Showing posts with label Addictions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Addictions. Show all posts

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Dos And Don’t About Smoking

We promise ourselves each time that it will be our last cigarette. But we can never truly free ourselves from our smoking addiction. So here are some of the things that you should do and shouldn’t do after you smoked your last cigarette.

Don’t be impatient. Quitting smoking is an ongoing process not an event. Because we have been smoking for a long period of time, our body and brain have been wired to think that we need our nicotine fix all the time otherwise our body would not be able to function at all. So be patient with yourself, quitting smoking and replacing it with a new and healthier habit takes some time. Sit back and relax. The more anxious you are about it, the more likely your attempt to quit will fail.

Don’t be negative. Once the withdrawal symptoms kick in, you are more likely to experience a period of self negativity with negative criticisms aimed at yourself. Your brain is trying to persuade you to think that you will never be able to feel happy again without your nicotine fix. Snap out of it, think about it this way, your willingness to quit shows that you realized that you want to make a change and you have to stick to it.

Don’t neglect yourself. Trying to quit smoking will put you in a state of distress because of the withdrawal symptoms. You have to give extra attention and care to your body. Here are a few things that you should do.

Do eat a well balanced diet with three square meals a day. Your body will need all the nutrients it can get so fill it up with salad and fruits.

Do get more rest. You will be feeling tired from your nicotine withdrawal. If you are tired, rest now.

Do drink more water. It will help you detox more quickly and will also help to silence your cravings for smoking.

Do take daily multivitamins. Give your body the much needed boost to get you through the day.

Do exercise daily. Nothing makes you feel better than some physical exercise.

So remember all these littles dos and don’t. Taking care of yourself is really important and remember no pain no gain.

Things That They Didn’t Tell You About Gambling

One of the first few things that people should know about gambling say in a game of poker is that it is all about maths and a lot of patience. It is never about chance or luck. However a lot of this requires a lot of rational thinking. Gambling addicts which are compulsive gamblers are unable to think rationally and are unable to arrive to a rational decision.

Gambling addicts are often anxious and unhappy. They are anxious to get back to gambling. When not gambling, they are fidgety and constantly on the edge. They are unable to accept the fact that they have incurred so much in debt from their gambling. Most of them are just waiting for their luck to change so that they can recover their losses.

The more gambling addicts gamble, the more debts that they are in. They keep hopes that a big win will be the end of all their problems. However, this is a far cry from the truth. A big win will never solve the problem. A big win will just give an illusion of another big is around the corner for the gambling addict.

A gambling addict is never a good father or mother figure. They ignore their family responsibilities. Personal relationships become strained. All these are because of the mountain of debts from the gambler’s compulsive gambling. This leads to a lower quality of life not only for the gambling addict but also for the family of the gambling addict.

A gambling addict will never able to progress far in their career. As smart or as talented as they may be, they need to acknowledge that they have an addiction. A gambling addiction gets in the way of work and they get bypassed for promotions and they will never progress far.

All in all, nothing good can ever come out of a gambling addiction. So take the initiative today to kick that habit!

7 Basic Steps To Break Your Gambling Addiction

Gambling is a difficult habit or addiction to break. Here are a few simple steps that you can take to your road to recovery.

Firstly, acknowledge that you have a problem. Understand why you gamble. Did you start gambling because it was fun? You have to realize that your gambling has now become a major problem and is causing a lot of distress in the lives of your loved ones.

Secondly, do not deny or minimize your problem. By minimizing your problem, you are not giving it the proper attention and care to the problem.

Thirdly, find alternatives to replace your gambling addiction. Do not take another bad habit to replace your gambling addiction. Replace with something positive. Try taking up exercises. Going for a jog everyday would be another good activity, Find positive alternatives to replace your gambling addiction.

Fourthly, make a list of your triggers. Recognize what set you off. Is it a particular time of the year, the friends that you hang out with? List it all down, and think of ways you can counter all these when faced with these situations.

