A thought on addiction
Join me on my quest to find a way to solve an addiction.
On 13th of February I was reading “The Brothers Karamazov” (by Fyodor Dostoyevsky) and one thing hit me: addiction can’t be fought by trying to fulfill it. You just live with it, it never stop if you try to satisfy your desire.
I once had a feeling that solving an addiction is a simple thing: one just tries to solve it, forces things (imposes, sets a goal), and it goes away. And when addiction comes back, and you really want that thing, the solution is to try to solve that one moment (since you are already out of addiction). This will make things better (I thouhgt), and in the long term you won’t feel the urge anymore
Well, I was wrong. Addiction will always make you have an urge. (or at least me) The solution to solving the urge is simple: keep the urge. Don’t try to satisfy it. This is totally unlike me: I have a tendency to solve a problem by making things worse. I know, it feels bad, you really want that thing, but living with the urge and not satisfy it is the best thing to do.
So, as a personal observation to my urges, it seems I can’t solve an addiction by stepping into it.
I just felt like sharing this with the world.
2 Comments
I understand what you mean when you talk about living with your addiction. I’m an alcoholic and I quit drinking in April 2006. The only way I managed to beat the addiction was to give myself choice..ie. I can drink if I want to, but I choose not too. By accepting the addiction and giving myself choice, I am able to live with it and to feel comfortable in the presence of alcohol. It’s a very simple strategy and it works.
If you can think this way then addiction will never be a problem.
Rob
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Thanks Rob, your words are calming me.
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