Addiction And The Path To Freedom
Addiction is something that all humans deal with in one way or another. It destroys many people from all walks of life, ending careers, demolishing families, and even taking life away on a daily basis. But how do we deal with such a force in a world that is built to serve and feed off the natural human impulse of addiction?
Taking a deeper look one can see that the human body is basically a protein-making machine that sends chemical signals back and forth. To some degree we are all addicts, oxygen is a perfect example, and we can't live very long without it. The foods we eat, bad habits like biting nails, and even texting are all addictions. Every time you get a message on Facebook a little bit of dopamine is sent to the brain, every time you eat that dessert you should skip a little dopamine is sent to the brain, and every time you smoke that cigarette it's a little bit of dopamine being sent to your brain.
Everything sends a chemical signal to the brain, getting touched, smelling roses, or smoking a cigar, but see that does not mean all addictions are bad. It simply means that one needs to find good addictions, and exercise moderation. Now that is a much easier thing said than done, especially if you come from a background full of addiction and non-restraint for addiction.
So first, what are good addictions? Well, I like to classify “good addictions” as "hard or sucky" in the short term, but amazing with long-lasting benefits in the long term. So getting up and running really sucks at first, but the long-term benefits of doing it are amazing. The exercise of running will literally keep you younger, make you stronger, and help your body detoxify by sweating. Another example is meditation, it seems pointless at first, it's hard to focus and maintain deep breathing, but eventually it calms the mind, increases attention span, slows aging, and increases positivity. Eating healthy is another good one, normally it tastes kind of bland because you are not used to the health foods at first, though in time you not only feel better, look better, but you think quicker with clarity. The food tastes better with time too.
So next, what are bad addictions? It's the opposite, for example, anything that is pleasing in the moment but leaves you with negative benefits in the long term. Such as fast food, smoking, drugs, overuse of social media, which leads to loss of real life interaction, and also a negative mindset. Yes, a negative mindset is an addiction of short-term pleasure, usually needed to help deal with stress. That could mean many things such as putting people down to feel better about one’s self, or thinking negatively about the world to deal with one’s own fears, and or simply the person gets a rush out of the pain from the reaction of negative environments, because usually they have been around it for so long it's what makes the person feel normal.
Starting off one should incorporate meditation, healthy diet, and exercise slowly into your daily routine. Then increasing every week as you begin to feel the positive benefits. Literally, 10 minutes of each with limiting portions of bad foods and adding some good ones is all you need to start. The “I'ma do it all in one day” rarely works and can also be harmful to the body. I think the hardest part about this for people is that it takes loving oneself, as you become more self-aware this becomes the kicker that makes a lot of people fall back to their old habits. First, you become aware that you did not love yourself, then you start to remember why, and then it's up to you to make that decision that you actually deserve your own love.
It's ok to fall back, it honestly happens to everyone, but it's getting up and moving forward again that’s important because you got to remember that you do deserve to be loved by yourself. No one will ever care about you and your body the way you do. So take a second and let that sit in.
Now there are many other forms of good addictions. Work can be a great one, but this is where we really need to start focusing on moderation. Because too much of anything, even kale, can be bad for you, and yes too much kale without a wide verity of other veggies can be bad for your thyroid. But in moderation, it's fine, safe, and totally great for you!!!
This leads to variety and moderation, which is unique to every individual, where they’re at, and what's best for them. Variety keeps things interesting, it prevents overuse of our good habits, and this prevents addictive behavior while increasing moderation. So, in other words, you want to get addicted to good habits for long-term benefits for your mind and body, but you want to have a verity of good habits so that the habits do not become overused, which could turn them into negative addictions if left unchecked.
Last but totally not least is poisonous people. As much as you want to change, if you keep surrounding yourself with people who don't want to change, or do not love themselves then it becomes really hard to get of out of the routine of addiction. You need to surround yourself with positive minded people and mentors. Eventually, once you're secure in positive habits you can talk to those people again if you want, and you can offer them positive support. But everyone is different, if you get yourself out of the trenches make sure to keep yourself out.
Some positive habits to have are reading, art, writing, yoga, biking, health herbal teas, hiking, swimming, music, poetry, theater, singing, listening, meditation, diet, exercise, study, hobbies, photography, and plenty more. Sit down and make a list to find out what's right for you!!!
I hope anyone reading this understands that all people deal with these issues, it takes time, and if you work hard to love yourself you will be surprised of the amazing things you can accomplish in this life, right now. Keep working towards the better parts of yourself, and until next time this is J. T. Pritchett signing out.
What thoughts do you have about addiction? Please comment below.
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