What’s your addiction?
Or should I say, what are your addictions – the one’s you are willing to admit?
We live in a world where everyone is one click away from going viral, where we share every detail of our lives on Facebook and can’t imagine going a day without walking around with a Starbucks cup in our hands.
When logos and egos rule, we’ve taken our addictions to a new level and we are no longer just talking about our additions to food, alcohol and drugs.
We already know:
- 69% of Americans are clinically obese as are
- 30% of children under 20 and now
- 17% of the global population.
- 1 in 4 reported binge drinking in the last month
- 1 in 5 college students have reported the characteristics of alcohol abuse disorder
- 1 in 3 Americans have tried or regularly use hard drugs.
We want it all and we want it now!
In a society of the addicted, where extremism is the norm, understanding how addictions are formed can help us identify when we are headed down the wrong road and feed our needs by nurturing the habits we want.
The root of our addiction is found in experience – our own experiences and those relayed to us through others.
- Repeated experiences become habits.
- Habits unchecked become compulsions.
- Unchecked compulsions escalate and become engrained addictions.
- Watch what those around you do and value.
- Associate with people that share your values and goals.
- Be conscious of things you are doing differently than before and ask yourself ‘why?’
- If you find yourself doing things you wouldn’t normally do, find alternatives quickly.
For example, try asking if your client would rather join you at the gym instead of dinner and drinks – it might just work.
As habits become compulsions, we lose our freedom of choice. Learning to control the process could help you do many of those things you’ve been putting off for so long and help you stop doing those things you do that you know you shouldn’t…
Anyone want cake?
