Men fighting any addiction, read this;

1) Transforming your life by fighting poor habits / terrible addictions is not about willpower. Will power is fleeting and short lived. Not sustainable. To truly quit any and all addictions - you need to understand the mechanism of addiction and have systems to fight it.

2) All addictions are a game of pleasure and pain in the brain. You are an addict because your dopamine levels are above or below the baseline (normal levels). When above, brain tries to reduce it. Leads to depression. When below you feel craving and want more of the pleasure.

3) You get into addictions from a desire to escape pain, not from a desire to seek pleasure. Once you find out a substance can reduce pain, you often return for more. Don't fall for this illusion. It does not relieve pain, it numbs you to it. Replaces it with craving.

4) You have baseline dopamine levels. It is necessary for reward and pleasure mechanism. When you indulge in alcohol, porn, nicotine.. gives out lot of dopamine. the brain tries to correct it by reducing natural dopamine level thereby bringing you to a state of pain ( cravings ).

5) Modern society is dull beyond belief. All of our needs are met within the confines of our homes. Comfort is everywhere. This makes us weak, susceptible to fall into temptation. You will pursue anything that makes you feel some excitement, some pleasure or arousal. Resist this.

6) Addiction can happen to any of us. You can be addicted to anything. Substances, behaviour and even people. Anything that keeps you in a heightened state of pleasure by bathing your brain with dopamine will lead you into the pleasure pain loop and cause addiction

7) To quit any addiction, you need 3 things - a) Get your dopamine levels to baseline b) Replace your sources of dopamine to stable healthy natural sources that can be controlled c) Hyper vigilance, constantly being aware of your behavior at all times. This is 90% of the battle.

8) you need 30 days to get your dopamine levels to baseline. 60 days if you are an extreme case. This is how long you need to stay away from the substance. Also avoid other big hits from other activities to avoid relapse. (Happens due to neural pathway activation)

9) Stop looking for a sign to start working on quitting your addiction. Start today and look around you, what is the one thing that needs to be done? Do it. Constantly keep doing things, take it one day at a time. Do it repeatedly over day. Distraction helps recovery.

10) When you stop using your drug for the first 2 weeks you will feel like shit. This is because the brain is now in defecit of dopamine and is in a pain state of low baseline dopamine. You will feel depressed, irritable and anxious. You have to ride it out. It only gets better.

11) Hyper Vigilance is crucial for recovery. A state of always being aware of your behavior and surrounding. If you are aware of what triggers you, you will fight it better.. without awareness you are a ticking time bomb waiting to relapse again.

12) always have a partner during recovery. This is to help be accountable or to help be aware of what you are feeling or doing. Doing it yourself is hard, and often very lonely and depressing. You need to see hope, you need to feel companionship. This is the key.

13) We live in unprecedented times where everything is designed to get you hooked. From the food you eat to the visuals you see to the things you hear. Looking down on a person because they have trouble with a substance is ridiculous. It can happen to anyone.

14) Focus on doing today right, then focus on doing it again. Over and over. Don't plan out 30,90 days it doesn't work like that. Do one day right. Then use the momentum to move forward everyday. This will keep you consistent and positive. This is your road to recovery.

15) there is no shame in accepting you failed and are trying to be better. Tell the truth about your addiction and be honest about your recovery. Truth is powerful. Truth inspires, truth humbles, truth moves. You are a warrior righting past wrong doings. You deserve respect

16) It does not matter how slow you go. What matters is where it is leading to. What matters is your intent to get there. Your relentless courage to pursue the path. This is what will change your life. This is how you will fight this addiction. Don't be hasty, be consistent.

17) Understand this, your recovery must come first. This is to ensure nothing else in your life ever takes last place. When you are addict you prioritise the substance over all else. This is how you will change it, by putting recovery over all else.

18) Your goal now is not to be sober. Your goal is to build the kind of life and mindset that you never need to indulge again. This is what will keep you from relapsing 6 months down the line. This is what will build a fortress of sobriety around your life

19) Only after you destroy yourself will you truly understand yourself. The process of picking up the broken pieces and putting it back together really digs deep into the soul and shows you an incredibly POWERFUL side of you. You will be a new person. It is inevitable.

20) Recovery is about progression. Recovery is about acceptance. Recovery is about rebirth. Recovery is loving and respecting yourself too much to let your life crumble again. Recovery is an act of valor and strength. Recovery is inspiring. Recovery is your personal revolution.

21) you stop an addiction by stopping using for 30-60 days and resetting the brain. You stick to sobriety by building a life that's too valuable to fuck up. Both require determination and effort.. both begin difficult but become easier and fun as you keep doing them.

Brother,

These are some of the things I've learned from my personal experiences through life and also by learning from people more intelligent and wiser than me. I hope it helps you heal a wound or lift a burden.

Work with me for 30 days, I will help you make or break any habit.

Book a slot now (150$). Full refund if my coaching is not what I promised.

First 10 applicants only.

Apply here - https://bit.ly/Phalanx_ 

DM for more info on coaching..

https://spartanpsyche.substack.com/publish/subscribers