Addiction Check-In Thread

We have a workout check-in thread to help people be encouraged to work out more. I know that is something I would like to do. As of right now, however, I'm not in good enough shape to do even most basic workouts without my lungs feeling like they are going to collapse, mainly due to the fact that I smoke. This got me thinking...

I can't be the only one here with an addiction that they would like to kick. This thread is for all of us looking to finally have that last <insert vice here> and be done with it, and for all of those going through (or having gone through) the same thing to offer encouragement to each other.

If you're not comfortable sharing what your addiction is, that's ok. If you stumble on your path, that's ok. If you think there's no way you can possibly give up your addiction, that's ok. We're here to help no matter what.

Together, we can do this. MTFBWY

Here goes. Tonight, I will have my last cigarette and my last soda. Tomorrow will be day one. Wish me luck.

Group support is crucial. I will say strongly that I have a food addiction, causing a host of health problems.

I am in the process of reversing my weight gain, having lost 30 pounds since the beginning of this year alone.

This is more like... Day 180 or something dumb like that. I'm not keeping count. But, I am also not "quitting" foods I like. Just learning to eat them in moderation. I follow the 80/20 rule.

ive gone through alcoholism, smoking cigarettes, and shooting both heroin and methamphetamine at different stages of my life

i lived on the street for about four years total - including in tents out in the woods and blankets under bridges

now coffee and occasional proccessed foods are my biggest vices

i am fully behind this thread and am available to any one of you if youd like to talk

PM me any time

EDIT

and congrats to Talariq for making the decision

and congrats to Conner for your progress, its very commendable

and best wishes to both of you

Hello all.... my name is Edan and I'm a sugar addict

I don't have many vices... I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't do drugs illegal or otherwise... but sugar...it's always on my mind.

Reducing my sugar intake is not going to work, I've tried it, it just makes me want it more. Sugar substitutes or replacements just taste wrong.

So cold turkey it is.

This is not going to be easy and tea is going to taste gross..

Checking in...

First day off sugar was... not fun.
No sugar on my weetabix, or in my tea, no chocolate biscuits or orange juice, no squash with my lunch, no dessert at my parents with dinner...

My boss' secretary bought my little office (6 of us) chocolate biscuits, mini cheddars and crisps... I kept telling my colleagues not to offer them to me but they did which was not easy.

I never realised how much sugar I was consuming until today.. but even horrible tea wasn't enough to deter me

Day one down

Checking in..

So today, on the third day I broke... I went to an aircraft museum with my dad and grandad and had chocolate..

I'm rather disappointed in myself.. especially as I didn't even think about it.. trying to cut out sugar hasn't been easy.

Still.. onwards and upwards!

Hell, I can write quiet a lot in here.

I am on:

* coffee (4 small cups/day)
* cigarettes (20/day)
* antidepressant+neuroleptic+normothimic (tiny dose)
* shopping (2 times/month)
* series (~3 times/week)
* fast food (4 times/month)
* sleep (can't get in rhythm since very long ago)

The thing is, I see no point in cutting heads of this hydra. I just work with the root causes: the pain and trauma of being a Force-sensitive and the trouble of adaptation and integration into life after depression.

I hope to free from most of them and replace them with positive things which I already know - in 1-3 years. The thing is to not hurry. for me. I am ultra eager to drop these things, yet I still am not in a condition to do so: turbulence of my current period of life is exhausting. I keep these things checked and ~ once a month I ask myself if I am ready to get past them.

I don't have any particular addictions per se, however I do have a physical dependency to Valium because I was never informed by my doctor just how insidious benzos can be. I've wanted for so long to titrate off of it, however, I'm not sure if I'm prepared for the withdrawal syndrome - I tried to do it once and it was sheer agony. It was originally for anxiety, however it never really seemed to help all that much. Joining the temple has done more for me in a month than Valium has ever done for me in five years. But getting off of that stuff is a trial by fire that can last a year or more, depending on how long you've been on it, your dosage, and how slowly you titrate.

For now I just accept it as a part of my life I guess.

CryojenX wrote: ...I just accept it as a part of my life I guess.

if we are talking about Valium it isn't a part of your life so DO NOT accept it
Accept instead that you have all the time in the world to fight it. Take it slowly and surely.

ps. find something interesting to occupy your mind in times of need. pc games are a good choice.
ps2. I apologize for my English

I agree with Exarchias on this.

We must not accept any of our addictions.

We must only accept that the fight might be long.

We must accept that at certain periods of time we have no resources to change ourselves and we exercise patience.

den385 wrote: I agree with Exarchias on this.

We must not accept any of our addictions.

We must only accept that the fight might be long.

We must accept that at certain periods of time we have no resources to change ourselves and we exercise patience.

Only to add if i may that i could gladly change the "must not" with the "have not", and the "must" with the "could be nice to" because it makes it to sound more easy that way
Of course i said "Do Not" and that sounds bad, but my point was only to be rude and unrespectful against the Valium in order to take away any romantic aspect of this addiction.
I hope my point was well made.
Thank you for your thoughts
Robert.

I agree again j-D

I will save the "must" formula for myself.

