Humans are creatures of habit. Well, all living things are creatures of habit. We’ll stick to the humans. Habits will form in life. Some habits form without much effort because they are hereditary. You need to pay close attention to your family because you are more susceptible to picking up their habits. The synonym to habit that has a more negative connotation is addiction. Yes, you can be addicted to working out, cleaning, and reading books but, that is not what we have in mind. We are thinking of drugs, gambling, alcohol. It works both ways.
What is a habit you have that you are proud of having? That is a weapon you can use in this world. What about the one you are not happy about possessing? The bad habit can be to the detriment of you. I’m not going to act as if getting rid of a bad habit or addiction is simple. It is not. The best strategy to breaking a fixation is not to start. The second best is to quit at the first sign of trouble. These strategies are critical because moving past these steps means breaking the bad habit will be a lifelong fight.
How are these poor habits formed? Many ways but, we can discuss the ones mentioned and drill down a little. People take Drugs recreationally until that feeling becomes the only feeling they like. It goes from recreational fun to desire to extreme need. It is now an escape from all of your problems, your negative thoughts, the life you no longer enjoy. These reasons and the chemical dependency your brain and body are now seeking will make breaking the addiction nearly impossible.
A gambler gets hooked in by the excitement of turning $1 into $2. Eventually, that gets boring, and turning $100 to $200 is exciting until it’s not. Now you have minimum bets of $1000. The problem with gambling isn’t the gambling itself. It’s the excitement it gives you. It’s the false optimism it gives you. In sports betting, for example, a gambler can make 90% of their bet for picking one team to beat another team by a certain number of points. Cool. You have 50/50 win to lose odds in this case. You then discover parlays. Now you can make 250% to 600%+ of your bet. That $1000 can be $3500 or $7000 by the end of two or three games. What you don’t realize is your chances of winning have dropped to 25% and 12.5%, respectively. Would you bet $1000 with a 75% to 87.5% chance of losing in any other circumstance?
Hell no but, Vegas thrives off of taking these types of bets. It’s hard to stop because you tell yourself winning one of these can make up for 2.5 to 6 losses. Before you know it, your bank account drains, your cards will get maxed out, and you can’t pay your bills. You lose everything while Vegas builds another attraction to create and attract another you.
Alcohol is very similar to drug addiction as far as how it starts and why you do it. The big problem with alcohol is that it is legal and socially acceptable. No need to hide. No need to seek out a dealer. Many people give alcohol a section in their homes. Could you imagine someone having a Heroin, Cocaine, or Crack room on full display like a bar is in some homes? No, but to a person with alcohol addiction what is the difference?
These reasons are where the plight of alcoholics can trump that of a drug or gambling addict. They are all serious problems. I mean no disrespect if you are fighting one of these. The alcoholic must battle with a war they are already set up to lose with their addiction extremely accessible and used in their faces. That sounds extremely hard, which is why I think its the hardest fight to the 1A and 1B of drugs and gambling.
In closing, embrace that you are a creature of habit. You can make yourself read, clean, and workout. These good habits have perks just as all the bad habits have perks that pull you in for more. All you need to do is find the benefit you like. Now you have your reason to stay hooked. Try to find another. You now have the equivalent of ignoring the first sign of a habit. In the case of creating a new good habit, this is ideal.
You now have a good habit that will be around for a lifetime. Life can be difficult. You have to arm yourself with as much as can. Our ability to form habits can be a gift or a curse. In the beginning, we have the power to determine what we will allow. Don’t let the control slip away by not taking action.
Food for thought…You do the dishes!
