# Removing life's addictions....



## SkyHigh

Well, I just took some positive steps for myself today. 

I am now one month sober, a former alcoholic with zero interest in ever touching a drop again. 

I decided to take things one step further. For starters....Facebook.

Facebook really had a hand in strangling my marriage. My WS is constantly addicted to the stupid games and spends countless hours on it. Instead of picking up a phone or showing up attempting to contact, she tries to use Facebook. As a result of her addiction, I decided to remove the website from my life. And to be honest, there's another reason why I did this, besides her....

It's simple, really. The past 30 days have really helped me to better myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But one thing I had to re-learn was how to trust my friends. My REAL friends, living, breathing people that I can see, touch, talk to, and hear. 

I don't need a "social media network" to do that. I don't need "likes" and "shares" to feel validated. 

I feel like I took a pretty big step. It concerns her, but it also concerns myself, more. I never liked the site, or what it does to people...people CONSTANTLY talk about it, even go so far as to request Facebook info from people they JUST MET as opposed to exchanging numbers or agreeing to meet up at another time and place. It's made life too convenient, and its convenience has seemingly made people everywhere forget how to truly enjoy life instead of advertising their lives online. 

That's what I'm going to start doing. How about you guys? What addictions have you kicked recently that you're proud of?


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## Hope1964

Good for you!! Well done 

I am proud of my hubby for being over two years 'sober' - he's a sex addict.

We both deleted our facebook accounts when we got back together. Neither of us were that 'into' it - (he only had one friend) and it was irritating to both of us that everyone seems to assume we were on there. Plus facebook isn't a good place for a wayward spouse to hang out.


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## Blanca

Good job on being sober! Facebook can be a little bit of a roller coaster at times. I keep it just to keep in contact with people that I wouldn't otherwise see in person; but I see your point about not actually contacting them.

I'm working on giving up junk food. If I make it through today that will be ONE WHOLE DAY!!! haha. It would be easier if people at my office didn't stock candy on their desks constantly.


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## SkyHigh

That's a great goal!

I've found that for the past three weeks now I've been sticking to my workout routine. It's simple, it's just 80 push-ups and 160 crunches a day, but it's enough to make a noticeable difference in my body. I also don't eat half the crap I used to, and cutting the alcohol out helped there, bigtime.


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## Blanca

SkyHigh said:


> That's a great goal!
> 
> I've found that for the past three weeks now I've been sticking to my workout routine. It's simple, it's just 80 push-ups and 160 crunches a day, but it's enough to make a noticeable difference in my body. I also don't eat half the crap I used to, and cutting the alcohol out helped there, bigtime.


That's such a great idea. I've been trying to get back into working out but I end up setting unattainably high goals and then give up. I'd have to set it at 10 pushups a day though. 80 is impressive!


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## Hope1964

One addiction I would like to get rid of is smoking. I need to QUIT QUITTING. I smoke cigarillos. The fact I can't quit really bugs me. I am smart, not bad looking, university educated, have a great support system, wonderful kids, a really good life. Why do I keep killing myself???


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## SkyHigh

Blanca said:


> That's such a great idea. I've been trying to get back into working out but I end up setting unattainably high goals and then give up. I'd have to set it at 10 pushups a day though. 80 is impressive!


Well, it's not 80 all at once, it's 40 in the AM and 40 in the evening. That way my muscles have time to cool down before they get worked up again.


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## Chris Taylor

Congrats, especially on not drinking.

I have found that routine changing helps a lot. Instead of grabbing a drink while watching TV, I'll grab a book and read. Instead of eating junk food as a snack, more nutritious foods are available.

I did the same with smoking. Whenever I used to light up, I just changed those situations.

Facebook? Never heard of it


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## Ansley

That is so awesome! I put away the drink which was very difficult. Stopping was not tough..staying stopped is what I had to have outside help with. And dont get me going on Facebook. Goto the CWI forum. Almost every thread "_and then I saw the post/PM on Facebook" _


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## YinPrincess

This is such an inspiring thread. I have many issues I need to kick, but only one addiction - nicotine. I really wish that someone would have explained to me, long ago, that when the day comes and you want to quit - it will be the most difficult habit to break. I am physically dependent and experience severe withdraws without a cigarette or patch. SEVERE. Holy moly.

I want to quit before this has a chance to take my life. I've already been diagnosed with a mass in my jaw, and it's scary... I still can't seem to stomach the withdrawals enough to get over it. It's really sad. 

