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This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degree . 

You don’t realize how difficult it is to beat an addiction unless you’ve actually been in the situation yourself – you know you have to quit because you are slowly destroying yourself, but you’re unable to do so because of forces beyond your control that tug and claw at you until you give in. And you end up feeling guilty and hating yourself because you think you are not strong enough. Getting rid of an addiction is a significant achievement because it proves that you can accomplish the greatest victory there is – that over yourself. You know you have battled your personal demons and vanquished them all with your courage and determination. It’s not an easy task, but if you put your mind to it, here’s how you can get rid of an addiction:

·         Desire to quit: To beat an addiction, you must want to get rid of it. You must hate the habit more than you enjoy the pleasure it gives you. Only then is it possible to get rid of it for good. Some people give up addictions because they are forced to by friends and family members or because of their circumstances. But in such cases, you’ll find that they often suffer a relapse and are soon back to their destructive habit. So to quit an addiction, you must first want to do so.  

·         Remove yourself from temptation: Some people find that the best way to quit is cold turkey – get rid of the habit suddenly and immediately. It’s like pulling a Band-Aid from your skin – it hurts initially, but the pain subsides over time. Others find that they do better when they withdraw slowly and steadily. It’s up to you to decide which method stands a better chance of success and implement it accordingly, but for either to succeed, you must remove yourself from temptation – if you’re addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, ensure that you don’t keep the stuff stocked at home; if you’re addicted to the Internet or to a relationship, sever connections that tend to tie you down.

·         Think of the consequences and the rewards: Any addiction has adverse consequences, so if you’re tempted to go back, think of all that you stand to lose if you give in. Simultaneously, focus on all the rewards that are in the offing if you quit successfully and use the thought of these to spur you on to success.

·         Seek help from loved ones: When you’re battling the demons of addiction, your efforts are aided with support and help from loved ones, so tell your friends and family of your endeavor and ask them to do all they can to help you out. If you’re tempted to give in to your desires, they may be able to talk you out of it or distract you until the urge disappears.

·         Give in under controlled circumstances: Some people find that allowing themselves a little guilty pleasure once in a while under controlled circumstances prevents them from giving in to their cravings and going on binges. This is an option that must be exercised with extreme caution however, because it has the potential to become the first step to a relapse.

Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com .

By Motivational Speaker and Success Expert Sharmen Lane

Today we are going to have a lesson in CPR.  Choices and Personal Responsibility.  I think this time of year is great for looking over the past year, evaluating it and determining what we like and dislike about who, what, and where we are and how our choices got us there.  The best way to make a change is to take personal responsibility for where we are and how we got there. If you change your choices, you change your life.

 

 CPR~ Choices and Personal Responsibility [55:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

by Success Expert Sharmen Lane

Every choice we make has a consequence. Some will be good, some bad and other indifferent. Sometimes your choices will all be awful, but you still have a choice.  Not making a choice is making a choice. C. Wright Mills said, "Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them — and then, the opportunity to choose.  Wayne Dyer says, "Be miserable. Or motivate yourself.  Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice." 

 

 Choices and Consequences [56:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How often do you say, “I didn’t have a choice” or “I don’t  have a choice?” If you start to pay attention to the words you say I would bet it’s more often than you think. What would you say if I told you that no matter what, you ALWAYS have a choice? 

I think it is incredibly empowering to look inside yourself and say, this was my choice.  Then you can accept your situation and make better choices to improve it.

Robert F. Bennett the US Senator for the Utah said, “Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life.  You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”

As long as you think you don’t have a choice you will be taking or maintaining a victim position.  If you don’t have a choice, then you can’t do anything about your situation and that includes improve it.

Let’s use and extreme example of a situation where one might say they had no choice. Let’s say you’re walking down the street, when someone grabs you and holds a gun to your head. They say give me your wallet.  You hand over wallet and the thief runs off.  Did you have a choice when you handed over your wallet?  The answer is yes, you did have a choice.  I’m not saying you had a bunch of good choices, but you still did have at least two.  One was hand over your wallet.  The other was not hand over your wallet.  Now of course you are probably thinking yes but if I would have not handed over my wallet, I could have been shot or killed.  And, you know what, you’re right.  However, you still had a choice.  You chose to hand over your wallet and live versus keeping your wallet and possibly being shot or killed.  Give wallet live. Don’t give wallet, die. There were at least two choices.  Terrible choices, but choices nonetheless.

Why would we want to hold onto our belief that there is no choice?  Is it so that we can be the victim, so that it is not our fault that we are in the situation we are in?  Is it so that we have someone else to blame? 

We can’t change other people, but we can certainly change ourselves.  That’s a beautiful thing because when we accept that we do have a choice, we can change our own actions and become the person that we want to be.  Noone holds a gun to your head and says this is what you must believe. This is how you must act.  Even if someone was holding a gun to your head you still have a choice. 

The best thing about taking responsibility for your own situation and who and what and where you are in life is that when you do, you can change it.  And that is powerful. 

For more information please visit our website at www.sharspeaks.com email us at shar@sharspeaks.com or call our office at 888 582 0582.