7 Steps to Breaking Your Addiction

We all know someone with an addiction and may even have one or two of our own. Addictions come in many shapes and forms – from chemical ones (drugs, smoking, glue sniffing) to emotional ones (abuse of self or others, controlling behaviour, eating, gambling). Generally speaking, addictions are very personal. An addiction becomes a problem when it starts to affect our lives and/or the lives of those around us detrimentally.

It important to understand what really needs to be addressed. Many people view addictions as a pattern of behavior that they may have trouble breaking. What is more often the case is that the addictive behaviour is only a symptom of a deeper issue which must be addressed in order for the individual to break free of their addiction.

So many people fail to break their addictions or stick to healthier behaviour patterns because, when the focus is on changing behaviour, only the symptom of the problem is being addressed. It is very difficult to sustain a behavioural change when the root cause of the problem still exists.

All manifestations of addiction have to do with underlying emotional and spiritual causes which have the ability to decrease one’s quality of life by being a pathway to physical and/or mental illness such as depression and anxiety.

These are 7 steps, which may help you to beat an addiction:

1) Acknowledge the purpose.
• Why do you do it? You have to be able to answer that question.
• Is it to help you deal with anxiety and stress? It may be hard for you to admit that you have a drinking or smoking habit, but you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.
• What purpose does the behavior serve for you? If you’re an alcoholic, you’re not just drinking because you’re thirsty. Admit to yourself: ‘I’m medicating myself for anxiety, depression and pain. It numbs me to life”.

2) Use alternative coping skills.
People don’t break bad habits; they replace them with new ones. Some alternative techniques to consider to replace your addiction are breathing exercises or relaxation techniques. Recognize that you get a reward from smoking or drinking, “It calms you. It takes your anxiety away. It lifts your spirits. It numbs you to the pain of your life. If I take that away from you and then don’t put anything in its place, then you’re just there stripped of your coping mechanisms and you’re going to go back to what you were doing before.”

3) Identify your danger zones.
You don’t have to be strong and powerful all day long every day. You just need to recognize your danger zones, and do something incompatible with your addiction.
A danger zone can be a particular time of day or your reaction to a particular circumstance. There are times that you’re more prone to indulge in your habit than others. Recognize what those times are, and do something that is incompatible with the addiction you’re trying to break. For example, if you have the urge to light up during your 3 p.m. break at work, take that time to do your breathing or relaxation exercises instead. Dr. Phil encourages, “If you get through that two or three moments of impulse, I promise you it will go away.”

4) Make lifestyle changes.
The best way to stop an addiction is to not have access to it. You may have to change the places you frequent, what you do for fun and whom you hang out with. “It’s not willpower, it’s programming,” Dr. Phil says. You have to set your life up for success if you’re going to break your addiction. If you’re trying to stop smoking or drinking, try simple things like not carrying money for cigarette vending machines or cleaning your cupboards of alcoholic beverages. If you are a computer junkie, remove the computer from your house.

5) Reward yourself.
When you see yourself making progress, even baby steps, you have to motivate yourself to keep going. Give yourself credit. Reward yourself for every step you make, starting with admitting that you have a problem and asking for help. Overcoming an addiction can be very difficult, but it can be done.

6) Be accountable and have a support system.
Being accountable to someone means that that person will not only support you, but will give you the kick in the rear that you need when it gets tough and tell you the truth when you’re kidding yourself. Get your family and friends involved in your efforts to kick the habit. You need to find a community that supports you during this time and embraces your decision to be healthier. You may also need to seek treatment or check into a rehabilitative program.

7) Seek help with your local Energetic Kinesiologist.
As the causes of addictions are most often psycho-spiritual, kinesiology provides a wonderful tool for individuals to examine and explore the origins and reasons for their addiction. Kinesiology allows us to access subconscious processes in order to find information related to the root causes of the addiction. By bringing this information into conscious awareness the individual may gain clarity and awareness as to the reasons for the addiction and as to what change needs to take place in order to break free. Kinesiology can also be used to determine which energetic pathways have been blocked related to the addictive behaviour or the causes, vibrational healing techniques can then be applied to clear energetic blockages and to help the individual to move forward free from energetic burden.