Addict

ADDICT = one who exhibits a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity; to give up oneself to a habit

QUESTION: To what are you addicted?

STORY: I remember sitting with two friends in a restaurant when I was in high school, about 17 years old. They were smoking cigarettes and invited me to try one. It tasted awful but their friendship kinda hooked me to keep trying. It wasn’t long for me to get addicted. Ten years later I spent three months working hard to stop smoking. Two techniques Translation® and RHS (Releasing the Hidden Splendour)™ helped me to untangle myself from my addiction to cigarettes. At age 76 I let go of another addiction: coffee. I think about young people today and their Addiction to social media. There are concerns about cyberbullying, child abuse, anxiety, gaming and gambling. The Internet makes it difficult to place protections to keep youth from purchasing harmful products in the on-line world. The Internet is also becoming increasingly filled with advertising. Effective regulations of digital media are lacking in many countries.

QUOTE

“Social comparison, feelings of missing out, and cyberbullying all stem from the content we see online. These negative impacts lead to more depression and anxiety. Our body’s experience the negative effects of technology, too. More screen time can disrupt sleep, especially if this screen time is before bed.” ~ Maria Clark

“Technology is causing a set of seemingly disconnected things - shortening of attention spans, polarization, outrage-ification of culture, mass narcissism, election engineering, addiction to technology.” ~ Tristan Harris

“Childhood trauma is really what puts the rocket fuel behind addiction.” ~ Drew Pinsky; “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.” ~ Carl Jung

EXERCISE

STOP.

Sit quietly. Assume an erect posture. Sense the breath. Take a few minutes to relax and observe without judgment any tension in your body.

Get your pen and paper and write words or draw lines expressing a habit you give yourself to and imagine freeing yourself of this habit. Move forward into your new day understanding you have the ability to govern your own behavior.