Addictions...

For many years I smoked cigarettes... I was a social smoker, then it became, habitually, my emotional crutch in times of stress and trauma and during the ongoing drama of life. I "quit" many times over the years, but something always seemed to come up that would draw me back in. One winter, 5 years ago, after years of healing and letting go, I sat down with my morning coffee and smoked the last 2 cigarettes in my pack... My first thought was that I would run into town to get more... Then something like a paradigm shift, happened and I realized that maybe I didn't NEED them any more... that the healing of my past had released me from this need. Once I accepted this as a truth, the need and desire slipped away and I simply stopped smoking... no fuss, muss or struggle... it was simply not part of my life anymore... Was I addicted to cigarettes ?? I can't say that I was, but I will say that my smoking was definitely connected to my emotional state of being. In my mind and experience, it seems that most, if not all, addictive/ habitual behaviors have an emotional root... some unresolved pain, sadness, sorrow or other emotional aspect driving it, that we are avoiding/ not willing to face... some dis-ease... The patterns in our lives will reveal this to us, so observe your self... Know thyself, love and accept thyself and heal thyself... : ) and make the world a better place.... : )