Quote:
Originally Posted by Revolution
Random thoughts: do you suppose if we were having this discussion in a country that is less puritanical than the U.S. that many of the answers might be different? (Yes, I know guys like Happy Boy are from Ireland, and many posters are from outside the U.S., but I still think the majority of posters are American.)
I think much of "recovery" boils down to how bad one wants to be clean. As for me, right now I'm drinking heavily -- about a 12 pack a night. (Oddly, I don't touch wine or hard liquor. Liquor, especially, makes me nauseous.) The reason I haven't quit is because I haven't fully decided that I *want* to be clean. The only negative effect in my life from drinking, right now, is that I've gained weight. Compare this to what my life is like when sober -- I suffer from severe depression -- and honestly, the though of dropping a 12-pack after work is very much a relief. And while I've tried various distractions (MMA, video games, playing music, whatever), nothing gives me the same relief from depression that alcohol does.
I guess to sum it up, in the abstract I'd like to quit drinking and get back to MMA, and some other things. But I don't think I want it enough.
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An addiction would probably be characterized in any culter as any behavior which negatively influences your life. If a behavior does not cause negative impact on your life, then you are probably not dealing with an addiction. Of course, at the same time people are often slow to notice the negative impact (weight gain, family, work, etc).
You say that you want to be clean, and the only negative impact is weight gain. The term Cognitive Dissonance is applicable here, and you might be interested in learning more about if you have not researched it before.
Cognitive dissonance can be summarized as basically that guilty feeling or stress related to a chasm between an ideal and a behavior. The less cognitive dissonance, the less likely you are to change. The more cognitive dissonance, the greater your chances of changing.
So what changes? Either your belief, or your behavior. People will ultimately make some kind of change to reduce cognitive dissonance and bring beliefs and behavior in harmony.
Translate to your situation. Maybe you decide gaining weight and being buzzed (slightly incapacitated keep in mind) on a daily basis is just fine with you, and that
value is greater than the
value you place on being in shape and productive on a daily basis.
Either way I think people the world over are inherently the same, although value systems and worldviews are very different, resulting in different stimulus for change in behavior and ideas.
