Are all addictions bad? I thought so but after a few weeks of research and thought, my final conclusion is that not all addictions are bad and there's actually a point where an addiction is bad. It becomes a negative thing for you when it starts to control you, cause you pain or harm or even keeps you stuck doing it despite the consequences of doing it.
If you're in this situation you need to do everything in your power to come out.
Addiction usually creeps into our lives. At first we start doing it as a filler, or a way to pass time or for relief of emotional and physical pain, like drugs and sex, or distraction. We start doing it without giving it a second thought, then one day, we realize it has become automatic, second nature, unstoppable.
Most people believe that the beginning of an addiction is the day they are hooked, but it is much earlier than that. It's that one tenth of a second before your brain tells you to reach for that drug. You barely notice it because you are not used to looking for it, but this split second is the moment when change can begin.
The first thought that comes to mind when you recognize what you are about to do has a tendency to cause you to panic or get angry with yourself. The common thought is, "I shouldn't want that." The added pressure to avoid them makes them even more appealing. It's some sort of reverse psychology on your brain.
How do you combat this?.
I put together a guide to help with it. Now, this is not hundred percent guaranteed
The guarantee is your own inner will to never quit on your attempt to quit the addiction
Instead of this pressure, when you become aware of what you are doing, wait. Wait a few minutes. The urge feels like it has to be gratified immediately but know that it is a fragile feeling that will rise and then fall if you do not give in to it right away. You are not fighting it, you are simply trying to outlast it.
Waiting for the urge will not always be effective, because your mind will eventually find a way back to the urge, so you should take some form of action. What I can suggest and what I did for myself was to get up and walk somewhere, texting someone, or listening to music and my favorite was watching a nice movie. Movement is a major tool for breaking the addiction loop. Addictions thrive on inaction, that's why a majority of people addicted to porn do it at night when there's nothing to do.
Over time you need to make it more difficult to engage in the behavior. Whether it would be by logging out of websites, deleting applications or creating barriers to entry for the addiction. Not because you are weak, but because you are human and subject to mistakes.
You should focus on how many days you have not engaged in your addiction, and the progress you made, instead of how many times you slipped and did what you're trying to stop. Your successes in this area will begin to add up.
If it still keeps on going, see a therapist for more help, and remember, never give up until you're a new person, the person without the addiction.
