Our Addiction-Based Culture....

In any society which shamelessly promotes instant gratification and nothing in moderation if it feels good enough, the people are bound to suffer.  I remember as a kid a television show in which contestants were given about five minutes to run through a grocery store and "load up" on whatever they could fit into their shopping cart.  They had to get the cart to the checkout line before the alarm rang, and the winner was the person whose groceries added up to the highest dollar amount.  That show wouldn't work today, I can tell you that.  Why?  Because in today's culture, I can just imagine half of the contestants consistently running over to the liqueor/beer/wine aisle...while the other half would be fixated on the junk food snacks/sugar/candy aisle.  And if the grocery store had an "open" cigarette aisle and/or a single isle devoted to all things caffeinated (Red Bull, 5 Hour Energy Drinks, Premium Roast Coffees, etc.)---they would be equally popular.  No matter what attempts are being made to promote "Clean Eating" and "Non-Genetically Modified" foods, the facts are the facts:  we are still a nation of instant gratification addicts whose "substances" of choice revolve around the "Big 4".  And, you ask, what pray tell are the "Big 4" substances?  I just told you in my example:  Alcohol, Sugar, Tobacco, and Caffeine of course!

There have been so many books written and even more seminars done about the damage caused by overuse of these "Big 4" substances...and to what end?  Way too many so-called civilized and educated adults (of any age!) think it's "funny" to party until they soil themselves, throw up, pass out, nearly kill themselves or someone else, and/or "can't remember a thing" about the day or night before.  And this just has to do with alcohol consumption! 

Shouldn't we find it somewhat ludicrous that the only "addicts" we recognize are those who obviously "look" and "behave" like addicts?  I think this is why so many of us stay addicted to whatever it is that binds us;  we aren't "that bad" yet in our own minds.  So, what will have to happen to the "social drinker" before he or she realizes they have a REAL problem?  2 or 3 DUI's or OWI's?  Getting their driver's license revoked?  Killing someone?  Being raped (like the 16 year old in Ohio a couple of weeks back)?  Tragically, even those things don't stop many from pickin' up the bottle or the glass and saying:  "Sure, I'll have another!"  Spare me.  We are one sick land of opportunity when it comes to our ongoing love affair with our own addiction-based culture....

Practicing moderation in all things is one way we can begin to turn the addiction cycle around in our own lives.  Instead of drinking six beers or mixed drinks on Friday night, why not limit yourself to three?  Instead of smoking 20 cigarettes a day, why not cut down to 10?  Instead of eating 5,000 calories today, why not 2,500?  Instead of drinking eight caffeinated drinks before the work day is over, keep it to no more than four.  In all cases, it's a start.  If you find that you can't do it...then this is when you need assistance from a trained professonal, the support of a recovery-based group, and authentic friends/family members who will support you in a "right" way.

Good luck.  Breaking free of the addiction cycle isn't easy, but it's certainly possible...one day at a time.

P.S.  There are OTHER ways to get over and manage your ANXIETY which do not involve ALCOHOL, CIGARETTES, WEED, OXY, VICODEN, XANAX and all the other central nervous system "depressants".  There are also OTHER ways to get over and manage your LETHARGY, BAD MOOD, ADHD, INABILITY TO "GET GOING", etc. which do not involve CAFFEINE, COCAINE, METH, and all the other central nervous system "stimulants"!  I'm just sayin....







 

 

Feeling Better Fast...

Feeling better fast is a fact of life.  Everyone wants to accomplish this particular goal whenever we feel "bad".  You can define "bad" however you like.  Some people want to feel better fast when they feel guilty.  Others want to feel better fast when they feel bored.  Many want to feel better fast when they feel anxious.  I have yet to meet a person in my life or in my office that "enjoys" feeling angry, frustrated, betrayed, sick, lonely, tired, worthless, unlovable, etc. etc. etc.  Needless to say, "feeling better fast" is once again, a fact of our human condition.

Having said this, what do YOU most often do to feel better fast?   Do you first pursue the appropriate and "non-harmful" ways of feeling better fast?  Or do you first pursue the inappropriate and "harmful" ways of feeling better fast?  As surprising as this may sound, not too many people think about the answer to these questions when specifically asked, especially when what they are doing to feel better fast plays a very big role in their day-to-day life.  Much like going to the bathroom when you first wake up, who thinks about what they are doing every single day to "feel better fast" when it's been a habit for the past 5, 10, 20, 30, or 40 years!?

Well, this is why I am writing this post today.  Certainly there are some "feeling better fast" strategies that are appropriate and "non-harmful" and "good for you" generally speaking.  Just the other day I was reminded how the internet (when properly used!) gives us instant access to photographs of every kind.  Do you love horses?  Google "images of horses" and every horse under the sun that's been downloaded onto the internet is there for your instant viewing.  Puppies, babies, kittens....these are just a few examples of what we can "look at" for 5 or 10 minutes in order to feel better fast in an appropriate way that is non-harmful.  Haven't you ever wondered why Instagram has become so "hot" so quickly?  What is it consist of?  Photographs.  Hello!  We love photographs.  And for all of us, all we need is to match our desired subject matter with the means to view it and voila, we are feeling better fast....

Do I need to go there about what constitutes "inappropriate" and "harmful" viewing on the internet?  Let's put it this way, I don't know how many times I have said to clients, "When what you are looking at replaces treating yourself or your partner like an equal but more like an object instead, THEN IT IS HARMFUL!"  Enough said?  I hope so!

Volunteering for a charity you believe in, praying, meditating, spending time with good friends, yoga, eating right and getting enough regular sleep, drinking more water, pursuing a hobby, helping someone else in genuine need, doing crossword puzzles, riding a horse, owning and caring for a pet, playing an instrument, singing, dancing, going to a ballgame, reading the Good Book and/or any good book....there are SO many things we can do to feel better fast that won't hurt us or another person.  Yet why is it that we must always "think" about what we need to do to feel better fast that is appropriate and non-harmful to us...but when it comes to feeling better fast in a "wrong" and harmful way, we know instantly what to do?

Eating too much or too little, purging, eating junk food, drinking energy drinks like water and often times instead of water, drinking caffeine, wine, beer, or any other form of alcohol like it's your job, smoking, staying up late and getting up later, laying around all day and watching cartoons, old movies on TCM, or music videos, playing video games until your fingers and hands go numb, running around like a wild man (or woman) for hours on end without taking breaks, taking yourself off the radar in order to view that inappropriate content and/or talk to the hand over and over again, having your secret stash of friends with benefits that no one else knows of but you, stealing, cheating, lying, fudging the facts (you don't think these things make you feel better fast?  Try again!), throwing someone else under the bus to avoid facing what you did wrong, letting someone else work to support you (now we're getting into interesting territory aren't we?) while you keep complaining how they don't "do enough" for you...etc. etc. etc.

Funny isn't it?  We do all kinds of things to feel better fast without realizing it in the first place!

In the end, feeling better fast doesn't work so hot when what you are doing is bottom line inappropriate or harmful (to you, another person, or a whole lot of other persons besides yourself!).  And this is why people come to see me!  Because I can show you how and why and what else you can practice to feel better fast without, over time, feeling worse than you started...

248-561-8660