I recently heard a TED talk discussing drug addiction, and the speaker said something so powerful that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. He explained how the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety; it’s rather human connection. And I couldn’t help but think how this applies to so many aspects of life that don’t necessarily involve drugs. If you think of any form of addiction, it kind of always fills some kind of void. And more often than not, meaningful connections can cure exactly that.

I keep noticing it with my own social media/phone addiction. Every time I’m so invested in a conversation with someone or feel the connection with a group of people (or sometimes even ‘thing’), it no longer crosses my mind. I don’t feel the urge to check my phone. I don’t feel the need to refresh my feeds. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on absolutely anything. And none of it feels forced. As long as the connection is real. Sometimes it stays with me until a few hours after, and that liberation, that disconnection from a world that keeps pulling me in the more I try to stay out, is priceless.

Sometimes it’s more than just humans. There’s always something special about connecting with God. Taking a few minutes to pray and really talk to Him. Connecting with nature. Connecting with our own inner selves.

Lately, I’ve been experiencing an addiction to those kinds of connection. Some of them leave me drained. Sometimes I need to recover right after. But when I check in with myself, I can always physically feel the void inside fading away. And so I guess that’s my new favorite addiction. Addiction to connection. (: