I have to pose this question from the things that I've learned through my own battles with addiction. For the better part of 15 years I drank and smoked. Not casually, but really drank and smoked. I smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day, and drank at least six beers a day. I more than likely drank more than that, but didn't keep a running tally. The point is that I engaged in both practices for a long enough period time and in enough quantities to be addicted. For that entire fifteen years nary a day went by when I didn't use both alcohol and cigarettes.
Then about a year ago, I walked away from both drinking and smoking without the help of pills, patches, meetings, hypnosis, or twelve step programs. Through doming this, I must pose the question, Addiction, is it real or just a figment of our collective imagination? It would seem top me that addiction might be a figment of our collective imagination. I didn't have any withdrawals or anything. We're there times that I wanted to have a beer or a smoke? Most certainly, but I didn't.
Before I actually stopped both practices, I thought about stopping quite a bit. I thought about quitting to the point that I effectively changed the way I thought about both practices. I began to see the negative effects of both drinking and smoking to a much greater degree than I ever had before. I began to realize how terrible I felt when hung over and also began to notice how bad my clothes smelled.
I heard it said once that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Well I had effectively changed the way I looked at both drinking and smoking, and the act of actually drinking and smoking changed. Through my experience I came to the conclusion that, for me, the acts of drinking and smoking were all mental! For me they were simply habits that I had engaged in for the better part of 15 years rather than addictions. I realize that this may sound crazy, but it's nonetheless true. The biggest aspect of my addictions was the mental aspect, rather than some perceived physical aspect.
The bottom line for me is that if you think I'm crazy or lying, you're right. If you get something out of what I've written, you're also right. The things written in this article are simply what I learned in my own personal battles, and hopefully you can take something from what I learned to help you with your own battles.
Then about a year ago, I walked away from both drinking and smoking without the help of pills, patches, meetings, hypnosis, or twelve step programs. Through doming this, I must pose the question, Addiction, is it real or just a figment of our collective imagination? It would seem top me that addiction might be a figment of our collective imagination. I didn't have any withdrawals or anything. We're there times that I wanted to have a beer or a smoke? Most certainly, but I didn't.
Before I actually stopped both practices, I thought about stopping quite a bit. I thought about quitting to the point that I effectively changed the way I thought about both practices. I began to see the negative effects of both drinking and smoking to a much greater degree than I ever had before. I began to realize how terrible I felt when hung over and also began to notice how bad my clothes smelled.
I heard it said once that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Well I had effectively changed the way I looked at both drinking and smoking, and the act of actually drinking and smoking changed. Through my experience I came to the conclusion that, for me, the acts of drinking and smoking were all mental! For me they were simply habits that I had engaged in for the better part of 15 years rather than addictions. I realize that this may sound crazy, but it's nonetheless true. The biggest aspect of my addictions was the mental aspect, rather than some perceived physical aspect.
The bottom line for me is that if you think I'm crazy or lying, you're right. If you get something out of what I've written, you're also right. The things written in this article are simply what I learned in my own personal battles, and hopefully you can take something from what I learned to help you with your own battles.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of http://www.JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!
Become A Better Angler and get $10 For Your Trouble... - http://www.jrwfishing.com/signup.html
Become A Better Angler and get $10 For Your Trouble... - http://www.jrwfishing.com/signup.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Kugler
No comments:
Post a Comment