Giving Up

Introduction

I was thinking that we humans are addicted to so many things, although certain things do not count as addictions because society sees them as a norm. These are some observations on the various addictions that we have as humans. Almost everyone has some, it just depends on whether they are seen as addictions.

Addicted To

I have been lucky in many ways. I bought my first pack of cigarettes, ten Players Number Tens, took one out, lit it up, took a drag, and that was it. I dropped it on the floor stubbed it out with the heel of my boot and gave the rest of the pack to the friend I was with.

I have never smoked and I detest the smell of tobacco, although pipe tobacco smells nice, and weed is actually gorgeous. The thing is cigarettes are designed to get you addicted, nicotine is addictive. I remember as a teenager a friend of mine telling me I should smoke because you could share cigarettes as an "adult" the way you shared sweets as a kid.

I kept on either sharing sweets or buying drinks, which may be why I never got the girl, well they all liked me but thought I would be great for someone else, or maybe that was just a way of telling me to go away. C'est la vie.

Then the next thing is alcohol. I have never needed an alcoholic drink, and barring stouts like Guinness and spirits like Southern Comfort I have never enjoyed alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol, again, is addictive and can destroy you. I am sorry if I have come across like a Temperance Movement Puritan, I am anything but. Wine I find a little more palatable than vinegar, but it is good for cooking.

Some sparkling dry wines, I am fine with. Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco are fine, but give me such a bad head after one drink that they are a no-go for me.

I do have the odd half of Guinness with no ill effects, but recently discovered Guinness Zero, and it tastes really nice, so I was happy to be able to enjoy the taste of Guinness once more.

The thing that sparked this piece is that I have not touched chocolate or sweets for about four weeks, apart from the odd ice cream. The thing is I feel addicted to chocolate and sweets because I will just buy them and eat them without thinking. There is the odd time that my blood sugar drops and I need a quick fix but those times are few and far between.

The longer I go, the more I know that the chocolate will taste closer to a block of lard than something that tastes nice. That may be just me that happens to, but I feel I have only given up chocolate until I buy the next bar, but I would be happy if that never happens.

Chocolate is in your face in almost every shop you go into, so even if you need a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk, chocolate will be there in front of your face. Although cigarettes are sort of hidden, addicts know they are there.

Similarly, alcohol is there in every supermarket and corner shop.

I am also lucky that I have never come into contact with drugs, but that is something that people have to search out, but again, it can destroy people's lives.

Then there are nonphysical addictions, gambling being the most damaging. People have accused me of being addicted because I have the odd five-pound bet which I sometimes win, but more often lose. I do it because trying to predict outcomes is something I find fascinating similar to a lot of things in the work I do.

I defend my position by pointing out that if I go to a pub a pint of diet coke is £4, and beer is £6 or more, a glass of wine may be £8, so as I am not going to a pub a fiver is fine to spend.

I have heard stories of people losing their homes because they have become addicted, but I don't know how they got the money and that is another thing where addiction can destroy you.

Conclusion

This was meant to be about me giving up chocolate but has spilled over into a few more topics. I hope you are OK with that.

Below are a few sites that may be helpful to anyone with an addiction.