Are you an addict?

Posted by taylor | Under Personal Development, happiness Friday Oct 30, 2009

This is the first of two post around the subject of addicts and addiction. Why this topic; well I am a firm believer that many of us of addicts in some shape and form and the realisation of this is the first step to step changed your own wellbeing and happiness.
So, first of all let us look at what we mean by an addict.
An addict is someone who is unable to exist without their focus of addiction. The addictive behaviour is at its strongest when the person is at their weakest, and so is best spotted when people are down, under pressure etc.
What “ I am not a heroin addict” I hear you say, but let us take a closer look because just because you are not an extreme drug addict may not mean you are not showing all the same symptoms. Let us check out a few other thought starters…
- “ I can’t go without my coffee in the morning”
- “When ever I get down I go straight for the chocolate”
- “ I need that beer or glass of wine when I go out”
- “ I am a self confessed gym junkie”
- “ I zone out to brain-dead television. What is wrong with that?”
- “ I am an adrenalin junkie always searching for my next thrill”
- “ I am what you call a sex addict”
- “ I am always searching for the next adventure”
- “ I am always working”
- “ I am addicted to shopping”
Interesting when you think about it. Of course there are different levels of addiction, but if I am true to myself I would be able to tick over half of these categories, and from an outsiders perspective, I would probably be referred to as “normal”, I could of course be totally wrong on this and am simply delusional.

Another sign of addiction is when you do the exact opposite of what would be the best for you in that precise moment.
In my next post we will look at what lies behind addiction and how addiction can be replaced by freedom