Getting over an addiction/habit

[peenie 1,690]

Have any of you ever had an addiction or habit that you were able to overcome? Even if you are still working on it today, but have had success, would you please reveal the steps you took that helped you most?
(it is not necessary for you to reveal your addiction.)

Helpful answers look like:

 Therapy

 12 step program

 Self help books 

Meditation

 Cold Turkey/Will Power

etc.

 

 Unhelpful answers look like:

 Your Mom

 Denial

Chicago murder rate statistics

[Djgb13 2,338]

Haven’t ever had an addiction but besides the things you listed I would also suggest exercise, diet, and activities with friends. You’d be amazed at how just eating healthier and exercising can improve your mood and make you want to live a healthier life. Hanging out with friends will also keep you from being bored and keep your mind from wandering over to you thinking about getting whatever it is you’re addicted to 

[MDC 5,890]

Cigarette smoking. Combination of a short term replacement (nicotine gum and e cig), exercise and willpower. I also read an online smoking cessation book that helped me a lot.

Edit: I must have read this chapter on use rationalizations 100 times. Link

Its specific to smoking but I bet there are similar ones out there for other addictions. I found it massively helpful.

[Djgb13 2,338]

1 minute ago, MDC said:

Cigarette smoking. Combination of a short term replacement (nicotine gum and e cig), exercise and willpower. I also read an online smoking cessation book that helped me a lot.

Grandma died of lung cancer when I was 12/13. Pretty much turned me off from smoking. But another reason was how it seemed almost impossible for people to quit. Couldn’t imagine having insane nicotine cravings like people get 

[IGotWorms 3,311]

I smoked a bit in college and was able to just quit that cold turkey. Helped that after college not many of my friends smoked and (correctly) thought it was gross.

Eased back on drinking, that one has been a little harder and sometimes I wish I could just quit altogether. But now most days I only have a beer or two so it’s pretty manageable. Mostly I’m reliant on willpower and constantly reminding myself of the ill health effects and the wicked hangovers.

Used to smoke pot, that one wasn’t hard to quit when it was time.

I generally don’t have the addictive gene/personality so it’s not too hard for me. I’ve seen those that do have that problem and Jesus, it’s rough.

[Fireballer 2,381]

Sugar...solved by lifting, sprinting, and just not fuking eating it.  Sugar is tougher to kick than you think.

[jerryskids 5,197]

I haven’t had a drink since I started chemo on 5/21, a little over 7 weeks.  My wife had recently read a book from a podcaster she likes, This Naked Mind - Controlling Alcohol, which I read early on.

https://www.amazon.com/This-Naked-Mind-Discover-Happiness/dp/0525537236/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=This+naked+mind&qid=1626048035&sr=8-1

It’s not exactly War and Peace from a literary perspective, but an interesting take on it.  Basically the author says F the AA “one day at a time” approach, as that leads to a lifetime of constant denial and a daily/hourly/whatever decision not to drink.  Instead, make a single decision to not drink (or reduce drinking) and be done.  She backs it up by repeatedly pummeling you with things like alcohol being a poison, which it really is; how society makes you feel guilty if you don’t drink this poison; etc.  

Worth a read if anyone is thinking of quitting.  Technically you can use the approach to reduce instead of eliminate drinking, but it’s clear the author doesn’t think this is the best idea.

[kutulu 1,545]

Used to jerk it five times a day. Got it down to five times a week. Baby batter steps. 

[Cdub100 3,380]

Yep I decided I wasn't going to do it any more and just stopped doing it 

[Utilit99 4,099]

I just made up my mind and said goodbye to the bltch. I really liked her but was tired of her bltching. Not her fault I guess, that's how she was raised.  But jeez, at least try to change. Next up, was a focking chill girl. 

[vuduchile 1,941]

Smoked for almost 20 years.  Gave it up cold turkey about 15 yrs ago.  Read a stop smoking book that helped. It was surprisingly easy.  
 

Not sure if I would call myself addicted here, but I was drinking wine almost every night last year.  Started with a couple glasses a night.  Then a whole bottle, then the big bottle.  
 

Gave it up in November or maybe December.  Not sure exactly.  Haven’t had a drop of alcohol since.  
 

