How would you beat an addiction to something you have literally an endless supply of?

Self control. Mind over matter. Knowing your own self and telling yourself NO.

It won’t be easy, but if you want to end it, whatever it is, then you have to make the determination in your mind to do so.

This isn’t rocket science. it is all self control.

@elbanditoroso yes, but how?

Talk to yourself. When you have the urge, whatever it is, tell yourself NO.

Think about what you are doing.

Down the road from me is a little tobacco shop. It carries and endless supply of cigarettes. I quit smoking in 1992. If I hadn’t, I would have spent the next few years with a remote control my hand in front of a TV watching shit. An endless supply of shit. And then, around 1998, they would find me right there in that fucking leather barca lounger with the remote falling from my limp hand. So, I quit cold. And I got my life back.

Last night, I looked down that road at that little store and I wanted a full-bodied Marlboro so bad I was shaking. I know what it will cost me. I simply found something else to do. I decided to cut some poor sonuvabitch a new asshole instead and I got through the night.

One of the practical tricks you can do is to put a rubber band around your wrist and when you have compulsive thoughts about the self-harming behavior, give yourself a sting with the rubber band. It works as aversion therapy.

@janbb thanks, I’ll try it out.

For me it’s a matter of thinking very seriously on the harm it is or may yet cause me. And is the temporary pleasure of that addiction worth ruining those?

Not easy, not easy AT ALL. It’s just something that helps me.

There are steps that can be taken to overcome any addiction, whether it be food, cigarettes, heroin, or alcohol.

First is admitting to oneself that the addiction has disrupted one’s life to the point where one’s life is unmanageable. Then, find someone else who has the same or similar addiction, and talk to each other about how the addiction has caused problems, and to support each other.

@janbb hahaha, I quit smoking cold turkey about 15 years ago and I kept a rubber band around my wrist. A couple of good pops and I it seemed to help. Still not sure why it worked.

For me, it was about finding something to do other than give in to the compulsion. And eventually, it became about removing the thing that drove me to take part in the compulsion.

I could dig my nails into my scalp until I drew blood, or I could paint. Or I could play with a candle and an x-acto knife, watching the hot knife cut through the wax. Or I could do some other tedious task that required more of my concentration than sitting around dwelling on the reason I wanted to cause myself physical pain.

And eventually, after you’ve painted every available surface and learned how to hand-weave your own dish towels, your first thought when stressed out won’t be “I need to hurt myself”, it will be “I think I need tea and a bath.”

Eventually.

Most of the time.

@Seek, are you a scalp-picker, too? I thought I was the only one. I used to walk around with dime-sized scabs on the top of my head when I was a kid. In middle school someone actually started a rumor that I had lice, because my fingers were always absently scratching away underneath my hair. Ah, to live again in the blissful days of my youth…

Yep. When I’m really stressed out I’ll catch myself doing it almost absent-mindedly.

I hope no one ever has to shave my head. The scars would be hella embarrassing.

Apart from using patches when I gave up smoking, I took up cross stitching and started knitting again. I also exercised. In other words, I found things to keep me busy and my hands occupied. Worked for me.

Leaving the place where “it” is would make it a lot easier. Subliminal message meditations on you tube helped me quit smoking. Also, claiming victory over the power this substance has over you is an incentive. good luck.