Why Can't You Just Quit Your Addiction?

Blunt enough? Well, my blog is titled "Blunt Talk About Addictions."

I know I will get flack from people reading this. For some people---many people---it may not be easy enough to quit their addiction, but we only live once on this earth I hear and time is being wasted.

If you're reading this and you say you want to quit your addiction, and you've tried several times and "it doesn't work" think about the fact that you've "tried" many times. Trying leaves room for failure. You try once, consider that it didn't work and you can say..."hey, I tried."

Stop playing that game and get real with your life. When you get rid of your addiction, that stress is forever lifted. You feel lighter. You know you did something huge for yourself and you'll never forget that.

Think---this is my one life. Drop the addiction. Can it be that easy? Why not?

Dr. Phil's Thoughts on Addiction

I was sick several days last week and got to just veg out in front of the tv for hours every day. I was channel surfing and came across Dr. Phil's program. I don't see it very much anymore, but when I saw that the show was on addictions I had to tape it. I always learn from listening to people's struggles with addiction and I remember when I was deep in my addictions too.

One of the addicted individuals on the show was a man who couldn't stop spending money he didn't have. Dr. Phil wanted to start getting to the root of the problem. Dr. Phil said:

"Addictions serve a purpose;
Addictions serve a need;
They don't meet the need,
They don't serve the need,
They just hold it off and push it down."

Then Dr. Phil asked the man---"What are you running from? You're using your addictions to avoid getting real about some things. What are they?"

What a great, direct question. Dr. Phil asked the best question to get to the root of the problem. This man had just thought he had a money problem, when in fact, it was that he didn't feel good about his weight and he didn't feel like he was much of a man. So THOSE were the reasons why he was addicted to spending money, not for the sake of just spending money.

I, too, know from my experiences being addicted...it was never about the alcohol, food or cigarettes...it's always something much deeper.

But the good news is, you can quit your addiction no matter what your problems are. You can get stuck in your problems and blame your addictions on your problems, or just decide that you're going to quit your addictions and move on.

I would always choose the latter.....

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

I was listening to Joel Osteen this morning and he talked about how so many times we constantly say negative things, and those negative words dictate our lives. He gave the example of "I've had this addiction all my life....I'm never going to be able to quit."

I used to think that years ago when I was fat, when I smoked cigarettes and when I drank. But I quit all 3. What you've done in the past and the thoughts you've thought for years can change forever---and in an instant. How do I know? Because it happened to me.

And looking back I remember that on those 3 days which started my quitting each addiction, my mind changed dramatically. I wasn't negative anymore. I was open to change---I wanted my life to change. I didn't want to be addicted anymore. It was weighing my life down. I wanted freedom.

And I got it....

22 Years Ago I Quit Drinking

This past Friday, July 3, was my 22nd year of quitting drinking. It's also my real birthday, so every year I have 2 birthdays.

I don't think much about my past drinking. I'm just so grateful that I gave it up when I did. I went on to finish college and got a B.S. in Management, I lost the rest of the weight I wanted to lose and I have my connection back with God. That was what I missed the most when I drank for those 12 years---the closeness with God that I put on the back burner during my "drinking years."

Life is still full of challenges---daily. But I never think of drinking again. That would only ADD to my problems. It's a wonderful thing, too, that when you give up a habit you've had for awhile, you realize as the days go on that you're thinking less and less about the addiction you may have once thought you'd NEVER forget. But it does lessen daily. You need to remember that.

I was also addicted to cigarettes and junk food, but those too are long gone---the thoughts about them.

So I hope someone can get help from this post today, especially if you're struggling to quit an addiction. You won't always think about it forever like you think now. You won't. It will fade as you fill your life with other things and distractions.