"Every form of addiction
is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism."
- Carl Jung
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Here are just a few things you are or could be addicted to: Alcohol, cocaine, sex, dating, attention, self-abuse, isms, food, social groups, where you live, ideas.
What are you addicted to? What is keeping you from being a full, vibrant human being living the life you want?
Whether you like it or not we our souls trapped in the brains of pattern matchin' machines, baby. We are big neural nets looking for patterns and the more times a pattern hits us the more real it is, the more permanent it is, the more "real" it becomes.
Is that reality?
Take a pleasurable experience all of us can identify with: getting what we want.
Now suppose we're given a three year old and we give them what they want. In fact, we give them what they want regardless of their behavior. What happens? The child becomes what we call "spoiled" and has become emotionally addicted to getting their way. This kid's not gonna be a happy camper when they hit thirty three.
Now suppose we're given a thirty three year old and they have always found someone to tell their sad stories to. In fact, they find this somewhere regardless of their behavior. What happens? The adult becomes what we might call an emotional hypochondriac and has become emotionally addicted to their story. This adult's not gonna be a happy camper when they hit sixty-six.
You can be addicted to anything. Soda pop. Music. Driving. Avoiding responsibility. Taking too much responsibility. Religious belief. Fear. Anger. Hunger. Laughter. What it all comes down to is that we can and do become addicted to anything that we can match a pattern to, that we can make real, that we can call part of our experience and our rhythm and our story.
The trick to shaking any kind of addiction is annoyingly simple: do something different!
That's not what you wanna hear? Well tough bloody noogies!
If you wanna stop smoking here's the trick: practice not smoking!
Hey, if you wanna stop emotionally abusing yourself or others here's the trick: practice not emotionally abusing yourself or others!
You wanna loose weight: get off your ass and go walking or biking or hiking and change your diet!
You wanna be spiritual: light some sage or join a church or a mosque!
You wanna stop being so narrow minded: explore the ideas of those you don't agree with!
Sometimes we act like life is bloody complicated. Well, I'm gonna tell you something most of us just don't like hearing: it ain't.
So choose. Choose to be who you want to be. Choose your own tomorrow. Choose something more powerful than anything in the universe. Choose to break the cycle!
...NOW...