Addictions

Addictions determine who you are. The fight against them shapes who you will become.

Why I avoid them

Because they take from me things I am not willing to give up:

Desire for greatness

I want to be great. I believe I can be, I just need to keep improving.

Growth lies in discomfort and small work that compounds. These require boredom and thought.
Dreams fall short under the urgency to fulfill the present moment.

Innocent belief in perfection

I resonate with Plato’s idealism. I have always been distressed by the lack of perfection. Plato’s Forms are perfect and unchanging.

Addictions have no existence of their own. You are a vessel of their existence.

Novelty

Addictions are thieves of novelty. We disregard everything to bathe in their embrace.

I’ve seen it happen with weed. A friend stops showing up. Why go out when you already know what will make you feel good?

Some not-so-obvious addictions

Porn

There is a societal consensus that tells us it’s okay.
Most of my friends talk about it with shame, that it doesn’t feel okay. On finish, there’s repulsion.

I quit porn around a year ago. I simply decided to stop. I read this book.
Since then, I’ve been at my best physically, and my happiness has increased. It might be cause or effect.

Coffee

Coffee is the most socially defended addiction.

Most daily consumers deny that they are addicted, yet openly attribute their mood, productivity, and patience to whether they have had it.

The usual defense is that it’s not bad for your health. This misses the point. Harm is not what makes an addiction worth avoiding.

Love

Being in love is the strongest addiction I have ever experienced. It robs you of everything, only that one girl matters.

If mutual, this is the only addiction I would welcome. Even knowing the cost.

Digital Consumption

Likely the addiction that most affects our generation. I used to watch Instagram every night before going to sleep, as if it were a ritual. I now am addicted to YouTube.

Everyone participates in it. It robs you of attention. A quiet moment comes, and you fill it before it begins.

Fighting addictions

My beliefs are strong. My will is weak. If something relies on my willpower, I will fail.

Avoiding temptation

The best way to fight addictions is not having to. It’s hard to not eat a cookie, it’s much easier to not buy it.

Self-honesty

Do not attempt to ‘reduce’ an addiction, to drink less coffee, to watch porn only every x days. Moderation is self-deception.

Quitting requires a decision and acknowledgement that you were an addict. Note the past tense.

Compounding effect

Addictions compound. One must always be vigilant, keeping addictions at bay. It’s easy once you fall back to one to wish for another.

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I have to fight less every day.
I’m building a life where addictions don’t belong.