How To Stop An Addiction

(Technology Based Addictions)

*I will ignore CHEMICAL and substance addictions in this post for the simple reason that chemicals create physical withdrawal issues that are beyond the depth or relevancy of this post to address*

 

It’s easy to watch one Youtube Video and fall into a hole. When you finally find your way out, you find 5 hours have flown by and you haven’t gotten anything done.

It’s easy to binge watch porn looking for the perfect video for hours while masturbating compulsively.

It’s easy to waste 8 hours on a video game with nothing to show for it after.

You feel a deep sense of shame and regret and then promise yourself you won’t do it again.

This article is about How to Stop An Addiction.

We will specifically be discussing TECHNOLOGY addictions.

This is because CHEMICAL ADDICTIONS are much more complex, difficult and

An addiction to watching videos, surfing the net pointlessly or WASTING TIME is SYMPTOMATIC OF A LARGER PROBLEM.

1.) The Real Problem

The real problem for me that caused my addictions was a lack of SELF-RESPECT.

I didn’t respect or put a high enough value on my time. I also didn’t believe in my ability to put my time to good use.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

It’s easy to convince yourself of things that just ain’t so.

The reality is that you can always put your time to good use. You can always be a producer instead of a consumer.

If you brainwash yourself with lies like “It doesn’t matter.”, “I can’t succeed.”, “I don’t know how.” then you will not value your time.

If you don’t value your time you will WASTE it.

Smart Phones, Computers, Youtube, Porn and the infinite novelty of the internet make it easy to waste time and not appreciate the value of a day.

 How To Stop Addiction

(To Technology)

Value Your Time and Believe In Yourself

If You Don’t Value Your Time – It’s Because You Don’t Believe in Yourself

The “Cure” to How to Stop an Addiction is SIMPLE.

Put a higher value on your time, your goals, and yourself.

I came to a startling realization this morning. I wasted several hours yesterday binging Youtube videos at my house.

Now granted I didn’t sleep very well last night. That’s not a justifiable excuse for an adult who holds themselves accountable.

Even with the lethargy I could have spent time working on the blog, or reading a book, learning a skill, or taking notes for a review.

But nope, I fell into a YOUTUBE rabbit hole and wasted several hours just watching videos that provided no NET BENEFIT to my life.

Now usually I listen to videos and this works out just fine because I’m getting stuff accomplished and the audio just plays in the background.

Anyways, this morning I woke up and I had a realization. Specifically, I had a realization about the way I wasted much of my time over the past 9 years ( Age 19 – 28.)

Now , the  CAUSE of these vices, addictions, distractions – whatever you wish to call them was a LACK of FAITH and DEEP BELIEF in my personal abilities.

The EFFECT was I wasted MY priceless YOUTH on LOW value distractions that ULTIMATELY did nothing but help me ESCAPE from my problems, and my refusal to adopt responsibility.

See, if you don’t think much of yourself, you won’t become much. You won’t try for fear of failing.

1) Video Game Addiction

I played video games on a daily basis like it was my full time job.

I remember sometimes I would check my hours played in the past two weeks on Steam. Invariably it would be something like 120 hours, which comes out to 8.5 hours a day.

Thinking back at all that time I wasted. Why did I waste it? Why did I not value myself or my time so much?

I can think of 5 Factors off the top of my head:

1)Hesitation

2)Lack of Life Experience

3)Lack of a Plan

4)Lack of belief in myself and my capabilities.

5)Comfortable (In a Bad/Mediocre Situation)

When you’re living at your parents place and have free room and board, free food and no pressure it’s easy to be mediocre and procrastinate.

One thing you must realize in this life.
When you are comfortable, you have NO incentive to GROW.

When you STOP GROWING, you begin to DECAY.
The END Result of DECAY is death.

Many people are the WALKING DEAD.
Although they are physically alive – they are dead inside.

Sleepwalking through life.

They’ve given up on life, they’ve given up on there DREAMS.
In short.

They’ve  SETTLED.
Life will give you any price that you ask from it – if you put in the work.

They chose to settle for the comfortable life of the mediocre male.
Its a comfortable existence, but ultimately a deeply unfulfilled one.

If the guy’s really honest with himself on a deep level, it will hit him sooner or later, like a ton of bricks.

It might be after a porn, video games, and junk food marathon at 4 AM on a Saturday while everyone else is out partying and enjoying themselves.

It might be when he’s 37 and his parents finally stop enabling him and kick him out.

It might be when his girl leaves his undisciplined, lazy slob ass for another man and he puts a gun to his mouth.

2)THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO SHOULD PLAY VIDEO GAMES

A)Professional ESPORTS Players/Streamers/Youtuber who make $60,000 a year through competitive ESPORTS or Youtube/Streaming Revenue.

