taking your mind off an addiction

[l345l]

say you are addicted to food, but want to lose weight.

say you are addicted to smoking, but want to quit smoking.

how do you take your mind off food/smoking?

how do you succeed in the long term?

[AgentofGaming]

If I wanted to do something but had to resist.
I'd just take my mind off it for a week or two and make myself busy with other stuff.
Works for computer games, I don't know about smoking or food, but it works for junkfood.

[l345l]

I'd just take my mind off it for a week or two and make myself busy with other stuff.



Could you give me an example ? :) thanks

[ElstonGunn]

I'm a spiteful, arrogant jerk (;)), so what works really well for me with these kinds of things is to get somebody to tell me that it's hard to quit, or better yet, that I can't do it. Then I do it anyways, whether I wanted to or not, just to show 'em.

[Santana28]

simple - redirection. find another addiction!!!

OCD is fun!

[vaguely dissatisfied]

A complete and committed lifestyle change.....forever.

[anul]

I used to smoke the easy part about quiting is stop buying packs of cigarettes. Then if you don't purchase them you can't smoke them. It's a brilliant and flawless plan. It can work with any sort of addiction want to lose weight. Consume less, I've lost a considerable amount of weight by eating less.

It can work with any addiction really. Just don't call it a disease and claim that you can never recover. Then that person will look like an idiot, and brings shame to all forms of glorious gluttony.

To get your mind off your addiction is easy. Channel that into rage, then write angry letters. It doesn't matter to who you write to. This should replace any addiction over time.

[AgentofGaming]

Could you give me an example ? :) thanks

Having a very high academic courseload which involves preparing for really hard midterms, problem sets, labs and projects. These fall into obligations.

Of course you can also take your mind off things with an interesting computer game or TV show. These fall into enjoying something else.


It's just about giving yourself something else to do, do something else you like, or do something you have to do and think about that instead of the thing you are addicted to. Concentrate, divert focus. I guess it takes some will.

[Cytastic]

My personal motto: "It's amazing what you can accomplish through the sheer force of your own will."


I am a recovered alcoholic - did 6 months of therapy with a substance abuse counselor, lots of support from those close to me, etc. I have been sober for nearly 6 years.

I quit smoking - nicotine gum worked well for me. Important thing here is to remember that you will gain weight. Your taste buds go "Wheeee!" for several weeks before calming down.

I have lost over 35lbs - work out every day. Eat healthier. But make sure you keep active to maintain your weight - it's tough if you're balancing career, hobbies, etc., but make the time. I made that mistake and after two years, I get to lose that weight all over again (just started).

I find it's easier to make a habit out of living healthy - that way, I just do it and don't have to think about it a whole lot. But make no mistake, the lifestyle changes must be permanent to work long-term. Otherwise you'll find yourself thinking "I can't wait until my diet is over, then I can eat like a pig."

Also, I find the toughest part is doing the things I used to do while engaging in my previous behavior. I had to relearn how to barbecue, watch football games, hang out with friends, even drive. I used to smoke or drink during all of those things. Once you get past the initial "I wish I could" - you're okay.

[vkut79]

Simple - find a replacement for that addiction that similarly satisfies your needs.

[sonofone]

I don't know if this is a good idea or if it will work for you, but when I wanted to quit smoking I convinced myself that the next cigarette I smoked would be the one that gave me cancer, haven't smoked since. The idea being, bring the consequence of your action into today and not tomorrow. I don't know if it is psychologically healthy to give yourself a irrational fear but it worked for me.

[Tenacious B]

A complete and committed lifestyle change.....forever.
+1

I lost 80lb and have kept it off for about 9 years now.

1. Food is something you need to survive, not a goal in and of itself (eat to live, not live to eat)

2. Use common sense, fried = bad, grease = bad, sugar = bad, etc. Don't try to rationalize (hard for the INTJ, I know) your meals by looking at their components and claiming each is healthy in its own right. "Pizza is just some bread, cheese, and tomato sauce, that's not too bad." Food preparation is key.

