Run Until Your Addiction is Gone
Author: Coach28 Jul
There was a time when I didn’t have an ounce of confidence in my own abilities. To me it seemed I couldn’t escape a life of porn addiction so why would I be able to do anything else. I was at rock-bottom. Usually this is the point that motivates people to change. The point where they themselves become so frustrated that they can’t take it anymore and decide to change. Well, I had hit that point several times and lingered.
There was a time, however, I particularly remember in which I took more action than ever before personally. I decided I was so fed up with my life that I was going to run it out, literally. So I decided to start running every morning for 21 days(I just chose a good number) and abstain from my bad habits at the same time.
Before I go any further I should explain something; I HATE running with a passion!! I don’t know why, but I just can’t stand to run. Sprinting for short distances, ok; running for a mile or more, not a fan at all. However, whenever I do run, I feel great afterwards for making myself do it. It makes me confident and feel good physically.
So, back to my goal. In addition to running I would write in my journal every morning when the run was complete and write out what I learned about myself. It’s very interesting what physical activity can teach you about your character. For example, I noticed I would start my run out too fast in the beginning and not have enough energy to make a good finish. I could see this paralleled other things in my life in which I make a great effort in the beginning but don’t endure very well. Endurance was a another thing I learned about. Addictions have strong physical urges that are difficult not to give into. I had the physical urge to stop running after going so far. This helped me a great deal in learning how to endure urges.
I will never forget this great learning experience. After I completed my goal I felt like I could do anything. That was the success I needed to motivate me to continue making progress. I tasted a sample of freedom and I wanted more.
Of course, everyone has different experiences with different things but I think we can agree that learning how to endure physical urges can be beneficial for anyone. Running was difficult for me so I learned a great deal from making myself do it. It was quite liberating.
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[...] you were doing it, then felt great and proud of yourself that you did it afterwards? I know I have. Running is a great exercise but it is only one of many. I have found anything involving cardio to be very [...]
Hi,
I’ve struggled with this for years and now i’m going to try again to conquer it. Its like running up a sand dune and so far I just keep slipping back.
Thanks for the excellent advice,
I’ve recently opened up to my wife and told her my addiction. That’s a must. Nobody will ever conquer any sort of addiction unless they tell others about it and offer up ‘progress reports’. It takes serious guts, but it has to be done. Keeping an addiction under a cloak of secrecy is akin to leaving a gate open so the wolves can attack the sheep. You will (a) either do whatever it takes or (b) you will fail.
I’ve tried working out and achieving personal goals, but that has been hollow in it’s purpose. My weight fluctuates so much that I’ve gone from 216 to 192 to 216 over the past few years and it’s a vicious cycle. I have no idea as to why and the docs don’t know either. My goal was 220, but to get so close and fail infuriates me, especially now that I see body building as more and more of a waste of time. Sure, I can get to 220, but at what cost to my relationships? Will I compromise relationships to spend time at the gym? Am I okay with obsessing over my diet and supplements for the rest of my life? At some point, my vanity will become a load too heavy to bear. The bottom line? Goals are fine, but some goals may not be worth reaching.
Life is all about relationships. Prioritize your time and spend it with people who truly care about you. Talk to them and remain transparent. Trust is hard to retrieve once it leaves the heart, but you can regain it if you show people they can truly trust you. What is a man worth if his word means nothing?
Work on repairing relationships and that will help you tremendously. That’s a ‘workout’ that I know that’ll help!
God bless you all in your journeys!