I consider myself a lucky one, but am I actually lucky or do I just have stronger will power then some? I hear it a lot, "Oh, his father was a heavy drinker so its in his blood" or "He cant help it because it was in his household when he grew up" or something along those lines. I dont believe it, and I dont buy it. My father was/ is an alcoholic. Not me, I went through that stage when I turned 21. I partied every night until dawn and got drunk all the time but that only lasted maybe 6 months and I stopped. I drink occasionally, maybe every couple weeks I will have a margarita or a bloody mary, but thats all. I dont drink beer, I HATE beer and wine. I attribute that to an incident when I was 15 at a fourth of July party where I got black out drunk off of Beer and Vodka, ever since I cannot even SMELL beer!
As far as other addictions go, I have always stayed away from drugs, I have done mushrooms once and been high off weed 4 times. I dont care for it, every time I have tried smoking weed it was me saying, maybe I will like it this time. Nope. Dont like it. I can feel slow and hungry and lazy without the aid of a drug thank you very much! The harder stuff I wont ever touch because I KNOW how addictive they are and the extremely harmful things they can do to you. Sure it interests me to see what it feels like, but I know and understand the possible consequences and there is no reason to put myself through that.
I wish there was a word for smokers like drinkers have the term Alcoholic, because I would be one of those. I am a smoker, I just dont smoke. I quit about 3 years ago, but still miss it, and since I quit I have had drags here and there or shared cigarettes while on vacation, I still love it. I smoked for over ten years, loved it. I KNEW it was horrible for me and made me smell bad and yellowed me teeth and cost lots of money but I still did it. It is so crazy how an addiction can grab ahold of you and make you do stupid things. Hmm, lets inhale smoke into our lungs and blow it right back out knowing full well that it is killing us. Sounds great, sign me up! It is a COMPLETE waste of money!! Would you fill up your gas tank and immediately pump that gas out the other side of your car onto the ground? When you smoke you gain NOTHING! You already breathe in and out for free, why add a bit of smoke for $5 a pack?? I do get it though, sometimes in the morning I would still get that first cigarette of the day high and it felt good, my brain would say, AWWwwwww, and relax. It is so scary what additives and chemicals can do to you. Scary stuff indeed.
Same thing as Caffeine. I quit drinking sodas about the same time I quit smoking. The crap they put in our American soda is horrible. I would drink 3 or 4 cans of soda a day and all that sugar and caffeine was having a bad affect on my body and health so I stopped. I have since recently started occasionally drinking pure cane sugar sodas like ginger ales and root beers and micro brew sodas, but just for a treat with dinner or after a run to get my blood sugar up.
Fact of the matter is that any addiction is bad, whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, caffeine, drugs, sex, etc.... If it is an addiction we need to get it in check before it does harmful damage to our health or well being.
Like I stated in the beginning, I am a lucky one. I have been able to curb pretty much all of my addictions through sheer will power, strength and courage. But again, not sure if its luck or not. But I know that if I can do it,ANYONE can do it. You just have to be willing to put in the time and effort.
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There's a thin line between what you do for fun and what is doing you for fun. Realizing it is probably the first step of overcoming your addiction.
Cheers
When I click "cheers" I hear glasses clinking. It will be a tough one to break but I've been taming it slowly for years. Unfortunately, you not believing it is partially genetic as well as a nurtured behavior doesn't make it true.. and bless you for being strong but the rest of us have to keep fighting.
Didnt mean....
I didnt mean that it has NOTHING To do with genetics, people can be genetically inclined towards addiction in general for sure. I just meant that it is an excuse, "he has to because his dad did.". I am strong yes, and that comes with belief that I CAN break my habits and that I am stronger then any addiction. Getting over smoking gave me that belief. ANYONE can quit ANYTHING if they fight for it and truly want it. I do have to fight everyday to not smoke, it gets easier but I am no better then anyone else. Admitting that I am addicted is the number one thing that keeps me from doing it anymore.
gotcha
we definitely can quit or succeed at anything f we put our mind to it. Definitely a good conclusion on it
NO SUCH THING
Theres no such thing as luck, but you allready know that, good on ya!
Agreed!
I agree that there can be some genetic predisposition, such as with alcoholism. But everything is a choice. My parents, uncles, aunts, were/are all smokers. I grew up with it, and probably was addicted while growing up without even knowing it from the second-hand smoke I constantly inhaled. And, some people don't believe me, but to this day I have never tried a cigarette. Not one. People are incredulous at that fact, but I never felt the need to light up. When I'm around smokers, yes. I do like the smell, and never feel the need to get away from it. I've never coughed being around smokers, which probably goes back to my childhood. But again, I never feel I need to light up. I do like beer. That's pretty much the extent of my drinking. I don't drink everyday. Maybe once or twice a month, and then I try to limit myself to one or two. But back to the original point. People DO choose what they do. Kudos to you, forbish, for taking control of your addictions. I also have all but banned soda after beginning to drink water. Ever let soda evaporate and see the sticky sludge that's left over? I don't really want to put that crap in my body anymore. I do like coffee in the morning. That's about the extent of my caffeine intake. Keep being positive! Have a great day!