 

 

[vuduchile 1,941]

Went to a funeral yesterday. Our friend’s daughter OD’d on heroin.  
 

She’d done a couple tours of rehab.  Pills were her main thing, so the needle was a recent development.  
 

She was 22.  What a waste.  

[Old School 360]

Cold turkey.

or Cold turkey with a substitute. 
 

Divorce yourself from places or people who still partake in the things you are trying to quit.

 

[MLCKAA 395]

3 hours ago, Fireballer said:

Sugar...solved by lifting, sprinting, and just not fuking eating it.  Sugar is tougher to kick than you think.

Word.

[BunnysBastatrds 1,914]

 Went to detox four months ago. Drinking 2/3 of vodka and a 12 pack a night caught up to me. One of the hardest things I ever have done was admitting myself voluntarily knowing I was going to have serious withdrawals and find out how much my body was doing. Haven’t had a single drop of the hard stuff in over four months. Go to AA meeting twice a week. I was ready to make a change. Best decision ever. 

[Bert 1,091]

14 hours ago, peenie said:

Have any of you ever had an addiction or habit that you were able to overcome? Even if you are still working on it today, but have had success, would you please reveal the steps you took that helped you most?
(it is not necessary for you to reveal your addiction.)

Helpful answers look like:

 Therapy

 12 step program

 Self help books 

Meditation

 Cold Turkey/Will Power

etc.

 

 Unhelpful answers look like:

 Your Mom

 Denial

Chicago murder rate statistics

I think there is a big difference between an addiction and a habit.  You never "get over" an addiction.  It is a constant battle.

[edjr 5,563]

stop answering this dummy. it will only delete the thread.

[supermike80 1,285]

CIgs..twice

Smoked for 20 years....quit for 8  started again(dumb) smoked for 3.  Now smoke free since 2016.

First time I used the patch.  Second time I quit cold turkey

[Hawkeye21 1,853]

I should quit drinking but I don't want to.

[TBayXXXVII 2,116]

19 hours ago, peenie said:

Have any of you ever had an addiction or habit that you were able to overcome? Even if you are still working on it today, but have had success, would you please reveal the steps you took that helped you most?
(it is not necessary for you to reveal your addiction.)

Helpful answers look like:

 Therapy

 12 step program

 Self help books 

Meditation

 Cold Turkey/Will Power

etc.

 

 Unhelpful answers look like:

 Your Mom

 Denial

Chicago murder rate statistics

The only thing close for me was deep fried foods.  I used to eat the stuff all the time.  Now, the ONLY thing I eat that's deep fried is Chick-Fil-A, which I eat about once every other month.  Wasn't that hard, I just stopped eating it.  I'd say that was more of a habit than an addiction as the two really aren't all that relatable.  It's profoundly much easier to break a habit than an addiction.

[Big Guy 1,400]

I gave up Cold Turkey........sometime in early December of last year, wish me luck!

[BiPolarBear 476]

17 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

Yep I decided I wasn't going to do it any more and just stopped doing it 

There it is.

The world is full of people and companies that want you to think you can't stop an addictive habit without some program or product. 

With cigarettes, as an example, people get a patch, and are admitting from day one, that the problem is too big for them to handle on their own. It is not.

Also, people pick a day like New Years to quit smoking, giving cigarettes its own big day. Don't. Just quit. 

 

[kutulu 1,545]

13 minutes ago, Big Guy said:

I gave up Cold Turkey........sometime in early December of last year, wish me luck!

Turkey is overrated, dry fowl...hot or cold

[IGotWorms 3,311]

1 hour ago, Big Guy said:

I gave up Cold Turkey........sometime in early December of last year, wish me luck!

Lunch meat gives you colon cancer anyway. Glad you made an exception for a cooked bird straight out of the oven on thanksgiving

[Boots11234 107]

Sounds dumb but I decided that I was only going to make the decision once to quit then moving forward I told myself I had made the decision and I don’t need to think about it any longer as it had already been decided. 
 

if anything now when my buddies drink I literally thank god I don’t because I know how awful they will feel In the morning and am so glad it isn’t me. 

[Mike Honcho 4,027]

Toughest thing I ever gave up was my ex..

