Integration

(Recovery Area 8)

• Killing an old belief system.
• Rebirth.
• Acceptance of myself and of other people.
• Asking for my needs to be met.
• Setting boundaries.

The myths, the old baggage load, the chaos, the phobias, the need to grieve childhood, and the addictive behavior (the looking), will be carried by Sam into his or her relationships. And the more significant the relationship, the more intense these recovery areas will become.

Sam's style of relationship will be to use people like a drug similarly to the way Sam was used. People will become objects of addiction for Sam. Sam's spouse will become an object of addiction. Sam's children will become objects of addiction. Sam's friends will become objects of addiction. The pattern of addiction will continue until the chain reaction is interrupted.

It should be said that Sam made the best possible choices to continue to survive as an object of addiction. The choice to become an addict and an object of addiction saved Sam's life. Addicts are miracles. Addicts are survivors. I commend myself and my fellow addicts. We chose to survive. It's been a long and difficult road. According to data collected and published by IOF Foresters, "there are at least 70 million adult survivors of child abuse in this country alone" (10). I estimate that to be 70 million objects of addiction.

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