Overcoming Addictions

Few things build character as much as overcoming an addiction does. It could be smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or being at TV-watching junkie, a coffee addict or a shopaholic.   

Admitting that an addiction interferes with your life, your relationships or your work is quite an achievement. And actually doing something about it is a success!

I overcame bulimia, which is very similar to any other addiction, with the added stress of the “drug” being something as mundane and accessible as food. It took me many years to conquer it, and the result of that was my first book: “I Feel Fat”, published in 1993, followed by “Fear of Eating”, in 2002.

However, I consider that my greatest achievement was that I never gave up, regardless of the outcome. Actually overcoming the addiction was the icing on the cake.

When you manage to overcome an addiction, which is a huge success that most people do not readily admit to, perhaps out of shame, you feel you can do anything.

What addictions or bad habits have you overcome? Which would you like to overcome? What are you going to do about it?

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The light at the end of the tunnel

Guess what? You can get out of the tunnel RIGHT NOW. It has side doors! The side door is called ATTITUDE. And I don´t mean acting stuck up of course.
It is way too easy to stay in the dark and use it as an excuse not to get ahead in life, and not to live to your fullest potential. But it is also boring and lonley in there.
We blame the economy, a boss, a parent, a friend or an enemy for our circumstances. Ultimately, however, the responsibility is our own.
I started learning this in my twenties, while battling a long and severe eating disorder that I used as a scapegoat for many things from not having healthy relationships to being irresponsible.
However, and thanks to my perseverance, I found my way to a 12-step group that helped me realize that whereas I was not to blame for my illness (nor, in fact, was anyone else for that matter), I was fully responsible for overcoming it. And overcome it I did. It wasn´t easy, it wasn´t fast and to this day I can say it wasn´t a blast ...
But that eating disorder turned into my first and best-selling book so far, published in 1993, entitled "I Feel Fat" ("Me siento gorda", in Spanish), which is unfortunately not available in English. It turned into empathy, patience and understanding of people with addictions. It turned into STRENGTH.
Because I looked for a side door in that tunnel, today I know that if I was able to beat an eating disorder and help others know what it feels like to have one, and inspire them to overcome that, I can do ANYTHING!
Think of what you have overcome in life and how that proves you can overcome the challenges you are facing now or that may lie ahead ...