“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” – Samuel Johnson
Ain’t this the truth. Think of all the people who have said ‘I didn’t know I would get addicted’ or ‘I always thought I would stop when it got to be a problem’ or any number of other things we can say to explain how we got trapped.
With me it was alcohol. I quit drinking in 1993, long ago. In some ways I was lucky, in that my mother was an alcoholic and my father probably was as well and we lived through hell because of it. As a result I didn’t have the luxury of ignorance when I was older. I knew what I was doing and where it would lead. So, I quit and didn’t look back. I haven’t missed it and don’t regret the decision in any way. Life after that habit wasn’t as scary as I had imagined, and indeed was much better and fulfilling, not to mention safer and healthier.
So, if you struggle with a habit that you want to rid yourself of, take a chance, call a moratorium on it for a day, or a week. See what happens. Try it again the next week. Add something new to your life, join a club, eat a peach, whatever.
You won’t regret it, I can tell you that.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com