Addictive and how to quit it

Addictive and how to quit it

Addictive Bad Habits

The question is: "Are addictions actually bad habits?"  According to the habit model of addiction, they are.  This theory of addiction states that the only reason to say there is a difference is to persecute "addicts."

People with bad habits of smoking often feel much persecuted.  While smoking is not illegal (at least not yet), it is shunned by society as a whole.  At first, you could smoke anywhere.  Expecting fathers smoked in the maternity waiting rooms.  Then, you could smoke in buildings, but only in a designated smoking room.

Then there came the designated smoking area outside the building.  Now restaurants, bars, and whole cities are going smoke-free.  It seems that a lot of people have given up their bad habits.  However, they do not seem to remember how badly they were addicted before.  The truth is that in a way, they are still addicted and always will be.   That is how addiction works.

In an effort to save others from the ill effects of their second hand smoke, many people have switched their bad habits to smokeless tobacco.  Just because the tobacco is not smoked, though, it does not mean the nicotine is not addictive.  It is said to be just as hard a bad habit to break as cigarettes.  People quitting it use patches and nicotine gum or Zyban, too.

Sleeping pills are bad habits to get into as well.  They can be so addictive that you need a higher and higher dosage to fall asleep.  Eventually, they will not help at all.  Some people overdose in an attempt to reach a dose that will put them to sleep.  It usually takes intervention by a doctor and/or a sleep clinic to straighten you out.

Alcohol can be a bad habit if you drink to excess.  For some people with certain physical conditions, it can be risky anyway.  It can be dangerous if mixed with particular medications.  However, if a person is addicted to alcohol, they will not be concerned with that.  Neither will they be concerned about their jobs or their relationships.  It will all be about the next drink.

Drugs pose a variety of bad habits.  There are so many illegal drugs that they are too numerous to count.  They have different affects and cause different levels of addiction.  Some have fast and devastating results.  Others do little damage in the short run.  Yet, they are all bad habits.

There are club drugs, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and hallucinogens.  All these drugs can be nasty.  There are also legal drugs that people get into bad habits with by starting with an injury or other medical condition.  These can be pain pills like percocet, or muscle relaxants.  They are also very addictive bad habits.

If you have an addictive bad habit, you probably need some form of help to get over it.  In fact, once you have a serious addiction, experiencing the sights, smells, or sounds of your addiction will start your brain in that addictive mode again.  It is no wonder that people struggle for years with addictive bad habits.

Avoiding Bad Habits

Would it not be nice if you could avoid bad habits instead of having to quit them after starting?  No one will avoid all bad habits.  There are just too many to stay away from them all.  Yet, you can reduce the number of bad habits you have to conquer.

There are certain bad habits that you can avoid altogether.  Your body has no need for nicotine or tar from cigarettes.  So, if you do not take that first cigarette, you will never have to face the daunting task of giving them up.  It is well worth any social discomfort you might feel to dodge that bullet.

Other bad habits are a matter of degree.  Your body needs food.  Many people realize that they will gain a lot of weight if they do not take action.  However, you cannot just stop eating altogether.  You could for awhile, but that would not be healthy either.  Instead you must find a way to limit yourself.

To avoid the bad habits involved in letting yourself become overweight, you need to think differently.  You can do this by thinking of food as a special treat that you only get at certain times.  You can eat like a thin person-picking out the best part and leaving the rest.  There are a host of different thinking patterns you can take on to avoid getting fat.

Not exercising is another of the bad habits that will make you gain weight.  You may know that you need to get up and move around.  You may have every intention to do so.  The energy does not seem to be there when you need it.  To avoid this bad habit, start slowly.  What you may not realize is that the energy will increase as your exercise increases.

Bad habits of personal hygiene can be avoided by developing a positive routine.  If you fear going out in public smelling bad, you can make it a habit to shower every morning.  Shower more than once a day if the situation calls for it.  Brush your teeth and comb your hair.  If you are just starting out on your own, you could even make a list.  After all, you are probably past those teen years when everyone else made sure you were decent.

Relationships are difficult enough without developing bad habits.  If you are getting married, make a point of discussing all the possible trouble areas first.  You can do this with a pre-marriage counselor or on your own.  Either way, it is good to learn how you each can contribute to keeping away the bad habits of jealousy or neglect.

Many bad habits can be avoided if you will only consider the needs of yourself and of others equally.  Putting yourself first at all times makes you selfish and hard to abide.  Putting others first all the time just makes you a doormat.

For every bad habit, there is a way to avoid it.  The trouble is that no one can be vigilant enough to control that many behaviors.  What is more, many bad habits start before people are old enough to think much about it.  If you want to, though, you can pass up some of them.