How to get out of addiction?
If we strip away all the layers of reasons why we are addicted to something, we are left with just one. That it is a habit. And how can one get rid of a bad habit? Of course, it is not as simple as it may seem. But think about it. You do something because it is your reaction to some stimulus. Without going into the topic in more detail, as it can be something different for everyone. So it's hard for me to relate to your situation. But I can present it using my own example. And that will be the easiest for me.
For me, the addiction was probably caused by growing up in an environment with an alcoholic father. Additionally, around the time when MTV was popular, it seemed to me that life was about partying every Saturday. Family parties at the table with alcohol in the background were the norm. And such an environment shaped me for years. Even though I always felt bad after drinking, I drank at every party opportunity. Continuous "helicopters" and vomiting taught me nothing new. I thought that was how it was supposed to be. During my adolescence, however, I discovered marijuana. And since I grew up in a hip-hop environment, it was an inseparable part of that subculture. With "grass," I realized that I didn't have negative effects like after drinking. I went to bed peacefully and woke up only slightly more tired. So I gave up alcohol. I found a substitute. One could say it was something worse, but personally, I have a different opinion. But that's not the topic or debate about alcohol versus marijuana. I just want to emphasize that the environment raised me in such a way that I replaced the habit of drinking with the habit of smoking. So I swapped one habit for another. I didn't manage to eliminate the habit. But I found a substitute for it.
But the stimulus - let's return to the topic. The stimulus that activated drinking for me, and then smoking, was the party. So we have a scheme: for X we respond with Y, that is, PARTY responds with ALCOHOL/MARIJUANA. This is the simplest equation I can present. And in this situation, one should consider whether simply removing X is enough? It is a great way to do so. But we must also take into account the environment we are still in. If this cannot be changed at this stage of life, we need to focus on Y. Because we cannot leave a void. If you leave a gap while trying to improve your life, bad habits will return. We humans are programmed in such a way that we need to have some pattern of actions. Whether it will be bad or good depends on us. You are the sum of your habits, and your future depends exactly on what you do today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, etc.
To sum it up:
You take a bad habit and replace it with a good one. You do not leave a gap. You engage in something that either helps others or you take care of yourself and your surroundings.
And when every time you want to return to the negative, you think about why you want this change.
As for me, I replaced daily lollypops with daily rollerblading. I invite you to my IG and YouTube.
PS: With one-on-one help for implementation, feel free to contact me.
Best regards
Krystian
If we strip away all the layers of reasons why we are addicted to something, we are left with just one. That it is a habit. And how can one get rid of a bad habit? Of course, it is not as simple as it may seem. But think about it. You do something because it is your reaction to some stimulus. Without going into the topic in more detail, as it can be something different for everyone. So it's hard for me to relate to your situation. But I can present it using my own example. And that will be the easiest for me.
For me, the addiction was probably caused by growing up in an environment with an alcoholic father. Additionally, around the time when MTV was popular, it seemed to me that life was about partying every Saturday. Family parties at the table with alcohol in the background were the norm. And such an environment shaped me for years. Even though I always felt bad after drinking, I drank at every party opportunity. Continuous "helicopters" and vomiting taught me nothing new. I thought that was how it was supposed to be. During my adolescence, however, I discovered marijuana. And since I grew up in a hip-hop environment, it was an inseparable part of that subculture. With "grass," I realized that I didn't have negative effects like after drinking. I went to bed peacefully and woke up only slightly more tired. So I gave up alcohol. I found a substitute. One could say it was something worse, but personally, I have a different opinion. But that's not the topic or debate about alcohol versus marijuana. I just want to emphasize that the environment raised me in such a way that I replaced the habit of drinking with the habit of smoking. So I swapped one habit for another. I didn't manage to eliminate the habit. But I found a substitute for it.
But the stimulus - let's return to the topic. The stimulus that activated drinking for me, and then smoking, was the party. So we have a scheme: for X we respond with Y, that is, PARTY responds with ALCOHOL/MARIJUANA. This is the simplest equation I can present. And in this situation, one should consider whether simply removing X is enough? It is a great way to do so. But we must also take into account the environment we are still in. If this cannot be changed at this stage of life, we need to focus on Y. Because we cannot leave a void. If you leave a gap while trying to improve your life, bad habits will return. We humans are programmed in such a way that we need to have some pattern of actions. Whether it will be bad or good depends on us. You are the sum of your habits, and your future depends exactly on what you do today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, etc.
To sum it up:
You take a bad habit and replace it with a good one. You do not leave a gap. You engage in something that either helps others or you take care of yourself and your surroundings.
And when every time you want to return to the negative, you think about why you want this change.
As for me, I replaced daily lollypops with daily rollerblading. I invite you to my IG and YouTube.
PS: With one-on-one help for implementation, feel free to contact me.
Best regards
Krystian
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