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By Lise Battaglia, BFRP, CCH, CAP. www.RecoveryNaturally.com
Recovery professionals see it daily: clients lost not just to addiction and substance use disorders, but also to the emotions that lead to SUD and worse… Ennui, malaise, uncertainty, lack of purpose, anxiety .
Dr. Edward Bach, the mind behind Bach Flower Essences, traced this to a deeper rift. “Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind,” he wrote.¹ Wild Oat, one of 38 remedies (39 with Rescue Remedy), is his fix for those “wanting to do something worthwhile” but unsure of their life’s work.² It’s not vague clarity—it’s vocational focus, a remedy for the purposeless drift feeding addiction. In a world spinning off course, it’s a game-changer.
The numbers paint a grim picture. A 2023 Harvard study found 60% of young adults feel their lives lack meaning, with 36% reporting anxiety and 29% depression—rates doubling those of teens.³ Purpose isn’t optional: those without it are twice as likely to face malaise and distraction.⁴ Screen time numbs the void—teens averaging 7+ hours daily are twice as likely to battle depression or anxiety.⁵ Focus frays too: high screen use slashes self-control by 41%.⁶ Addiction often follows—lack of purpose doubles relapse risk.⁷
Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, saw this coming. “Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for,” he warned.⁸ In our age of anxiety—gun violence (42%), climate fears (34%), and political chaos (30%) weigh on young minds⁹—he argued purpose is the antidote: “If we succeed in finding that purpose… we can survive anything and enjoy almost anything.”¹⁰ Without it, “they distract themselves with pleasure.”¹¹ Depression spikes, screen time soars, and addiction takes root—30% less alcohol use comes with purpose.¹²
Bach Flower Essence, Wild Oat cuts through the fog. “It’s for those who’ve not yet found their calling,” Bach noted.¹³ Psychologist Dr. Paul Wong, a meaning-centered expert, agrees: “Purpose buffers anxiety and addictive drift—clarity of vocation is key.”¹⁴ Pair it with 39 essences—19,301,685 combinations—and you’ve got tools for despair (Mustard), resentment (Willow), guilt (Pine), fear (Rock Rose), or apathy (Clematis). “Health depends on being in harmony with our souls,” Bach wrote.¹⁵ Daily motivation drops relapse 25%,¹⁶ and purpose lifts abstinence 40% in 12-steppers.¹⁷
In a world where 3 in 5 young adults drift without direction,¹⁸ Wild Oat and Bach’s system aren’t just recovery aids—they’re a lifeline. “Meaning is strength,” Frankl said.¹⁹ This is your edge, coaches.
I’m Lise Battaglia, internationally certified Bach Flower Essence Registered Practitioner & Trainer; certified homeopath, and addictions professional. Our next 15 hour, interactive, online training is starting in May.- Join us at the upcoming Q&A -Master all 39 remedies, tap 19 Million possible healing combinations, and enjoy the many ways to bring value and healign to your clients.
Sources:
Bach, E. (1931). Heal Thyself. London: C.W. Daniel Company, Chapter I, p. 11.
Bach, E. (1936). The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies. London: C.W. Daniel Company, p. 22.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2023). The Future of Young Adulthood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, pp. 4-6.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2023). The Future of Young Adulthood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, p. 7.
Twenge, J. M., et al. (2018). Screen time and mental health in adolescents. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283, PMID: 30489663.
Twenge, J. M., et al. (2018). Screen time and mental health in adolescents. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283, PMID: 30489663.
Krentzman, A. R., et al. (2011). Purpose in life predicts treatment outcome among cocaine users. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 40(2), 183-191, DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2010.09.005.
Frankl, V. E. (1986). The Doctor and the Soul (1955). New York: Vintage Books, p. xxi.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2023). The Future of Young Adulthood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, p. 9.
Frankl, V. E. (1988). The Will to Meaning (1969). New York: Penguin Books, p. 48.
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Boston: Beacon Press, p. 106.
Kelly, T. M., & Myers, J. E. (1990). Purpose in life and reduced alcohol use. Drug and Alcohol Review, 9(1), 61-68, DOI: 10.1080/09595239000185111.
Bach, E. (1936). The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies. London: C.W. Daniel Company, p. 22.
Wong, P. T. P. (Ed.). (2012). The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge, p. 73.
Bach, E. (1931). Heal Thyself. London: C.W. Daniel Company, Chapter IV, p. 54.
LeBon, M., et al. (2020). Daily motivation and relapse prevention in outpatient settings. Addictive Behaviors, 100, 106109, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106109.
Zemore, S. E., et al. (2010). Purpose and abstinence in 12-step programs. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 34(5), 852-861, PMID: 20958847.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2023). The Future of Young Adulthood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, p. 4.
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Boston: Beacon Press, p. 133.
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