Now being without you
Takes a lot of getting used to
Should learn to live with it
But i don't want to
Living without you
Is all a big mistake
Instead of getting easier
It's the hardest thing to take
I'm addicted to ya babe
You're a hard habit to break

[JustinCharge 2,397]

I gave up FBGs by replacing it with FFT.

[frank 2,144]

2 hours ago, Mike Honcho said:

Toughest thing I ever gave up was my ex..

Now being without you
Takes a lot of getting used to
Should learn to live with it
But i don't want to
Living without you
Is all a big mistake
Instead of getting easier
It's the hardest thing to take
I'm addicted to ya babe
You're a hard habit to break

I’m sure he misses you too. 

[frank 2,144]

I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to too. 

[TheNewGirl 1,028]

Yes. 

 

[dain11279 927]

22 hours ago, kutulu said:

Used to jerk it five times a day. Got it down to five times a week. Baby batter steps. 

Those are rookie numbers. You gotta pump those numbers up.

[tanatastic 2,061]

If a thing is bad, simply don’t do that thing. Sounds simple but that’s really all there is to it. Addiction is in the mind. Wonder why medical patients don’t all get addicted to opiates even after getting treated with them? They are addicted to the stuff around it, the lifestyle, the act of it etc. Drinkers are addicted to the escape, the relief.  Smoker? Don’t smoke. Drinker? Don’t drink. Very simple.

[easilyscan 558]

Full on degenerate gambler in the mid 90s. Pull tabs in bars, sports betting (football) & the granddaddy, casino gambling. Video draw poker to be exact. Deuces wild & joker poker.

 

One casino was about 50 miles away, & the other, about 70. I'd go at least once a week. Part of the problem was my unique work schedule. 4 days on 4 days off. Monday through Thursday week one, Tuesday through Friday week two, Wednesday through Saturday week three. You get the idea.

So having too much time off definitely didn’t help. Worked 12 hour shifts, so got paid 4 hours of time & 1/2 every day.

About 70 K per year if I worked a day of overtime now & then. 

 

Late in 95 or 96, my credit card administrator (pretty sure it was Wachovia Bank) offered to send me a free end-of-the-year spending summary.

I can even remember the day. It was a Saturday, & my first day back to work. Got the mail before I left & saw the spending summary had arrived.

 

Got to work, went into the lab & did all my quality assurance checks. Around 6:45 I sat down at my desk & opened the summary.

I rarely used my credit card for day-to-day things back then. Used cash for, gasoline, groceries, liquor, clothing, etc.

 

When I got to the leisure category (cash advances at the casino) I felt a slight wave of nausea. One page, two pages, three pages……6.5 pages of cash advances.

About $25,000 total. I don't get nauseous easy, but a strong wave hit me when I realized that I only got cash advances ‘after’ I lost all the cash I brought with me.

 

I suppose it's denial. I'd pay off the credit card in full every month, but until you see a whole years worth in front of you, it doesn’t really sink in.

That did it for me. Didn't quit cold turkey, but was able to cut it back to about 2 or 3 times a year. The last time I was in a casino was mid February 2020.

Haven't bet on football since the late 90s. Still might play $20 or $30 worth of pull-tabs when I go to a bar, but I only do that 4 or 5 times a year.

No interest in the lottery or state scratch-off games.

 

I guess I owe a big thanks to Wacovia bank for sending me that summary.

 

Still spend a lot of time on this site. When I first started playing joker poker in early 90’s, I remember commenting that it looked like Bill Clinton.

Eventually, all my casino friends & I referred to it as Clinton poker

https://www.penny-slot-machines.com/mobile-slots/50-hand-jokers-wild.html

[peenie 1,690]

Great responses, thanks! 

[NorthernVike 2,080]

Nobody likes a quitter. 

[Mufaletta 33]

On 7/12/2021 at 4:08 PM, JustinCharge said:

I gave up FBGs by replacing it with FFT.

THIS

[shorepatrol 1,737]

On 7/11/2021 at 9:13 PM, BunnysBastatrds said:

 Went to detox four months ago. Drinking 2/3 of vodka and a 12 pack a night caught up to me. One of the hardest things I ever have done was admitting myself voluntarily knowing I was going to have serious withdrawals and find out how much my body was doing. Haven’t had a single drop of the hard stuff in over four months. Go to AA meeting twice a week. I was ready to make a change. Best decision ever. 

