In my twenties, my life looked a lot different than it does now. I was addicted to pain medication and smoking nearly two packs of cigarettes a day. I was unhealthy and hopeless. I didn't want to live that way, but sadly I did not know any different. I have always been a very strong-minded person; the problem with that is I went 100 with the negatives of life; the good news: I also go 100 with the positives.
I quit smoking one time. I quit pain pills one time. And I have never looked back. 10 years later, I look back on that person, and I do not identify with her at all. It almost feels like I am looking back on someone else's life. Not my own. It takes the average smoker 6-10 serious quit attempts and around the same, if not more, for an addict. So what was different for me? Why did it only take me 1 time? I can assure you in no way am I special.
Well, first let's break this down: what is a habit? A habit is a behavior that becomes automatic through repetition. It's something you do regularly with little or no conscious thought because your brain has learned to associate it with certain situations or cues.
An addiction is a chronic condition in which a person compulsively uses a substance or engages in a behavior even though it is causing harm. Over time, the brain changes in ways that make it harder to control the urge to keep using or doing it, and this all began with forming a habit that turned into an addiction that, during that time, became a part of my identity.
We are made up of habits, and these habits become a part of our identity. These become a big part of how we show up in our daily lives.
So how did I do it?
When I decided to quit, I did not focus on the quitting. I started rebuilding my identity, my habits, and, most importantly, my thoughts.
I told myself 100 times a day, if not more, that cigarettes were disgusting. I hated the smell of them, the damage they caused. If I walked past a cigarette, I would hold my breath with disgust. I started retraining my brain and my thoughts about my belief in cigarettes. I started working out daily and seeing myself as someone that wass healthy and loved and cared for my body, not someone who hurt myself. I did everything a healthy non-smoker would do.
I started to create a whole new Identity and thoughts and behaviors that confirmed that identity. Until eventually that new identity I had created was my new normal.
This was a huge realization for me. I have now, for years, used this in many areas of my life.
Your personality is the pattern of attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that makes you uniquely you.