Ben Breedlove’s Message Helps Those with Addiction

Ben Breedlove’s Message Helps Those with Addiction

Ben Breedlove died at the age of 18 from a heart condition, on December 25, 2011, after cheating death 3 other times due to his illness. He was not an addict but his story allows us to have a glimpse at spirituality in a pure form. He documented the experience on a You Tube video.

One week before Breedlove died, he made a video documenting an experience that he had on December 6, 2011. He stopped breathing for about 3 minutes, yet his brain was still active. He describes the experience of happiness and peace that encompassed his brain. He had experienced this level of peace before when he had another heart related incident at age 4, and again in 2009. Breedlove described the incident at age 4 as having a peaceful feeling that took over which caused him to smile, although chaos was happening around him. He had no fear of death, dying or the unknown. He ends his You Tube video with the question, “Do you believe in God or Angels?”

Peace seems to be a characteristic of spirituality that a person receives from their Higher Power. Sometimes it isn’t until we are in extreme situations that we notice the need for spirituality. For most of us with a drug addiction, it is the jackpot prayer or desperation that leads us looking for spirituality to help us get through tough times. Breedlove’s sense of peace and happiness, even though he knew that his life was a gamble, speaks volumes. His courage to document his experience will continue to give other’s inspiration and hope that spiritual connections do exist.