The D&I of Addiction

Let us start with a lovely quote on addiction.

Addiction isn't about substance - you aren't addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings.

Susan Cheever

Addiction is a habit that forms with repetitive action of getting used to something and then going
back to it again and again as soon as we find some free time. Slowly we tend to become a mental
slave to that something and then it becomes difficult to part away as it causes withdrawal symptoms
within us which is more frustrating and uneasy.

Here I won’t go into too much detail of the physical effects of Addiction but more on the mental
aspects of Addiction.

Various Addictions (Some are worth pondering on)


· Smoking
· Drinking Alcohol
· Drugs
· Mobile
· To be praised
· Too much money
· Too many material things
· To be given importance

While some of them can be seen, some of them are subtle in nature but they are forms of addiction
too.

How does Addiction start?



Addiction starts usually when

· The Mind is Weak
· Extreme Stress on Mind
· No Direction in Life
· Peer Pressure
· Influenced by environment

The D of Addiction



D stands for Desire. Desire of something starts the addiction and then the desire over powers our
mind to take the action to fulfil the addiction. Various types of Desires are

· Desire of Company/Group
· Desire of Escapism
· Doing things like others
· Desire to pull attention

D gets repeated 2 times in the word ADDICTION which simply shows how powerful desire is towards
starting the addiction.

The I of Addiction



I stands for Influence. We have heard that humans were monkeys before they became humans.
The actual fact is that we were not monkeys physically but we have become monkeys mentally
as we keep copying each other. How is influence triggered?

· You can’t do this
· We don’t need you with us
· We all have this but you don’t
· You need guts to do this
· You are outdated as you are not with time

& many more sentences which you would have experienced.

These sentences ignite our internal EGO which questions our image and then to prove others wrong
we take influenced decisions which lead us to addiction and we get stuck in a trap with no exit
points.

The only way out – ACTON

With D and I out of context, the only letters left is ACTON which means take the right actions to
slowly move away from addiction.



Some of the recommended actions that work

· Develop Will Power
· Learn to Balance things
· Speak to yourself
· Take Medicines on time
· Attend a counselling session

While all the above are good actions but to do them you need a mind which is strong because we
live in a negative environment where the influence of bad over good is very heavy and we are
exposed to media which also promotes addiction in some way or the other.

Learn pure form of Meditation

There are many forms of Meditation that I am aware of but I would still recommend you to
try Rajyoga Meditation. The reason is simple. Rajyoga Meditation is not about only listening
but also inculcating values in life which make you mentally strong.

Many people who have had addictions for years have been able to overcome their addiction
through regular practice of Rajyoga Meditation and Medicine which is provided free of cost
at Brahma Kumaris Rajyoga Meditation Centre.

Try Rajyoga Meditation Online

Let’s work together towards an Addiction Free World

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