3. Make gradual changes. I see a lot of people get overly zealous early on and quickly fall off the wagon because they struck out and changed their lives a bit too quickly. I haven't had a soda in at least 8 years, yet I used to drink several a day. I started by going to diet/caf. free, then only at meals, then only at dinner, then only at dinner when eating out, then never. You can apply this approach to anything and set a reasonable time schedule to ween yourself off of whatever it is your are trying to kick.

4. Discipline. Being "clean", in whatever you are trying to do, is something you have to work on every day. It is all too easy to slip here or there...here and there...here, there, and another time...every day...what diet? I was a fat kid growing up, so the unpleasantness of that is good motivation for me, I really do not want to be fat again.

If you want to post up a typical day of eating/exercising (yes, exercise is needed to) I'd be happy to give some suggestions on how to gradually improve your diet. Feel free to PM me as well. Once you lose the weight you will feel wonderful. Good luck.:thumbsup:

[Linn]

I have heard of a very good doctor's advice (though never tried that myself as I don't smoke): each time when you want to smoke a cigarette take a glass of warm water instead. Sip it slowly. Some say it works. Might also help for overeating. Best of luck.

[BlueTopaz]

During cravings, stay in the moment and distract yourself with what ever works. Know that you can only fight the cravings one moment at a time.
When you are a little less distressed, try addressing the reasons why you overeat or smoke. Does it make you feel better for some reason? What feelings/emotions/thoughts are you trying to numb or escape? Only addressing the root of the problem will afford you long term relief.
There are 12 step groups, and their successful results are significant. You might consider going to one of these.

[Colette]

There are 12 step groups, and their successful results are significant. You might consider going to one of these.

I'm not sure that the OP was seeking 'advice' as such (it seemed like a hypothetical query), but never mind, this is good advice anyway. Get support from others in the situation, I'd say.

Habituate yourself out of doing things associated with the addiction in your mind (e.g. if eating, avoid sitting in front of the TV with food, or whatever, if smoking, avoid going to the outside places where you normally smoke/d).

Distraction is a good one, as is meditation/visualization (or reprogramming yourself with an anti-addiction message, as one poster suggested).

Get a rubber band to put round your wrist and 'ping' it as a reminder, whenever you get cravings, to distract yourself or visualize some negative outcome.

In the end though I agree that it depends largely on how much you want to give up. A 'should give up' is not the same as a 'really want to give up'.

[AirmanINTJ]

Honestly, I think its all a matter of willpower. If you want to quit bad enough, you will quit, simple as that.

[Colette]

Honestly, I think its all a matter of willpower. If you want to quit bad enough, you will quit, simple as that.

Just as a matter of curiosity, have you yourself ever had an addiction?

[AirmanINTJ]

Just as a matter of curiosity, have you yourself ever had an addiction?
If you count laziness as an addiction ;). My dad is a recovering alcoholic, so whenever I see myself getting to a point where I "need" something, I stop myself.

[Colette]

If you count laziness as an addiction ;). My dad is a recovering alcoholic, so whenever I see myself getting to a point where I "need" something, I stop myself.

I don't count it as such. Laziness is a character flaw, not an addiction. I get more than a tad annoyed at 'trite' solutions being put forward by people who have never actually experienced an addiction themselves..

[AirmanINTJ]

I don't count it as such. Laziness is a character flaw, not an addiction. I get more than a tad annoyed at 'trite' solutions being put forward by people who have never actually experienced an addiction themselves..
The reason for my view would be my dad. He quit through willpower as he knew what his drinking was doing with his life. I have also found throughout my life, short as it is, that if you want something bad enough, you will get it.

[Victor Tango]

say you are addicted to food, but want to lose weight.

say you are addicted to smoking, but want to quit smoking.

how do you take your mind off food/smoking?

how do you succeed in the long term?

From my perspective, there's two main things to do.

