A bad habit is something that we do that is detrimental to our health, happiness, & possibly prosperity. A bad habit is something we do that we wished we didn't or know we shouldn't. It's essentially our tendencies or things that we do on a consistent and persistent basis. Some habits are GOOD like showering and brushing your teeth. Some habits are BAD like biting your nails or
procrastinating. And some are downright DANGEROUS like drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. But quitting is easier said than done.
If you've got a bad habit, I know probably with a high degree of certainty that you've tried to stop at some point. You tell everybody, “Hey, I'm quitting smoking.” Then 24-hours later you’re saying, “Quit? I said cut back!”
So here's the deal. I used to have an incredibly bad habit. I was crazy addicted to smokeless tobacco (aka dip). I dipped from the time I was18 years old until nine years ago. I was crazy addicted to two cans a day, and I couldn't imagine my life without nicotine. BUT I was able to break the habit and quit successfully! I also quit alcohol and experienced surprising changes which you can hear
about by clicking: https://iamalpham.com/surprising-changes-quitting-alcohol/
My Steps to Freedom from a Dangerous Habit
And so today, I thought I'd share the steps that I took in hopes of helping you kick your bad habit too. Now, my bad habit was something physically addictive -- nicotine. Your habit may be a substance too, but it might be something that you do that you wish you wouldn’t or you wish you could stop. Either way, these steps will help you stop any type of bad habit:
👍 IDENTIFY YOUR BAD HABITbecause once you know that it's bad, then you can do something about it.
👍DECIDE IT IS TIME TO QUITfor you and nobody else but you. When I was using smokeless tobacco, everybody would tell me how horrible it was. My mom would nag me and send me pictures of people with mouth cancer. It didn't matter. I was like, “Whatever, that sucks!” and I knew that eventually I would get mouth cancer because I'm not that ‘lucky guy’
and always learned things the hard way. So I was rolling the dice, and I knew that it was just a matter of time. It wasn't until I decided FOR ME that I didn't want to die from mouth cancer that I did something about it. Until you're quitting for you, it's never going to stick.
👍VISUALIZE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT THE BAD HABIT For me, this was incredibly important. I needed to visualize myself not using nicotine because, for almost 20 years, I was using it every day (even multiple times a day). So for me, it was part of my daily routine. I did it first thing when I woke up until right before I went to bed. I did it ALL. THE. TIME.
I really needed to take time and visualize how my life was going to look not reaching for that tobacco.
👍CREATE AN ACTION PLANand then start! An action plan isn't like, “I think I'm just gonna…” No, you need to have a plan. For me, my action plan was (a) pick the day, (b) get all the things needed to be successful such as the patch and a supplement called GABA (help me to chill out), (c) get rid of all evidence that I ever used tobacco. I don't know
what your action plan looks like, but you definitely need to create one.
👍IDENTIFY TRIGGERS & REMOVE THEM from your life. One of my biggest triggers was alcohol, specifically beer. So for six months, while I was in the quitting process, I gave up drinking 100% percent. That meant I didn't go out because, at the time, I didn't want to go out and not drink. I knew that alcohol, bars, drinking, and socializing were
triggers, and so I removed them from my life.
👍START A NEW HOBBY, which for me was deciding to get in even better shape than I was in already. I needed to do something to take my mind off of it, and exercise really helped with the cravings. Picking up a hobby that's productive and beneficial is definitely going to help.
👍ASK SOMEONE TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLEThis is kind-of a double-edged sword because if you've ever tried to quit something before, you know that the first thing you do is to tell the world. But you need to have ONE loved one, friend, or spouse hold you accountable. Let that person know what you're trying to do and tell him/her how to handle you. A lot
of times, it boils down to encouragement, but that accountability is something that's also incredibly important.
👍KEEP ON KEEPING ON because to this day, I still crave it occasionally. I'll see it on the ground, or I'll see somebody doing it, and my bad habit that has been hardwired into my brain still comes out. I want to do it, BUT I don't because I know that as soon as I do it that one time, I'm going right
back.
BECOME PROUD OF
YOURSELF!
Quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done, so it’s something I am most proud of myself. I was so addicted to the nicotine that I never thought that I'd be able to quit. Nicotine ruled my life, and I have been so much healthier and happier ever since I put it down. Get started today and become proud of yourself
tomorrow!
Bad habits -- we all have them. Perhaps you bite your nails, perhaps you overeat or consume junk food, perhaps you don't exercise, perhaps it’s sex addiction, perhaps it's alcohol or tobacco or drugs or pills … the list goes on. Whatever you may be addicted to, if you have the willingness or desire to quit, YOU CAN DO IT! But until it's for YOU, you're never going to quit. And if it's
something that you need professional help with, please seek that professional help.
The unfortunate reality is that there is no simple way to kick a bad habit, but fortunately, these steps helped me, so it’s now time for them to help you kick yours too!
Quitting a bad habit is a gift that you give yourself. It's not for anybody else -- it's for you. Your life is going to be so much better, more fulfilling, and more rewarding when your bad habit is out of your system... and out of your life!
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