2/3 of a HANDLE and a 12 pack?  If so, JFC my man. That would take me a week and I drink too much.  Glad you stopped 

[Fireballer 2,381]

On 7/12/2021 at 9:45 PM, easilyscan said:

Full on degenerate gambler in the mid 90s. Pull tabs in bars, sports betting (football) & the granddaddy, casino gambling. Video draw poker to be exact. Deuces wild & joker poker.

 

One casino was about 50 miles away, & the other, about 70. I'd go at least once a week. Part of the problem was my unique work schedule. 4 days on 4 days off. Monday through Thursday week one, Tuesday through Friday week two, Wednesday through Saturday week three. You get the idea.

So having too much time off definitely didn’t help. Worked 12 hour shifts, so got paid 4 hours of time & 1/2 every day.

About 70 K per year if I worked a day of overtime now & then. 

 

Late in 95 or 96, my credit card administrator (pretty sure it was Wachovia Bank) offered to send me a free end-of-the-year spending summary.

I can even remember the day. It was a Saturday, & my first day back to work. Got the mail before I left & saw the spending summary had arrived.

 

Got to work, went into the lab & did all my quality assurance checks. Around 6:45 I sat down at my desk & opened the summary.

I rarely used my credit card for day-to-day things back then. Used cash for, gasoline, groceries, liquor, clothing, etc.

 

When I got to the leisure category (cash advances at the casino) I felt a slight wave of nausea. One page, two pages, three pages……6.5 pages of cash advances.

About $25,000 total. I don't get nauseous easy, but a strong wave hit me when I realized that I only got cash advances ‘after’ I lost all the cash I brought with me.

 

I suppose it's denial. I'd pay off the credit card in full every month, but until you see a whole years worth in front of you, it doesn’t really sink in.

That did it for me. Didn't quit cold turkey, but was able to cut it back to about 2 or 3 times a year. The last time I was in a casino was mid February 2020.

Haven't bet on football since the late 90s. Still might play $20 or $30 worth of pull-tabs when I go to a bar, but I only do that 4 or 5 times a year.

No interest in the lottery or state scratch-off games.

 

I guess I owe a big thanks to Wacovia bank for sending me that summary.

 

Still spend a lot of time on this site. When I first started playing joker poker in early 90’s, I remember commenting that it looked like Bill Clinton.

Eventually, all my casino friends & I referred to it as Clinton poker

https://www.penny-slot-machines.com/mobile-slots/50-hand-jokers-wild.html

Damn dude, ALOT of people aren't able to slam on the brakes before driving off the cliff that you were headed to.  Kudos.

Also, is all that video poker legit?  I've always been a table blackjack player, with real cards. I just figured the video poker was always gonna be more rigged to the house's advantage.

[easilyscan 558]

4 minutes ago, Fireballer said:

Damn dude, ALOT of people aren't able to slam on the brakes before driving off the cliff that you were headed to.  Kudos.

Also, is all that video poker legit?  I've always been a table blackjack player, with real cards. I just figured the video poker was always gonna be more rigged to the house's advantage.

Thanks

I'm not sure if you were asking if the video poker in the link I included was legit, or the video poker machines in the actual casino's I frequented ?

If you were asking about the ones in the link, I don't know ? 

I've never played it for real. Besides, I looked it up, and even if I wanted to play for real, it's not legal for me to do so in my state.

 

As for the machines in the casinos I played at, as far as I know, video poker offers the best payback on any of the video gambling games.  

But you might be right. The 2 casinos I went to were both run by Native American tribes.

Over the years, I got to know a couple of the ladies who worked there really well. They told me that the feds would come in unannounced once or twice a year, find they had the machines

'too tight' issue a fine, & as soon as they left, they'd tighten them back down. 

No way to know for sure if that's true ?

 

[frank 2,144]

Video poker in casinos is completely legit. They are among the best bets in the casino. It depends entirely on the pay tables. Unlike with a slot machine, you can look at the pay tables and see how well they pay. There is no way to set hem loose or tight, at least not without hacking the machines illegally. You can find basic strategy cards on the internet.