Fifth, change your lifestyle. You have to make changes to your routine. Say that everyday on your drive back home, you will be driving past a casino. This would then make you want to enter the casino for a short game or two. What you could do is to change your route. When you get home, if you feel the urge to gamble, go out and take a walk. Delay your urges until it become inconvenient for you to go out gambling again.

Next, be accountable to someone. Being accountable to someone means that you are being completely honest and responsible for your actions. This person will then be able to support you and give you the positive reinforcement that you need.

Lastly, reward yourself. For everyday that you went by, without gambling, give yourself a pat on the back and a little treat. You need to be kind to yourself. If you do relapse, it’s alright, get back up and try all over again.

4 Ways You Can Use To Deal With Your Gambling Spouse

Gambling when played more than necessary and for all the wrong reasons can develop into a more serious pathological or compulsive gambling.

A pathological or compulsive gambler cannot stop gambling. For them, gambling is an addiction. These individuals are not the master of themselves and are constantly thinking of gambling. This problem can interfere with relationships between spouses. However if there is still something that you believe still can be salvaged of your relationship, here a few little steps you can start right away.

Firstly, stop giving in. When your spouse asks for money, you may have unwillingly given it to me but rationalising at the same time that he is going through a rough patch. Or perhaps you are turning a blind eye when money has gone missing. You may think that you are supporting your spouse, but all you are doing is enabling his addiction. So do not lend any more money to him. You do not have to make excuses for your spouse’s behaviour or the unpaid bills. Be honest.

Secondly, discuss the situation frankly with your spouse. Be specific about what is happening in his life. It has to be clear to your spouse that their gambling has a negative impact on you and the family. This way you are putting the responsibility where it belongs, on your gambling spouse.

Thirdly, be understanding. Hostile communications would yield nothing. There won’t be a lot of problem solving if you were to be hostile towards each other. Understand that your spouse has an addiction problem and the slightest thing or provocation may set him off on his habit. Sit your spouse down and discuss ways both of you can do to deal with this problem.

Lastly, set a limit. Set out a set of rules and make sure your spouse understands the function of the rules. The rules are there to set boundaries on his gambling habit. For an example, it is to keep your gambling spouse from using the family funds.

In conclusion, as a spouse you would want the best for your other half. Educate yourself on how best to deal with a gambling addict. If all else fail, seek professional help, there is no shame in that. You only want the best for your loved ones.

4 Ways That Made You A Gambling Addict

Compulsive gamblers have reached a point in their lives, where all that they can think about is gambling. Gambling is constantly on their mind. So what is it about gambling that is so addictive? Here are 4 ways that gambling can get you addicted.

Gambling gives you the illusion of being able to be control of chance. There is only a 50/50 chance that you may win. Gamblers believe that they have figured out the system and they are able to win the game. Chance, however is something that we never have control of. Lady Luck has no favourites. One day she may be on your side, and the next day against you.

The lure of the jackpot is another thing that gets you addicted. Everybody loves to be a winner. The lure of money is too great for certain people. Some people may win when they first started gambling. This is otherwise known as beginner’s luck or pure dumb luck. The person will then believe that gambling is an easy way to get money. They are unaware that there is a 50/50 percent chance that they will lose. The lure of the jackpot is even more so when the gambler is facing a huge mountain of debt and they believe that they need to win in the game to pay off their debt.

When gamblers first started out, they had a winning streak. This often serves as an encouragement or proof that the gamblers should gamble more because they are good at it. By winning in the first few games, instead of betting small, they start stepping out of their comfort zone and start putting on large bets. That is how they accumulate large amounts of debt.

Lastly, it is the belief that their luck will change. After a winning phase and now entering a loss phase, the addicts are holding on the hope that their lucks will change.

In conclusion, gambling may be fun if you are winning but do remember it has destroyed a lot of people’s lives. So be cautious when you are playing.