The Best Reason to Quit Addiction is the Reason You Fell Into Addiction

Breaking away from addiction will be almost impossible unless you have a very good reason to do so. If this motive isn’t convincing enough, or if it is too vague, you can expect this new sober life to be as wobbly as jelly, and it will likely all end in a mess. This reason for quitting has to be so compelling that you will be willing to do whatever it takes to create a life free of mind numbing chemicals. I found that the only reason that held this much power for me was the reason for why I fell into addiction in the first place.

http://marionjensen.com/2014/12/how-far-should-i-run.html The Reason for Addiction is the Best Reason to Quit Addiction

There was nothing wrong with my motivation for turning to alcohol during my mid-teens. I felt unable to cope with the challenges that were coming my way – everything seemed so hard – but alcohol looked to be a way to breeze through life and avoid all the sharp edges. For the first few years, getting drunk every day did seem to be giving me a free pass through life. I particularly enjoyed been under the influence at work because it felt like I was getting away with something. It didn’t take long though, before my life became far more unmanageable than it ever was before. I sometimes crossed the line into madness because alcohol did such a poor job of helping me cope with things.

http://fft3.com/media-admin.php The Drunks Curse of Pain Healing All Wounds

At the end of my addiction, I would have been happy just for the pain to stop. I knew from previous experience that this motivation would not be enough to keep me sober long-term. The problem with using pain and suffering, as a reason to quit addiction, is that the pain and suffering soon goes away. They say that time heals all wounds, but this can be a curse when you are using these wounds as a reason to remain sober. Once the pain goes, the memory of the pain begins to fade, and soon there is no longer any reason to be on the wagon.

I realized that the best reason for me to give up alcohol was the same reason for why I began abusing it in the first place. I wanted to experienced mental peace, and I became willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve this. I already knew by the fact that I almost drank myself to death in search of this mental peace that this could work as a powerful motivator for me. I made this my reason for quitting, and as expected it provided me with the motivation I needed to break away from alcohol for good.

Why Do You Want to Quit Addiction

I would urge anyone who is trying to break away from alcohol or drugs to think long and hard about why they want to do this. If you can’t clearly and succinctly state this reason, you are going to find it a real struggle when things get tough. It is best to write this motive down on a piece of paper, or on the computer, and to look at it critically to decide if it is going to be powerful enough to launch you into sobriety. If this reason for quitting doesn’t seem convincing enough to you now, it is going to appear even less convincing later on when you really need it. By choosing the right reason to quit you can guarantee your success – in many cases, the best reason to choose will be the one that lead you into addiction in the first place.

4 Replies to “The Best Reason to Quit Addiction is the Reason You Fell Into Addiction”

  1. Dear Paul,
    Your blog and podcast are AWESOME! Your insight, wisdom and advice have been very helpful for me. I’ve been working very hard to quit drink, doing it on my own and it has had its challenges. Being able to read your information has helped me feel connected and given me encouragement. THANK YOU! V

    1. Thank you Veronica. Giving up alcohol is a major undertaking and going it alone means that we have to take even more responsibility for our own success. I do hope that the information I provide on here can help you in some way.

  2. Fear, sadness, and loneliness were my reasons. The cure for fear is facing it. As Jung said, the only cure for a fear of heights is jumping. The antidote for sadness is joy, and there are many ways to get joy that don’t involve alcohol. The loneliness was due to fear.

    1. My first thought when u mentioned fear, sadness, and loneliness was when those are gone will u continue to stay sober. Just like for Paul the pain(his reason) went away. Food for thought.

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