Many of us struggle with some form of addiction. Many people’s addictions are very serious and very life altering. Their addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc have lead them down a road that is very difficult to turn around on. For these people, many times they need to seek professional help to assist them in overcoming their addictions.

But for most of us, our addictions aren’t nearly as serious. We’re not addicted to serious substances like alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, etc. For us, our addictions are to sweets, or shopping, or watching tv. While not serious, life altering addictions, they may still affect us. We may not be extreme enough that we need to seek professional help or enter a treatment facility, but they still have gotten to the point where we know we need to make some changes.

For us, there are many options that can help us in overcoming these addictions. Let’s discuss a few of them.

Find a Hobby

For many of us, if we’re not struggling with a serious addiction, all we need is a distraction. Something that will keep our minds off of our addictions. If we are busy with something else more productive, we might not feel as many urges to eat, shop, get online, etc.

Finding a hobby not only provides us with some much-needed distractions, but it also helps us fill our time with something maybe a bit more productive. That can help improve our self confidence, which can also help us get over our addictions. Many times these types of addictions are caused by self loathing… we use them as a form of self-medication and distraction. So, if we can fill our lives with things that bring us joy and make us feel like we’re accomplishing something, we can work to overcome some of the feelings that might have lead us to the addiction in the first place.

Get a Pet

A pet is another great distraction. It gives us something to be responsible for; something that might become more important to us than the addiction. On top of that, pets are a great way to bring joy into our lives, and to help us feel companionship and less alone. So, if some of those negative feelings helped lead us to the addiction, this unconditional love that a pet brings could help us to overcome those feelings.

Service

If you’re not an animal person, there are other things that can bring you joy, responsibility, and more fulfillment. Find opportunities to serve. This may be with your close friends and family, as well as throughout your community. Every community has many needs and programs for you to assist with. Find opportunities to serve. This will help you to reach out and think of others than yourself. This will also help to provide those much-needed distractions from your urges and negative feelings.

Set Goals

Sometimes all we need are goals. These can be short term, as well as lifelong goals. These goals can help to provide us with more perspective; with a bigger picture. They can also help us to see what we are missing out on because of our addictions. Set goals, both large and small. Recognize when your addictions are getting in the way of you reaching your goals.

Read

Reading provides more than just a distraction from your addictive urges. It also provides you with education. This can be especially helpful when trying to understand what you are feeling, and how to overcome it. There are many books out there written on ways to overcome addictions, specifically on things like the 12-step program. Your addiction may not be extreme enough that you feel you need professional help or to join a group for it. You may just need some education on what steps you can take to overcome your addiction. Find a book(s) on overcoming addictions, and/or books on the 12 step program. Then use this learning and these steps to help you overcome your addiction.

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