Lately issues with addiction have hit me close to home. There are all kinds of addictions out there from the obvious (alcohol, drugs, gambling) to the not so obvious (food, drink, use of lotion, makeup). Everyone has an addiction to something. Some addictions debilitate us so that we can barely, if at all, function in society. And others, are merely just something we do, they harm no one.
I have an addictive personality. It took me a long time to realize this and it is a constant struggle to overcome it. In my late teens and early 20s I partied and drank a lot. I stood on the edge of a full on addiction to booze. I loved it. I had fun. It made me feel good, it made me brave, it made me forget my misery. I grew up around drunks. I knew what kind of life that was. Fortunately, I was able to step away. I drink now, but I know my limits. I do it very rarely and never do I take a drink if I "need" one. I don't drink to forget, I don't drink to remember, I don't drink to feel better, I don't drink to be brave and I don't drink to feel good. But every time I do drink, I remember in the back of my mind, how easy it is to do it too much.
I smoked at one time too. Actually I smoked at several times in my life, on and off since I was 13. About 2 years ago, I put them down and said I was done. I haven't picked another up since. Smoking was easy to give up, it made me physically sick on my stomach at that point.
For a little while Zerolove & I played Everquest, an MMORPG. It was fun. It was a good way to escape for a little while. Before long, it wrapped us both up. We had 2 computers and would play together at the same time. We didn't pay much attention to the kids, didn't go anywhere. All of our free time was spent playing. One day we realized it was stupid and turned it off. We've tried a few games since then because hell they are fun. It is fun to escape for a little while. But we control more how long and how often we play. And we have rules set up, no playing after work, only play after the kids are gone to bed, certain things must be done first, no staying up passed a certain time to play. It keeps us in check.
On the flip side of the addict, you have the enabler. I never have understood the enabler. The enabler supplies the addict, they make excuses for the addict, they do whatever necessary to keep the addict happy. I have seen alcoholics whose wives make more excuses for the drinking problems than the alcoholic himself does. Oh he needs it to rest, that's just the way he is, his back hurts so he needs a drink, you name an excuse and I've probably heard it. I do not understand making yourself miserable because of someone else's problem.
All that being said, I have an addiction. I have an addiction to food. I use it to comfort myself, to make myself feel better, to get away from things for a few minutes. I have replaced my other addictions with food and this is how I have gotten to the weight that I am now. I think food is one of the hardest addictions to put down and walk away from. I mean, seriously, you have to have it to live. It's not like I can just say, I won't ever eat again. It is very hard for an addict to control how much and how often they have their drug of choice when they choose to quit. You have to just walk away and not have that drink, not smoke that cigarette, not pop that pill...ever. Most of the time, that addict cannot ever have another drink, etc. With food, you can't do that.
I have enablers too. My family. They don't mean to. It's the "lets have pizza" "lets get burgers" that gets me. I want them too so I agree. I want ice cream, I love ice cream. They want me to be happy so nobody says anything when I am sitting at 10:00 eating a bowl that is just a little too big of ice cream. There's big family dinners, holidays, celebrations. Office birthday parties, the bowl of M&Ms sitting on someone's desk that is kept filled all the time. Our society lives, breathes and dies on food. Everything centers around food. It's no wonder we are all so fat. Every where we turn there is more and more food. Servings are bigger, more preservatives, more fat, more calories. And we were taught to eat what is on our plate. Afterall, there are starving children somewhere in the world that would love to have that food.
Okay so, I've faced it. I've admitted it. Now it is time to do something about it. Time to replace this addiction with something less harmful to me and my body. Time to start treating food as what it is, something necessary for sustaining life. You never hear anyone becoming addicted to air......food should be the same way.
I have an addictive personality. It took me a long time to realize this and it is a constant struggle to overcome it. In my late teens and early 20s I partied and drank a lot. I stood on the edge of a full on addiction to booze. I loved it. I had fun. It made me feel good, it made me brave, it made me forget my misery. I grew up around drunks. I knew what kind of life that was. Fortunately, I was able to step away. I drink now, but I know my limits. I do it very rarely and never do I take a drink if I "need" one. I don't drink to forget, I don't drink to remember, I don't drink to feel better, I don't drink to be brave and I don't drink to feel good. But every time I do drink, I remember in the back of my mind, how easy it is to do it too much.
I smoked at one time too. Actually I smoked at several times in my life, on and off since I was 13. About 2 years ago, I put them down and said I was done. I haven't picked another up since. Smoking was easy to give up, it made me physically sick on my stomach at that point.
For a little while Zerolove & I played Everquest, an MMORPG. It was fun. It was a good way to escape for a little while. Before long, it wrapped us both up. We had 2 computers and would play together at the same time. We didn't pay much attention to the kids, didn't go anywhere. All of our free time was spent playing. One day we realized it was stupid and turned it off. We've tried a few games since then because hell they are fun. It is fun to escape for a little while. But we control more how long and how often we play. And we have rules set up, no playing after work, only play after the kids are gone to bed, certain things must be done first, no staying up passed a certain time to play. It keeps us in check.
On the flip side of the addict, you have the enabler. I never have understood the enabler. The enabler supplies the addict, they make excuses for the addict, they do whatever necessary to keep the addict happy. I have seen alcoholics whose wives make more excuses for the drinking problems than the alcoholic himself does. Oh he needs it to rest, that's just the way he is, his back hurts so he needs a drink, you name an excuse and I've probably heard it. I do not understand making yourself miserable because of someone else's problem.
All that being said, I have an addiction. I have an addiction to food. I use it to comfort myself, to make myself feel better, to get away from things for a few minutes. I have replaced my other addictions with food and this is how I have gotten to the weight that I am now. I think food is one of the hardest addictions to put down and walk away from. I mean, seriously, you have to have it to live. It's not like I can just say, I won't ever eat again. It is very hard for an addict to control how much and how often they have their drug of choice when they choose to quit. You have to just walk away and not have that drink, not smoke that cigarette, not pop that pill...ever. Most of the time, that addict cannot ever have another drink, etc. With food, you can't do that.
I have enablers too. My family. They don't mean to. It's the "lets have pizza" "lets get burgers" that gets me. I want them too so I agree. I want ice cream, I love ice cream. They want me to be happy so nobody says anything when I am sitting at 10:00 eating a bowl that is just a little too big of ice cream. There's big family dinners, holidays, celebrations. Office birthday parties, the bowl of M&Ms sitting on someone's desk that is kept filled all the time. Our society lives, breathes and dies on food. Everything centers around food. It's no wonder we are all so fat. Every where we turn there is more and more food. Servings are bigger, more preservatives, more fat, more calories. And we were taught to eat what is on our plate. Afterall, there are starving children somewhere in the world that would love to have that food.
Okay so, I've faced it. I've admitted it. Now it is time to do something about it. Time to replace this addiction with something less harmful to me and my body. Time to start treating food as what it is, something necessary for sustaining life. You never hear anyone becoming addicted to air......food should be the same way.
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