#addictions

It is never easy being the one who takes the first step. But if we want things to mature in our life, we must fight for them relentlessly without compromise or excuse. ↗

— M.W. Moore

#autobiograhpy #bi-sexual #life

Not all addictions are rooted in abuse or trauma, but I do believe they can all be traced to painful experience. A hurt is at the centre of all addictive behaviours. It is present in the gambler, the Internet addict, the compulsive shopper and the workaholic. The wound may not be as deep and the ache not as excruciating, and it may even be entirely hidden—but it’s there. As we’ll see, the effects of early stress or adverse experiences directly shape both the psychology and the neurobiology of addiction in the brain. ↗

— Gabor Maté

#behavior #psychology #stress #experience

Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to calm the pain, because that it what all addictions are, attempts to cover the pain of this spiritual disease. ↗

— Keith Miller

#attempts #because #best #calm #christian

My three addictions of choice are food, love and work. ↗

— Alanis Morissette

#choice #food #love #three #work

Human decision-making is complex. On our own, our tendency to yield to short-term temptations, and even to addictions, may be too strong for our rational, long-term planning. ↗

— Peter Singer

#complex #decision-making #even #human #long-term

The easiest thing is to say no. What's not so easy is telling yourself to stop. ↗

— Alix

#choices #life #life

We are not consumers. For most of humanity’s existence, we were makers, not consumers: we made our clothes, shelter, and education, we hunted and gathered our food. We are not addicts. “I propose that most addictions come from our surrendering our real powers, that is, our powers of creativity.” We are not passive couch potatoes either. “It is not the essence of humans to be passive. We are players. We are actors on many stages…. We are curious, we are yearning to wonder, we are longing to be amazed… to be excited, to be enthusiastic, to be expressive. In short to be alive.” We are also not cogs in a machine. To be so would be to give up our personal freedoms so as to not upset The Machine, whatever that machine is. Creativity keeps us creating the life we wish to live and advancing humanity’s purpose as well. ↗

— Matthew Fox

#addictions #consumer-culture #consumerism #creation #creativity

Coffee and smoking are the last great addictions. ↗

— Lara Flynn Boyle

#coffee #great #last #smoking

When you're an addict, you can go without feeling anything except drunk or stoned or hungry. Still, when you compare this to other feelings, to sadness, anger, fear, worry, despair, and depression, well, an addiction no longer looks so bad. It looks like a very viable option. ↗

— Chuck Palahniuk

#anger

Soft addictions are an alluring, seductive aspect of our culture - they are easy to attain and socially acceptable, they are even encouraged in many cases. Yet they are lethal to the spirit. ↗

— Judith Wright

#addictions #alluring #aspect #attain #cases