Addiction: Craving Balance in a Bipolar World
I have come to the conclusion that we are all addicts, and I am not alone in this belief. Father Richard Rohr, in Breathing Under Water, shares the same perspective.
We tend to define addiction narrowly—substances like alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription medications. But addiction goes far beyond that. At its core, addiction is about craving. It is about reaching for something outside of ourselves to fill a void, numb an emotion, or seek a fleeting sense of pleasure or control.
Addiction is a symptom of imbalance, of a mind and spirit that are pulled too far in one direction and unable to find center. The world around us—politically, socially, and economically—mirrors this instability. We live in a bipolar world, swinging between extremes, from overstimulation to avoidance, from hyper-productivity to burnout, from political zealotry to disengagement. The Middle Way calls for balance, and balance is the antidote to addiction.
We Are Addicted to More
If we strip addiction down to its essence, we see it everywhere:
More consumption – food, shopping, social media, wealth.
More distraction – work, TV, video games, endless scrolling.
More validation – followers, likes, external approval.
More escape – drugs, alcohol, gambling, binge-watching.
More power – political extremism, wealth hoarding, dominance over others.
Pastor Carter of Living Hope Church explained it best: “We are born to crave.” The question is: What are we truly craving?
Addiction and the Bipolar Pendulum
The world we live in encourages addiction because it thrives on imbalance. The economic system is built on perpetual consumption—if we stop buying, the system collapses. The political system is built on division—if we stop fighting, they lose control. The corporate world thrives on overwork and burnout—if we reclaim our time, profits shrink.
The bipolar pendulum of society swings between manic indulgence and depressive withdrawal. The boom-and-bust cycle of economies mirrors our personal cycles of excess and deprivation. The political landscape swings from one extreme to another, just as we swing between bingeing and abstaining. And just like a personal addiction, these societal swings are unsustainable.
Recognizing Our Personal Addictions
Addiction is not just about substances. It is about anything we use to distract, numb, or escape.
Common Addictions in a Bipolar World:
Food – Sugar, processed foods, emotional eating.
Workaholism – Equating self-worth with productivity.
Gambling & Risk-Taking – From casinos to Wall Street speculation.
Exercise & Sports – When physical activity becomes obsessive.
Technology – Mobile phones, tablets, social media, doomscrolling.
Shopping – The rush of consumption and the crash of financial regret.
Money – Hoarding, power-seeking, greed.
Social Validation – Addicted to followers, likes, and approval.
Gossip & Drama – The high of tearing others down.
Politics – Treating ideological teams like cults.
Religion – Hyper-religiosity that replaces true spiritual growth with rigid dogma.
Lying, Cheating, Stealing – The thrill of deception.
Litigation & Outrage – Addicted to suing, arguing, and perpetual victimhood.
Drugs & Alcohol – The most obvious, yet just one of many forms of escapism.
The Middle Way: A Path to Recovery
The Middle Way teaches that balance is the antidote to excess and avoidance.
Instead of numbing emotions, we learn to sit with them, allowing them to pass naturally.
Instead of seeking extremes, we cultivate self-awareness and self-regulation.
Instead of indulging every craving, we ask: What is my soul truly hungry for?
Brené Brown said it best: “You can’t numb the pain without numbing the joy.” True healing comes not from abstaining or indulging, but from understanding why we reach for certain things in the first place.
A Society in Need of Healing
Just as addiction erodes the individual, the bipolar swings of our world erode society. We have lost sight of the middle path—the steady, calm way forward.
We live in a world that tells us to consume, indulge, escape, react, and divide. But what if we instead chose to pause, reflect, heal, and unify?
Addiction thrives in imbalance. Balance is an act of resistance.
The Middle Way calls us to step off the addiction-driven pendulum, stand in the breach, and create a world of stability, peace, and true fulfillment.
The question is: Will we answer the call?