Dr. Dr. Barton Goldsmith recently published the article “10 Reasons to Kick Addictions” for the Scripps Howard News Service.
These are great reasons for those who are considering entering into an addiction treatment program and for those who are already in any of the various stages of recovery. If you are thinking about getting sober, take a long moment to consider what you are about to read–imagine it for yourself, envision how your life will be once you aren’t chained down by your addiction anymore. Live it in your mind.
For those of you have already started down your path to sobriety, take a moment to soak these in. Let them live in you, and to serve as a reminder, especially during hard times, of all the reasons why you have taken up this hard, yet dazzlingly rewarding, task.
Ten Reasons to Kick Addictions:
1. Your friends and family will be happy to see and count on you again. If you are continually doing things that are self-indulgent or hurtful to those you love, they have no choice but to turn away from you.
2. You will like yourself better. Once you give up your habit, you will be able to look at yourself in the mirror and smile. You also won’t be sick and tired of being sick and tired.
3. You will have more joy in experiencing a day rather than sleeping through it. When the demon has you in its grip, you have no life.
4. Your body and mind will feel awake and alive once again. One reason people continue to drink and use is because they physically experience the withdrawals of the substance and need to continue the addiction just to “feel normal.”
5. You can now have honest, deep and lasting relationships. Addicts don’t have relationships; they take hostages. Once you are sober, someone can choose to love you rather than choose to stay because they are afraid for you or of you.
6. You are now available to follow (and reach) your dreams. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself because you haven’t achieved your goals, you will be able to take the necessary steps to get there.
7. You will make the world a tiny bit better. Just by being a little nicer, as well as extending a helping hand to others, (which will help you stay sober), you will make this world a better place.
8. Others can once again trust you. An added benefit is that you can also trust yourself again, because you have gotten through one of the most frightening things in life.
9. You will have more money. Many people who are addicted spend all their money on their drug of choice. Sober, you no longer have that extra expense and are capable of earning more.
10. You give yourself a life. Many people drink and use because they are afraid of dying. Others are afraid of living. And all addicts are afraid of stopping. Using drugs and alcohol doesn’t make you less afraid; it just numbs you.
We all have our reasons. What are yours?