B)Rich Millionaires/Celebrities

Who have the budget to pay for advertising, & extravagant streams that can quickly build up a large following and have enough passive income to where they can fuck around.

Without shooting themselves or their families/friends in the foot.

C)Attractive or Semi-Attractive Women who can draw a large audience of thirsty males to financially support them.

If you don’t fall into anyone of these categories, you shouldn’t be playing Video Games.
Period. If you fall into category #1 , it’s been your life and you haven’t been able to generate the money, then it’s time to be honest with yourself and MOVE ON.

The reason you shouldn’t be playing video games is simple.

You need to be using that time to improve your life and life situation.

3) Porn Addiction

Porn. The ultimate escape for men. Instant virtual access to unlimited females.

Except it’s really an illusion.

Porn is electronic poison for the mind. I’m not extremely religious, but I still think porn is inherently evil and negative.

You should always trust your gut. After I bang a woman, I always feel amazing. Like I achieved my purpose that biology and nature intended for me.

I experience feelings of elation, euphoria, pride, self-esteem , masculinity, dominance and positivity.

Contrast that with how men feel after watching porn:

Ashamed. Anxious. Nervous. Disgusted. Defiled. Negative. Depressed. Feminine. Submissive.

You feel like you played yourself. Instead of putting in the work, you took the easy route.

You watched another man fuck another woman while you played with yourself with your pants down.

As long as you remain a slave to porn, you will remain mediocre. Porn provides unlimited access to unlimited novelty, but you haven’t earned any of it.

It’s not real either. It’s a sad, fake illusion for the real thing that doesn’t hold a candle to the real act of sex.

Porn conditions you to be a weak, passive, feminine, submissive male (not a man, a male).

You are conditioning your brain to be sexually stimulated at the idea of watching another man fuck a woman.

He is achieving his biological imperative while you spill your seed into a tissue or the floor.
Man’s sex drive is the deepest source of motivation he possesses.

Don’t waste that motivation on sexual poisoned junk food.
Use it to improve your Social Market Value, lift weights, learn new skills, level up, or GET OUT AND MEET REAL WOMAN.

Don’t commit crimes against your own body.

3)Internet/Youtube Surfing Addiction

Procrastination n. The action of delaying or postponing something.

Ah procrastination. Procrastination was part of the reason I played video games and watched porn so often.

See, if you hesitate it’s all too easy to just put the decision off into “tomorrow” and find some escape to distract you from having to chart a definite course of action.

So what’s the problem you might ask?
What’s the problem?

4)TOMORROW NEVER COMES.

Tomorrow, is a lie, a fantasy, false hope, a comfortable illusion you sell yourself on so you can avoid the hard work in the HERE AND NOW.

The second problem is that the longer you procrastinate and escape your problems and reality, the bigger the problems get.

You can only escape your problems for so long before they get too big to ignore.

Procrastination is an illness, a neurosis, a malignant tumor. Procrastinate enough, and you’ll make your life a lot harder.

Don’t lie to yourself. Don’t hesitate. Take action.

Do what you know you should do, the second you know you should do it.

Flip a coin if you have to. Roll the dice. Whatever it takes. Just get off your ass and do something to move your life in a positive direction.

Failure is merely a temporary, singular isolated outcome – not a permanent identity.

You only become a FAILURE when you give up on yourself, on your dreams and goals and ambitions.

Treat failure and adversity like what they really are – Stepping stones.
Don’t procrastinate for fear of failing.

5) Replace Addictions with  Productive Pursuits

All addictions exist to fill a void or provide an ESCAPE/DISTRACTION.

What that means is that if you have an addition and attempt to quit it without replacing it with something else, you will have an ISSUE.

Either you will RELAPSE. Or you will trade one ADDICTION for ANOTHER.

People who try to quit smoking often find themselves becoming ALCOHOLIC’s, OVEREATER’S or Coffee Fiends.

This is because they have not addressed the core issue – the void.

Go to the gym – take up a hobby – socialize with people. Build good habits.

Replace negative addictions with POSITIVE HABITS.

Me spilling water on my computer was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I ended up getting addicted to lifting weights, socializing with people at bars and clubs and stepping outside my comfort zone.

That one small change snowballed into me becoming an entirely different person.

CONCLUSION:

If you want to procrastinate on anything, procrastinate on playing that video game.

Procrastinate on binge drinking. Procrastinate on that porno session. Procrastinate on surfing the web or Youtube.

But don’t procrastinate on becoming the best version of yourself

Life is like a bicycle. You’re fine until you stop pedaling.

How to Stop an Addiction?

That’s simple.

Start respecting yourself, your time and your goals.

 

-AJ Lifts