Someone returning recently from Wellspring Retreat sees that the Assembly produced intensity addiction. Insightful revelation! No wonder life often seems insipid now–no more great work of God, no more pressure to pray exalted prayers for it. No more frantic rushing around to get to worship, no more top-volume singing. No more seminar highs, no more consequence lows. (Someone should come up with lyrics to fit the Eagles song, “No more cloudy days”.)

Our leftover intensity addiction makes us easily bored now. So we drink too much coffee. We keep ourselves too busy. In the Assembly, rushing around all the time substituted for intimacy. We tend to reproduce that pattern to get the adrenaline going. There are a bunch of other manifestations.Here is an article that gives some good insights. It begins, “Adrenaline addiction is the hidden cause of many of our time, balance and productivity challenges.” There is an accompanying questionnaire that is quite revealing. “The Painful Reality of Adrenaline Addiction” (PDF file) makes some good suggestions for recovery. The latter recommendation takes the subject so seriously–I mean, PDF file and all!–that you have to just laugh and let go and start breathing again. Which is the whole point.