Addictions

No one addiction is better than another. For example, an alcoholic's addiction is as much the same as someone who is addicted to caffeine. May be, some one is just damaging is body to a lesser extent. Again, may be, one addiction is socially acceptable than another. Essentially, it is a limitation or a crutch you cannot exist without.

You can swap one addiction with another to move from the socially unacceptable to the socially acceptable category. I had a friend who used to be addicted to eating paper (seriously). He then switched to Polo and it worked as a perfect substitute.

Or you can let it go completely.

What is the way out? There are only two fundamental methods - though the practical offshoot may be millions. One is for you to experience something larger than what the addiction offers. And this must be on a moment to moment basis and not a one time thing. I had a friend who used to smoke two or three cigarettes a day. He visited the IYC for a week and he mentioned that he did not even have the urge to smoke. That there would be no situation available to smoke there is another matter. Something worked at a deeper level and satisfied his body obviating the need to smoke. The habit obviously relapsed after he left the place.

The other is to sharpen your intelligence and see through the stupidity of the addiction. This is much harder! The very depth of clarity or insight can make the addiction fall off like a dead leaf, though I am not sure how many people are capable of something like that. This again needs to be sustained, because the bodily dependency on the additive / habit will keep going back to it. I read about a business man who dropped off his caffeine habit after just reading through the side effects - because he perceived his habit as stupid.

Anyway, either method - letting go of an addiction requires commitment and a lifestyle change. The taste of being liberated from an addiction and what takes its place is what will truly keep it away!