EGO

Alcoholism and the Thought Based Self: The Egoic Self

Today, most people’s—and certainly the alcoholic’s—identity consists almost entirely of thought. The thought-based mind has become separated from awareness or consciousness. Most individuals are enslaved by their attachment to this false identity—also called the egoic self.

This identity is driven by fear and desire: fear of losing something and desire to add more and more. The egoic self is never at rest and sees no value in awareness, the present moment, or acceptance of what is.

The egoic identity dwells entirely in the past and future. It treats the present either as a place to relive the past or as an obstacle to some just-out-of-reach future where fulfillment can be realized. Tolle’s books show us that since the present moment is all that is, this way of seeing oneself is insane.

What differentiates the alcoholic or addict from the rest of the population is that they are unable to sustain the insanity of living a life based on a set of thoughts—except through the use of a mind-altering substance. For this susceptible portion of the population, this usually results in addiction to the substance.

It does not matter to the egoic self that the consumption of the substance will eventually result in the death of the host. For the sufferer, the recognition of this inevitable outcome represents both an ending and a beginning. As an ending, it is the last gasp of the thought-based self to maintain the lie. As a beginning, it contains the potential for relief and then transformation.