If someone had suggested that I was an addiction during this dark time in my life, I would have ignored their comments. Of course, I was in deep denial. It was terrible, to be honest. But, what saved me was my drive to succeed as an entrepreneur. To move on to the next stage, I had to stop falling into bad habits. At the time, I was feeling helpless, ashamed, and alone. I was ashamed and embarrassed to admit it.
My addiction pattern looked like this: I wanted alcohol to feel comfortable and fit in. After drinking, I would then smoke. I would then go home after a night of partying and gamble thousands on my credit cards. I would watch porn while I was sick, hungover, and at my lowest. This was my addiction, and it was something I did for years. This became my norm.
Lowest point was when I hit a breaking point. It was in 2010 that something happened. I realized my habits were not going to lead me to the place I wanted to be. I packed up my stuff, left the city where I was raised, and began to seek out new people. This was a crucial moment in my personal growth. I needed healthy role models to fuel my dreams.
When I made serious financial strides, I realized that I would die if my addictions were still present. I embarked on a huge and challenging journey. I had to go back to my past, examine my childhood trauma, and complete several vital steps to get out of habit.
These are precisely the steps to guide my clients to reconnect with their true selves and lead a healthy lifestyle. It takes courage, determination, and the decisive decision to make changes.
1. Conscious lifestyle design
The opposite of addiction, connection. We entrepreneurs tend towards isolation. When the connection drops, we look outside. A conscious lifestyle that is self-aware and energy-rich must be adopted. It should encourage positive thoughts and feelings in the brain.
This requires self-discipline, which entrepreneurs often struggle to do on their own. They were so used to working on the business that they don’t have time for it. It is a common belief that success and money will bring them happiness, but this illusion is merely a result of self-sabotaging.
If you develop a deeper connection to yourself, you will less likely need the “hit” of being addicted to the drug. Meditation plays a vital role in this process. Meditation takes you deep into your soul and allows you to bring the unconscious into your conscious mind. The breakthroughs will begin when you do that.
2. Let go of the past
Disconnection from oneself can be caused by past events, trauma, or suppression. This could include bullying, the loss of a parent, or a lack of nurturing as an infant. This may shock some people, but sometimes the process of unblocking an emotion that a past event has blocked can stop an addiction immediately. The body experiences a tremendous surge of energy when the energy is released, which can help to end the cravings for unhealthy behaviors.
Shifting in identity can make the difference between fighting for behavior and wanting to be there. If we can heal from past experiences, we don’t identify as victims. Resentments and lack thereof are two of the leading causes of addiction. It is vital to work with others in resolving any relationships that have been broken up, even if they have passed. Clearing the past of all “junk” can open up new possibilities.
3. Change of belief
According to my experience, the first stage deals with 70-80% of cases of addiction. But even if they have begun to tackle the problem, we must secure the new identity. It all depends on how we feel is about ourselves. Your beliefs and values will influence how you live your life and how you create it.
You may have a belief about addiction that you aren’t satisfied with right now. You could say, “It will go away,” or “It will never go.” It is challenging to decipher our core beliefs as monkey minds. It’s possible to unpack our ideas by getting into meditation and asking more profound questions. When working with clients, the.5-second rule is my guideline. I ask them questions about their beliefs, and they drop into meditation.
Once I know what someone believes about themselves, I can help them rewire their beliefs by taking specific actions. We think, have an opinion, and then we take action. It is this action that makes a real difference. It doesn’t suffice to look in the mirror to say, “I’m not addicted.” The same goes for those who read about being courageous. It takes courage to be a hero.
The above steps work. However, you must remember the first step of any process is to admit the truth and have the courage to ask for help. I was trapped in false belief that “it will figure it all on its own” for so many years, but ultimately this was a part of my denial, active ego and prevented me from realizing my true potential.
It is essential to realize that addictions can be eliminated once you have made the crucial decision not to allow them to influence your life. Only then can you make the right decisions to heal.