1. Put yourself in a position to succeed. That means if you smoke, don't buy cigs. If you're an alcoholic, don't buy liquor and bring it home, or go to bars. If you're struggling with obesity, don't buy bad food and bring it home. Don't go to fast food places. Don't put yourself in a situation where it will be easy and/or convenient to feed the addiction.

2. Recognize that the temptation will always be there, and resolve, through your own power and will, that you will not give in to it. From my perspective, this is immensely important, and matters more than all the 12 step programs, support, and other tools put together.

I know plenty of people who have tried to quit smoking using gum, patches, etc, and have failed miserably. I also know people who simply quit cold turkey, and have succeeded.

I know obese people who have hired trainers to make their meals for them and monitor their workouts, and have not lost weight, because they cheated when the trainer wasn't around. I also know a person who lost over 100 lbs, with no trainer. They just decided to change, and followed through.

[Motor Jax]

i haven't had problems with my diet, but my daily intake of drinking and smoking sure makes up for it. i've been a smoker for the better part of 17 yrs, and being in the Navy doesn't help. but i've also had my few years of not smoking also, and the thing that helped me the most was exercising, loved it. and i felt great too.

but because i was doing BUDs training and working on a bad shoulder, i was doing far more damage than i thought at the time. now, i am still recovering from the surgery, and over the last couple of years of not being able to do too much, though i kept pushing myself, i had quit for a month here and a month there, only to be followed by further injury to myself and i couldn't do what i wanted to do. so, a bored job plus not being able to do too much equaled me to pick up that next smoke.

i know what i'm saying is not being too much help right now, but i had found that i love being physical and i used that as much crutch from smoking. it also helped with the diet also, but i'm already good there.

i usually have 2-3 small meals throughout the day followed by dinner with low carbs (unless i'm working out), white meats (try staying away from red meats), i cook in olive or canola oils since these are pretty light. and remember that Margarine is only one bonding chemical away from being plastic.

my favorite is sandwiches made with the usual trimmings and ham or turkey. sandwiches have everything you need. good luck to you



*runs to find paper and make a workout list for when he is better*

[PRBori]

Bottom line, if you have a clear view of what you want, why you want it, and what you must do to achieve it, then all you have to do is make sure you reach it.

As an INTJ we always set goals and come up with plans to reach those goals. Loosing weight or doing something in general to better ourselves is no different.

Weight down the benefits both positive and negative
Write down the steps you need to take
and reach for the sky...

In reality there is nothing in the world we can't do, if you limit yourself and think negative then you will never reach it, but if you always think positive and never limit yourself then there is nothing that can stop you from learning what you want or reaching your goals.

That's my way of seeing things.

[szaxazs]

To get your mind off your addiction is easy. Channel that into rage, then write angry letters. It doesn't matter to who you write to. This should replace any addiction over time.
Wow, this might work.


In the end though I agree that it depends largely on how much you want to give up. A 'should give up' is not the same as a 'really want to give up'.

Honestly, I think its all a matter of willpower. If you want to quit bad enough, you will quit, simple as that.

They just decided to change, and followed through.

1)You have to want to give up
2)Your willpower plays an important role.

When I was still repeating the same silly conversations with some friends that smoked (trying to make them stop it), they always said that they just couldn't stop, only to tell me now, one year later, that in truth they did not , nor do they want, to stop smoking actually. They said that they actually liked it, and they knew the harm it made to their health. At least I congratulated them for being honest.

That's why it's all about whether you actually want to give up something.

And I've heard the same "you don't smoke, you don't know how it is, it's addiction, I don't want it, take it away from me" thing a lot of times.
Okay surely addiction plays a role, but it's less than 10%.
The people I am talking about said the same things to me.
Only to tell me the truth some time later, they wanted to do it.
One of them even told me that if he really wanted to stop it, he would stop it, it's just that he does not want to. And I believe that he could stop it, I also believe that he does not want to stop it.

