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Author: Adam Stephens Coaching
Are you struggling with an addiction?
Take a brief assessment of your life right now. Think about the issue you have been struggling with; give it a moment of thought. Ask yourself if you want to feel the way you feel right now? Do you want to stay the same? Would you be willing to feel even worse a year from now if you did nothing?
I think I know how you answered those questions, and I have good news for you. If you have gotten into the habit of screwing yourself over with alcohol or twinkies or cigarettes or terrible relationships, then you aren't alone. I know hundreds of people who have changed, and they all have one thing in common. They admitted they needed help and took some initial action.
They decided to change, and they did. It is that simple. I think we have analyzed some of this stuff to death and made it seem complicated, but the truth is that we create recovery and wellness. It doesn't occur on its own. It is a state that radiates out of habitual patterns. Patterns we must choose hundreds of times a day until they become ingrained. They become who we are.
Working with a well-trained coach will help you look at your stuff more deeply and understand why you find yourself stuck in a cycle of self-sabotage, why you keep drinking, why you keep smoking or vaping, or binge eating, restricting, and dieting compulsively.
I built my coaching practice for a reason. I got well, and I wanted to share that gift with others. I enjoy working with people deep in the struggle, but I ask for a commitment to the work. It takes about six months of work to lay down the fresh neuropathways for transformation. Addicts can transform, and it starts with building a new mindset. It begins in your brain.
If you desire change, then you must bring a healed mindset into reality through habitual action. You must decide to get well and go after what you want. All humans are broken in a certain sense, we aren't perfect, but none of us are so messed up that we can't improve our lives, even if it is just by a tiny bit. You can probably get A LOT better if you consistently show up for yourself.
My journey through alcoholism and disordered eating taught me how much better life could be. I want you to understand that having the awareness that you need help is a big deal. Getting in touch with a coach or counselor, going to recovery meetings, or attending a workshop is a start, but your resolve will fade without a serious commitment.
There needs to be a certain amount of momentum behind a rocket before it can escape the earth's atmosphere, but oddly enough, it is good to go the second it crosses the gravitational threshold. Recovery is like that. We must get far enough down the road to feeling the effects, and then it clicks. We realize how much better we feel, and we no longer feel the need to go back.
Once you decide that you want to change, then you need to own the outcome. I call this process shifting. We take responsibility and then immediately act. Creating the habits for optimal health and wellbeing takes a structured plan. You need to work toward your goals every single day.
Eventually, you will succeed, and ultimately, you will assimilate the habits and no longer look back. You will not struggle so dreadfully because you will have found a level of peace that makes life enjoyable. Poor habits and all addictions are escape strategies. We are trying to dull out pain. Once we get the roots out, we no longer feel inflamed with anxiety or anger all the time, and hence there is no longer a need for escape.
So, if you are reading this blog, I want to welcome you to a journey with yourself, a path to self-awareness. It is a journey through the things that set you back and visitation of your old pain. It will be a journey into the work that will bring you a beautiful life, where you enjoy physical health, spiritual contentment, and satisfaction in your relationships.
I know it is possible because I did it, and I continue to do it one day at a time. Life is constantly moving. We are all constantly becoming something new.
Choose to become well today. I know you can do it!
