What is an addiction? An addiction is a psychological or physical dependence on something or a substance. Most people assume that the word addiction follows the words alcohol or drugs but these are not the most common addictions. Addictions can come in many shapes and forms and they are all very bad for you if you are unaware of them or in denial of the fact that you may be powerless over them.

Some examples of addictions.

Some people are addicted to drugs and alcohol and some people are addicted to porn. But, most people these days have a habitual or psychological dependence on coffee and social media. These are two of the most popular addictions and they can be nearly impossible to break. I think it’s safe to say that all of us are on our phones way too much and we get into a habit of constantly reaching for our phone even if we do not have a new notification. (Last year I disabled push notifications on all my apps except for texts and calls and this has greatly reduced my screen time.)

“Be the master, not the slave.”

Well, one of my life coaching clients that I’ve been working with for almost a year now came to me with a lot of life problems and challenges. After a few sessions, it was very clear that the reason his life situation looks the way it does is because of his dependence on alcohol. My client could not go more than 1 day without drinking wine or liquor. Without going into too much detail I continued to ask my client questions about his relationship with alcohol without insinuating he should quit.

Sidenote: While working with a client I make it very clear that they are in charge of creating the action plan. I am just here to ask deep open-ended questions that allow them to gain clarity on what the next step is from here. I did not push sobriety on my client and I definitely did not tell him that he was an alcoholic. This is very important as a life coach because we are not here to make anybody feel bad about themselves, we are here to help people get closer to their goals and dreams faster than they would without a coach. With this specific client, it was very evident that alcohol was getting in the way of him accomplishing those things so naturally, the conversations gravitated more towards his relationship with alcohol.

How did I prepare to serve my client?

First things first, it’s important that I mention my brief stint of alcohol and marijuana addiction myself after being on Big Brother when I became severely depressed. I was excited about this challenge with my client and I decided this would be a great opportunity for me to not only help and change my client’s life but also learn the science behind addiction. I picked up a few books about addiction and substance abuse and learned a lot about the effects it has on our brains and the triggers that can cause addiction. But the best lessons that I was taught were from attending alcoholics anonymous meetings. I decided to go to a few meetings every week to learn about the struggles and challenges that alcoholics face and the most successful steps in getting sober. This not only helped my understanding, but my client is making excellent strides toward living a much better life free from his dependence.

What are you addicted to?

So what is something that you are addicted to? Are you addicted to coffee or social media? Maybe you have a habitual or psychological addiction to porn or sweets. The first step you must take is to recognize yourself as powerless over this substance or habit. Try and understand the underlying issues that cause you to be dependent on either a substance or habit. Recognition that you are an addict is the first step in stepping away from it. You are not in control of your addiction but you must take proper steps in managing your addiction. Take 1 small step to breaking free from your addiction and believing wholeheartedly that progress is better than perfection. Depending on the severity of your addiction or habit, it may be worth reaching out for outside help.

How to fight your addiction?

Try and take a 3-day detox. Take 3 days away from your addiction, if you can, and see if you are the master or the slave. Feel free to email me or text me with your feedback on how this challenge went. If you are dependent on alcohol I highly recommend alcoholics anonymous, there are likely many meetings in your area, you can find more information at aa.org.

If you need some encouragement and help getting sober or beating an addiction you can schedule a free discovery call with me and we can discuss your situation. It’s always helpful to have an unbiased, non-judgemental outside source on your side for encouragement. Schedule a free discovery call below… It’s FREE:

With love,