It is most imperative; such strictness may be harmful without deep understanding of the subject. Though, I believe that the "must" formula regarding self is helpful. Words can affect our perception and "I shall do what I must" is a powerful inner move. Unlike it, "you/we should do what (I say) you/we must" is alike tyranny, "we" here only masking the intention to impose judgement on the other.

I have had a tough past couple of days. Ever since coming back from some intense energy work in Colorado (at the Gathering), my body has been rejecting meat. It really just wants vegetables. But, it kind of threw me for a loop... and I went off the healthy eating train for a bit.

I think I have regained some stability. Time to keep on keeping on.

Exarchias wrote:

CryojenX wrote: ...I just accept it as a part of my life I guess.

if we are talking about Valium it isn't a part of your life so DO NOT accept it
Accept instead that you have all the time in the world to fight it. Take it slowly and surely.

ps. find something interesting to occupy your mind in times of need. pc games are a good choice.
ps2. I apologize for my English

Actually I like that attitude, devote oneself to getting off of the stuff but have patience in the speed (or lack thereof) of the process. Thanks!

Exarchias wrote:

den385 wrote: I agree with Exarchias on this.

We must not accept any of our addictions.

We must only accept that the fight might be long.

We must accept that at certain periods of time we have no resources to change ourselves and we exercise patience.

Only to add if i may that i could gladly change the "must not" with the "have not", and the "must" with the "could be nice to" because it makes it to sound more easy that way
Of course i said "Do Not" and that sounds bad, but my point was only to be rude and unrespectful against the Valium in order to take away any romantic aspect of this addiction.
I hope my point was well made.
Thank you for your thoughts
Robert.

Oh believe me, there's nothing romantic about valium for me, that's what makes the difference between an addiction and physical dependency, I get nothing psychologically from taking it, but if I were to stop I'd probably have a seizure.

This is probably considered a weird one, but I'm a shopaholic. I don't mean this as a joke, it's a real problem for me and I'm considering going to a psychologist about this before it ruins my life (I've already amassed quite a bit of credit card debt). I wouldn't have believed it myself, but it's a physical addiction, comparable to being addicted to eating etc. as it probably has to do with the dopamine reward system.
I spent insane amounts on electronic gadgets, then I moved to watches. I get high on receiving new stuff - my mood improves dramatically (while at the same time feeling very guilty for heaving spent money again) when I receive a new item. The high lasts for a few days, then it's replaced by panic because of the finances. I then try to sell stuff again, only to remove it from eBay and putting it up again several times. Mostly, I'm happy once I've sold things. Except sometimes I freak out an buy it again (as in: the same item) after a short amount of time.

I know it's physical because for two months now I haven't been able to buy much as I had to pay some back taxes. This actually pushed me into a depression-like state, I have withdrawal symptoms (shakiness, restlessness, aggression, I'm ill-tempered and freak out easily). Eating crap 'helps' a bit, so I've put on 10 pounds in he last 9 weeks. Awesome.

The sad thing is that my wife doesn't know anything about it - not about the debt, either. I can still manage payments and sometimes manage to reduce it, but I keep rebounding. I have a great job, two wonderful kids and a loving wife. I can't for the life of me find out why I act this way.

Anyway, that's me right now - I feel like I should be talking about this with my wife rather than here, but I guess it's a start

Cyan, I'm quite a shopaholic myself, although I manage it pretty ok. Shopping is a painkiller. It's symptomatic.

The real thing that induces this symptoms, the root cause - that's what matters. I know mine and constantly work on it. Otherwise, there will be no cure from neither root cause nor symptoms.

While working on a root cause (which is always individual), the following strategies & tactics help me:

1) limit your spendings; it may sound odd, but I find it irresponsible to live in credit; I spend from debet only
2) have a buffer, some "retardant amount" - it's more advanced tech than (1)
3) spend on things you really need, really use, really love; make each buying a quest for optimality, a pursuit of a shopaholic grail. investigate what you buy deeply. investigate how it is made. make this a domain of knowledge.
4) I also bring in some meditative aspect into this: find not only a quality and nice thing. Not only know from what it is made and how the market worket and so on. But find things that inspire you. Things that lift your mood. Things that express you. And it must not matter if they are not popular and not expensive or marketed actively.
5) With time and work on root cause, fixation on things will evaporate. And you will still have some useful stuff and useful knowledge.

This all might sound pretty stupid and consumerism-ish, but the point is to bend addiction into something useful. To find zen solution until you have found a Jedi one (the one which will redeem you of the root cause).

Checking in...

I'm really surprised by how well I'm dealing with this lack of sugar. I thought I'd be going crazy by now. I remember thinking the same about caffeine though and not really being that affected negatively while I started having it.

Not having any sugar has actually made it easier to avoid sugar, I don't get to say 'oh only a little bit won't hurt'. A colleague brought in a big bag of chocolate today which is in view of my desk... having some did cross my mind but then I remembered that it tasted like the horrible chocolate you get in christmas advent calendars so I had this weird seed snack thing I'd bought. Makes me realise that 'addiction' is actually a lot mental in nature.

Apart from not craving sugar quite so much I have noticed any other benefits so far. When I stopped caffeine I actually felt more awake in the mornings but nothing like that has happened with cutting sugar.

Still not doing great. lol.

I know my body, and it feels like opening the flood gates a little has forced them open a lot.