Addiction is perhaps the most lamentable of conditions.
The most entrapping aspect of addiction is that it impairs decision-making,
Which of course is the cognitive function that one would use to free themselves of its grasp.
If you're listening to this talk,
You're likely not suffering with any form of addiction that could be called severe.
The mechanics,
However,
Are the same,
Regardless of whether the vice is hard drugs or cat videos.
There is a very simple,
Practical,
Effective way of dealing with addiction.
It requires,
First and foremost,
A change of perspective.
Most strategies for dealing with addiction involve some kind of discipline.
If you've put on a few kilos over Christmas,
You might use willpower to avoid cake at the supermarket in January.
If a friend asked why you were liking their Facebook photos from 2011,
You might delete the app from your phone for a while.
If your bank statement tells you that too much of your last paycheck went over the bar,
You might decline the next few invites you receive.
But if your experience of this kind of thing has been anything like mine,
The real problem will still be there.
The wanting.
And so,
Like a rubber band,
We find ourselves snapping back into the old behaviours before too long.
This is the way we're told to try to change our behaviour.
It rarely works.
But what if there's another way?
What if,
Instead of trying to bully ourselves into submission,
We can be kind to ourselves instead?
What if,
Instead of forcing ourselves to stop doing things that are bad for us,
We learn to raise our level of genuine satisfaction to the point that we no longer need those cheap hits of gratification?
What if the method for doing this was simple,
Practical and effective?
Good news,
It is.
When we practise mindfulness,
We develop the skill of being happy right now,
Regardless of circumstances.
When we learn to find joy in something as simple as the breath,
We can find joy in anything.
When we can find joy in anything,
Why drink a beer?
What if we can change the cost-benefit equation that takes place when we look at that beer?
What if,
Instead of that equation being,
If I drink a beer,
I'm going to feel better?
What if that equation was actually,
If I drink a beer,
I'll feel worse?
This is entirely possible.
And the practice that we use to change that equation is very easy.
1.
Enjoy the pleasant sensations of the breath.
2.
When you catch the mind wandering,
Celebrate.
This is successful practice.
3.
Repeat.
If you're new to this kind of practice,
You may benefit from some distraction-free time with it,
Just like you would if you were learning piano,
And this is what people call meditation.
Once you've developed skills,
You'll be getting high on your own supply,
While everyone around you is working toward liver failure.
With this practice,
We can stop bullying ourselves.
No longer will we need to try fad diets or dry januries.
We can use our phone for whatever we like,
Because we won't be in danger of using it in a damaging way.
We simply stop caring what Instagram is up to,
Because our own mind becomes more interesting.
If you are someone who's suffering with a more severe case of addiction,
Then I encourage you,
As kindly as I can,
To seek professional help and cultivate the practice I've shared in this talk as well.
May we all be so happy that we don't need cake.