So if someone wants to stop a bad habit, it's >90% on whether they really want to stop it.

I leave a small <10% on addiction because some things really screw up your mind and its chemicals and when you stop taking them the way your brain operates changes, it really wants them back.

Nicotine, Alcohol, Long term coffee, even psychosis with food.

[PortInStorm]

Watch 3 people drown in the fluid in their own lungs then hear about one of them shooting his head off with a shotgun just after Christmas in his lung cancer desperation. Watch the widow struggle through PTSD (she was in the house when he did it). BUT, I don't blame him entirely, pain and meds do funny things to the mind, as does chemicals in the cigarettes.

Also, I've never had a cigarette, so I can only imagine that if it's anything like facing never having chocolate again... (I'm being serious). I've cut down on chocolate a lot, but am pretty sure it'd be difficult to never have some again. I do notice that chewing gum really helps keep me from eating too much.

[nightengale]

I'm a spiteful, arrogant jerk (;)), so what works really well for me with these kinds of things is to get somebody to tell me that it's hard to quit, or better yet, that I can't do it. Then I do it anyways, whether I wanted to or not, just to show 'em.

hahahahahahahaha i do that too but i've never thought it as being an arrogant jerk :P ha. is that i'm being?

[Katie]

Encompass the whole of you, plan the details, then take the steps. You are a spirit, have a soul (mind, emotions, will), and live in a body. Eating / smoking involve hands, mouth, times, places ... make new lifestyle plans to address this. Get help for the physical and, if needed, the emotional and mental. Visualizing helps the will, but you must visualize as if you've attained your vision (ie, I lost weight when visualizing myself as my pre-gain size).

It's not easy, which is why support and non-judgment help you start again if you slip. I'm very much a believer in the spiritual void aspect that we humans try to fill, which is worthy of exploring.

[ShaiGar]

say you are addicted to food, but want to lose weight.

say you are addicted to smoking, but want to quit smoking.

how do you take your mind off food/smoking?

how do you succeed in the long term?
ADD is my addiction. When i stop thinking about it... I fail.

[eternaltriangle]

Purposely get sick. When you are sick, you generally have a limited ability to smoke, or to move around for that matter. It can give you a critical few days in which to entirely rid yourself of smoking, and send you in the right direction. At least, this worked for my dad (although he wasn't sick on purpose).

I have seen some people chew on celery or carrots constantly, that might work to assuage the more psychological aspect of the addiction... Especially if you smoked cigars - I could see carrots looking kind of like cigars.

[eMachine]

Honestly, I think its all a matter of willpower. If you want to quit bad enough, you will quit, simple as that.

Just as a matter of curiosity, have you yourself ever had an addiction?

I agree with AirmanINTJ... and several other posters who elaborated on this basic idea in their own way. When a person really desires to drop a habit, they will. I don't believe in trying to quit something, because the word implies a possibility of failure. I don't think quitting is a good word to use either, because it implies an on-going effort. You just quit.

And yes, I have kicked a habit in exactly this way. Before I got pregnant with my daughter I smoked pot on a daily basis for years. When I found out I was pregnant I just quit. I still socialized with others who did it, sometimes there were only a couple walls separating me from the substance of my addiction. I didn't touch it again until my daughter was 10 months old and weaned from nursing. She is almost 4 now and I have not returned to the habit.

[Jenny Penny]

It takes a complete lifestyle change and mindset change.

I'm going to quit smoking Monday, which means I have to give up alcohol in all forms for a little while (it triggers the physical side of my addiction). I'm also planning on hitting the gym more frequently to keep up my healthy motivation. Other than that, I'm just going to try to think hard about all the things smoking will eventually do to me. I'm starting to notice some of the effects after smoking about 10 years-on and off-now. That is why I finally have decided to give it up. It is no longer "fun" and relaxing; it is a crutch and I have to see it in that negative light.

I know it will be hard. However, I have to do it if I finally want to get this monkey off my back.