There are several stages of life that have relatively clean splits from each other. There’s youth, there’s the teenage years, the college years, and then at some point you turn into the closest thing that you can to a functional adult. And it’s understood that culturally speaking, teenage and college years are going to be a little looser about experimenting and partying of various sorts.
But, by the time you’re officially an adult, if you’ve developed any kind of problem with addiction, the rules may have changed a bit. You might not even be aware that what you are dealing with is addiction, or not want to admit that it’s not just, say, a drinking habit that you have. Resources like this quiz can help you work out whether you have an addiction or not so that you can then make good decisions to get back on track with your life. Of course, in an ideal world, you won’t ever get to that point, so here are five tips so that you can stay clear from that path.
Think About the Cost
In younger years, we don’t have a firm grasp of the value of money. It comes and it goes along with various senses of responsibility. But once the value of money is defined as an adult, one great way to stay awake from addiction is to simply think about the cost. Think about all the things that could be purchased or paid for with the money that otherwise seems to go up in smoke, and you’ll be that much closer to making sure that you stay away from expensive habits.
Understand Habits
And as far as habits go, how much do you know about them? How much do you really know about why you do the things you do? And if there’s a habit that you do want to change, what are some methods that will help you stick to new behaviors? There’s quite the science behind it now, so armed with the right knowledge, it will be more a battle of willpower than following false advice and techniques.
Put a Physical Block Up
One method that works for many people to help either kick or avoid habits is to put some kind of actual physical block up before you and the habit. Put a lock on your liquor cabinet. Physically keep the items of your addiction further away from you, so that you’ll have to think about what you’re doing for longer.
Use Your Friends and Family
Friends and family are going to be some of your biggest influences and supporters when it comes time to stay away from or break old habits, so be sure to tell everyone what you’re going through. Addictions are not things to be ashamed of, but rather things to conquer.
Think About Who Your Friends Are
And finally, when you’re trying to change your habits, think very strongly about who you associate with the most. Are they dragging you back into what you don’t like, or are they pulling you away from it? That’s one of the most important questions that you can ask!
