If you are like many people attempting to live your dreams and become successful, you may find that addictive behaviors may get in the way or prevent your success altogether. Addictions by definition are self-destructive. They erode self-esteem and cause gradual health problems, and impairments in social, occupational, physical, emotional, or spiritual functioning. Our society condones addictions. So much of the social fabric of everything we do involves the acceptance of addictive thinking and behavior that we have become almost unaware of it.

If you may have a problem achieving your goals because of an addition of sorts, then the following list of possible addictive hindrances may help you identify your personal demons and eliminate them totally from your life:

Immediate gratification: All addictions produce instant gratification. You feel better as a result of your involvement with the substance or process in which you indulge. It is enjoyable to experience the altered state (at least temporarily).

Simplistic thinking: You believe that "it" will make everything all right. You believe that "it" is something that is capable of inducing positive psychological, emotional, and physical states, as well as relieving negative ones.

Distorted priorities: Your priorities become distorted, and you become consumed and obsessed with your addiction as the most important thing in life, above and beyond everything else.

Skewed perspective: Your perspective becomes skewed and inaccurate. You are unable to perceive reality accurately. You begin to see people and situations as exaggerations of what they normally are.

Symptoms of withdrawal: As soon as you are deprived of the substance or the process, adverse consequences appear immediately. You experience unpleasant physiological, psychological, and/or emotional symptoms. You experience trauma at the thought or reality of separating from your addiction.

Overwhelming attachment: You are so dependent upon the addiction that you feel unable to function without it. A need/dependency relationship evolves between you and your addiction. You need it to be happy and your well-being is contingent on having it available to you.

Complete loss of power: You feel powerless to alter your situation. You have relinquished your power to something or someone outside yourself. The situation has become bigger than you are, and you are unable to affect a change. You are a slave to your addictions.

Binary thinking: You are a victim of binary thinking. You view situations as black or white, either/or, right or wrong, good or bad, on or off, wonderful or awful. Life is perceived as a zero sum game in which the pendulum swings between two polar opposites with no happy medium.


     Listing # 0020