cannot escape, they eventually give up hope, stop trying to escape the environment, and on some level accept an orientation that they are powerless to change or feel differently. This orientation of powerlessness and hopelessness, in regard to viewing one’s sense of self and agency in relationship to the outside world, as well as how one views the outlook of the course of their life, becomes generalized to most contexts, and could be considered a part of one’s identity or self-concept.

This learned helplessness is referred to in literature about trauma (i.e. complex trauma and PTSD). With learned helplessness, as an extension of the individual feeling powerless to change or feel differently, people end up instead living life more for the present moment, and oriented more towards gratification, coping, protection, and survival. To read more about the qualities of learned helplessness, as they relate to trauma, and how it impacts development, click here.

In the context of violent, poor, oppressive cultural or familial environments, the positive possibilities for the course of life are rather limited. Due to these built in limitations, and the psychological effects of this repeated traumatic experience, within these contexts, people search for meaning, freedom, and power in the ways that appear most readily available to them. They search for meaning, freedom, and power in ways that are presented to them as the least identity -disrupting, and most socially normalized. Often, drugs and alcohol provide the necessary sense of existential meaning, power, and freedom that individuals are seeking.

Drugs and alcohol provide existential meaning by offering a lifestyle and an orientation around something (i.e. seeking, use, preventing disruption in use, etc…). Especially from within a context that feels vacuous, or possibly filled with meaningless and endless suffering, drugs are a reliable and predictable form of meaning and purpose. Usually addictions allow for a person to have a predictable routine, while allowing them to feel the way they desire, while navigating whatever demanding, chaotic, oppressive, dangerous, or painful environments they need to be within. An addiction may help someone feel more social, or may help another feel more capable of doing a difficult or boring job. The addiction may also help the addicted not feel the intensity of their trauma-based emotions and thoughts, and helps them orient around comfort and ritual, and an avoidance of severe pain. Addictions support a sense of purpose to keep moving forward, even if it might mean the individual also has a (secret) wish to die from an overdose, or reckless behaviors due to their addiction. Addiction provides a more socially acceptable outlet for ambivalence around living or active suicidality, as the individual and those around them can dismiss dangerous levels of use as simply a compulsive or behavioral process, based on a habit and/or the physiological predisposition toward addiction, rather than have to address the deeper emotional components of it. In these contexts, it is far easier to be an addict or alcoholic, than to be vulnerable enough to admit you are suffering, and may not want to live any longer.

Existential power is formed in the context of addiction through the individual practicing their agency to curate differing types and degrees of alternate states of consciousness. These alternate states of consciousness give them the power to temporarily enhance or escape their current state. It is no coincidence that alcohol is considered “liquid courage”. As, the ways in which alcohol might alter someone’s affect and physiology, allows them the increased ability to experience more of a singular thought process, quiets many areas of the brain that are responsible for replaying traumatic feelings and thoughts, and allows for more of a present-moment way of experiencing. All of these ways and degrees in which someone can choose to alter their experience with alcohol (and drugs), provide the groundwork to be more impulsive, follow basic drives or feelings without considering full consequences, and allows for the individual to create a sense of ease, or false trust in the experiences therein. When people have a combined shift in state, in this way, they may feel happier, or they may end up at least feeling anesthetized. The power to change one’s state whether through alcohol or through other drugs, and to then go about perhaps saying and doing things you wouldn’t normally feel courageous, capable, or desiring enough to do, is a sense of agency and power that these substances create, and provide an outlet for living a form of existential power.

Finally, existential freedom is provided through the abuse of, and dependence upon drugs and alcohol by allowing for a an escape hatch from the stark and often painfully experiences of regular, day to day life. It is important to remember when people are in oppressive contexts, where they have learned helplessness, and the opportunities to leave these contexts, appear very limited, the experience of forgetting your context and feeling good or hopeful, or at least not bad, is welcome relief. For many people, who use drugs and alcohol to excess, regularly, in party contexts, this becomes their way of inserting hope, joy, fun, and a sense of magic or wonder into their lives. Many who are dependent on a substance have a desire to have a spiritual or expansive experience, and to enter into the excitement of not knowing what new adventure lies on the horizon with the next episode of use. This experience is so desirable and necessary to make life feel tolerable and complete, that despite severe relational, health, work, and financial consequences, people will continue an addiction, to be able to taste this existential freedom.

How To Proceed Given How Addiction Persists

As you likely already noticed, there are multiple experiences within addiction that serve to immediately fulfill all three needs for existential freedom, power, and meaning. This is partially what makes addiction such a pervasive and reliable method for fulfilling these basic existential needs. Addiction is largely effective in fulfilling the deepest existential needs we have as a part of our humanity, and will be chosen as a reliable way to fulfill these needs and drives, despite many negative consequences in an individuals life. It is precisely because addiction helps individuals on the deepest level of their humanity, that most addicted and alcoholic people need to have severe consequences before they will seek a different way to be existentially satisfied.

Combine this existential component, with the other elements of addiction, and it becomes very difficult to stop engaging in addiction, and pursue actual recovery. It is extremely difficult for any addicted individual remaining in the same psychological and socio-cultural context from which they became addicted, to stop being addicted, and seek healthier ways to fulfill these existential needs for power, meaning, and freedom, because it is easiest to remain the same.

Additionally, it is important to note, that within this context of existentialism, anyone in the addicted person’s life who gives limits, ultimatums, judgments, or criticisms for their addiction, will not be viewed positively. Anyone trying to supposedly get in the way of the addicted person fulfilling these existential needs for power, meaning, and freedom, will just be blamed and distanced from. If an addicted person cannot be shown a supportive environment, with an alternative method for getting these existential needs met, will just anger and frustrate the addicted person, as well as be blamed as the cause of their pain, existential meaninglessness, powerlessness, and lack of freedom, and thus be viewed as a another reason they need to use.

So, the next time you are wondering why an addicted person’s life is falling apart, due to the severe consequences of their addiction, and yet, they still remain addicted and actively avoiding recovery, consider the existential needs they fulfill by remaining addicted. Addicts and alcoholics are doing the best they can to fulfill these existential needs, and it is about time we honor their humanity, by being understanding and empathetic, and willing to help them find new ways to live existentially fulfilling lives. When we all can acknowledge each of us is doing our best, providing the internal and external contexts we are within, to fulfill the need for existential freedom, meaning, and power, we might approach problems like addiction with greater innovation, while having more compassion for us all.