I also regularly use alcohol, (about three beers per night, sometimes more), and pain medications for my back.(I don't get to exercise as much as I used to, and with Fibro, this is SO IMPORTANT in coping with the pain). I don't take meds often enough to become addicted, but I do worry about becoming an alcoholic. As far as FB, I don't use it nearly as much as I used to. It's not a big deal to me. 

This thread gives me hope and inspiration to overcome my battles. Thank you for posting this!! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## atom

I can stop my smoking habit since august 2008 till now, but I can't get off sex from my mind.


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## Samcro

I been dependent on OxyContin for years and I have an addicting personally too. When I get a hobby, I go full bore and start hiding money and stuff for it. 
I am on FB, but I only check it a few times a week tops. For me it's meh. Not to into it. But try to take my iPhone or iPad or Xbox I will go nuts. 

So what I did was get rid of all temptations of my saltwater hobby, which is expensive. 
And I went to detox on my opiates to help remove all my addictions. Been hell for a while, but it's a good thing for me. No temptations is a must for me to turn my life around.


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## bribrius

i once heard the best way to stop a addiction is to start a new one.

im actually considering going the opposite of you. And getting rid of a couple addictions and drinking more alcohol instead. 

It would also give my wife something worthy of complaining about. I think she picks a little looking for things to complain about now. Maybe i should give her something worthy of her time complaining?


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## Homemaker_Numero_Uno

My "addictions" are a bit more insinuous. 

My daughter was just diagnosed yesterday with a dust mite allergy. And I have the same. So my "little" family (my older son who is 22 lives away) are decluttering.

One would think it's fine to have things like arts & crafts, board games, stuffed animals, nice clothing that was given to my daughter free, books, and non-violent family-friendly movies, and various childhood toys such as doll house and dolls and knick-knacks. But these things take a lot of time, and they hold us back as a family, as we hold onto 'stuff'. 

My little kids are now nearly 12 and 8 and they are developing substantial interests such as art (drawing and pastels) and want to engage more than they have been in some more focused social activities (dance, Math team, art classes, Girl Scouts, soccer, downhill skiing, etc.) 

We are giving up our attachment to stuff from the past that is holding us back. As long as we have this stuff we feel obliged to use it but the fact is that as time goes by, this stuff is collecting dust, both figuratively and literally, and that is bad. It's both damaging to phsyical as well as the emotional health. 

Even after removing some wall hangings and the TV we only use to watch DVD movies (we have a portable DVD player, and a computer with a DVD player) and our VCR movies that we have no player for, and my CD's that I barely listen to, I feel so much better. The atmosphere in the house is more aligned for creative energy, because it's not overly burdened by the past and its layer of dust. 

Our town has a sharing shack at the recycling center (aka dump). We'll be making a trip or two today and also I'll be taking a lot of books to a local book shop. Some of my books I can sell or lend out this term to students at my college. My kids said as they read books we have here in the house left over from my older son, they'll give them to friends or leave them at the sharing shack. 

We are boxing up all the arts and crafts stuff and keeping the real art stuff. I will get them easels and they'll have an art studio here with the space we recover from childhood toys. 

This is a big step for my kids and my family. I know not everyone lives this way, but we really do want to have time to attend to our vocations, and to have the time we need to be free of managing and cleaning 'stuff' that doesn't relate to what we want to do. It's definitely a milestone but not one that typically goes in those baby books (I have no clue when my kids got their first teeth, lol.)

Anyway, getting rid of stuff that shaped our identity as it is now, is getting rid of an addiction of clinging too closely to the past. There is a difference between burying the past inappropriately and truly recognizing that it's time to move on from it and to keep certain pieces selectively. To be honest, there are a lot of subliminal messages attached to 'stuff' from the past...learning what to keep and what to send off to a new life is definitely a sort of spiritual journey.

My goal is to have almost nothing when I reach the end of my life


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## Going Mental

I've quit smoking, gave up eating too much (lost 30kgs) replaced it with exercise, not in that order. Today however I am seriously struggling to keep the eating under control. I am into week 2 of permanent separation and I am eating. Not to the point of bingeing. I have given myself the rest of the week as a pity party to be depressed, smother my crappy feelings with food, recover from this flu, and generally be a lazy unhappy morose pig  Come Sunday, I'm back to doing the stuff that really will help me cope better - good quality food, planning & exercise.

PS. Awesome work quitting the booze :-D


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## Homemaker_Numero_Uno

Going Mental, I sometimes get the urge to just eat too, or read, or both in combination. lol. So at those times I go to the store and I get as many healthy snacks as I want and cans of seltzer water I like, and get some good food that I love and just settle on in. I'll clean my bathroom thoroughly so I don't feel unaccomplished by all the slovenly behavior, lol.


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