Know You’re Draggin’? Know Your Dragon.

I admire people who are recovering from substance addictions. Think about it. They’ve been told by specialists that they have a permanent problem with a drug, like alcohol. Furthermore, they cannot ever ingest that substance again without risking mayhem.

Yet they often appear more insightful than people who have no problem with chemicals. I think I know why. It has a lot to do with fantasy fiction.

People in addiction recovery are like knights on a Quest. They have been given a lifelong goal that they did not ask for, and obstacles they did not request. Recovery is their most obvious goal and addiction is their most persistent obstacle, an immortal Dragon. Along with those complications, they also have the standard responsibilities we all have. Unlike many of us, though, they can count at least one extra blessing: they know the name of the Dragon they face.

Addicts in recovery actively engage their Dragon every day. That’s what addiction recovery is, daily engagement. They use support groups, therapists, avoidance of things that trigger substance use, avoidance of people who use, 12 steps, literature on healthy living, looking inward, soul searching, a higher power, the insights of others, and a bevy of other life tools that would be good for any of us—daily. Many of us get by without availing ourselves of any of these resources. But addicts can’t. They are on a path of constant growth and maintenance or…(not to be too dramatic)…else.

Non-addicts can “get away” with turning a blind eye to their Dragons and their lifelong mission. They can live lives of unhappy resignation, ignoring their innermost dreams, skirting challenging experiences, and refusing to identify their blind spots.

The Dragons of non-addicts are not as plainly visible as inappropriate chemical use. One's Dragon might be a pattern of behavior, emotion, or thought. People pleasing, hurting others, and lack of assertiveness are examples of behavioral patterns. Depression, anxiety, and hatred are common emotional tendencies. Obsession, cynicism, and self-doubt are a few habits of thought. These problems can pester us a long time without us even realizing it.

People often see addicts as different, but everyone has Dragons. Everyone has a life challenge. Everyone is either a knight in uniform engaging their Quest, or a knight in their underwear, dragging their swords behind them, wondering what's missing.

Identifying your task on earth allows you to find the meaning inherent in your existence, the end of the movie you are writing with your life. Identifying what keeps you from attaining your goal gives you the raw material for all of the actions sequences: the Dragon you must battle, tame, or befriend. Below are some questions to help you identify both your Quest and your Dragon.

Know Your Quest:

• What societal problem would you like to eradicate?
• What job have you always felt like doing?
• What do other people keep telling you you’re good at?
• What is something that you already know you are good at, but that you rarely show off to others?
• What dream did you give up somewhere along the way?
• What need do you see in the world that you wish someone would address?
• What activity fills you with passion or energy?
• How would you like your life to look 5, 10, or 20 years from now if there were no limitations to what is possible?

Know Your Dragon:

• What do you keep doing that you wish you could stop doing?
• What do you see other people doing to you that you wish they would stop doing?
• How is your financial situation?
• How is your health?
• Do you have any nagging thoughts or feelings?
• Are you having trouble dealing with a loss?
• Is your life so full of drama or obligations that you are doubting your ability to cope?
• Do you have negative opinions of yourself, people in general, or the world?
• How do you feel from day-to-day?
• What have others told you is a problem for you or them?
  

These questions are just a few probes to get you exploring. Seek and your Quest will eventually present itself to you. Keep your eyes open and you will recognize your Dragon. Name them both and live the adventure. By the way, play it safe. Protect yourself and enlist help. Even knights have their armor and their squires.