Can Self-Hypnosis Make Use of Distinctions Between Habit and Addiction?

Habits and Addictions, The scourge of the human brain.

Although one president of the US said that we are addicted to oil, it is more likely that this man failed to understand the distinction between habit and addiction. Smokers declare an addicted to nicotine. Thus in attempting to give up the habit, some begin chewing nicotine gum, or apply nicotine patches. Sad truth. Neither of these two solutions work successfully more than fifteen percent of the time. Reason: Unlike heroin, nicotine is not an addicting drug.

Say what?

It takes a while to make the distinction between habit and addiction. But if one considers the difference between an addiction and a nail-biting habit, the reasoning becomes clear. Addictions modify the body in a process that makes the body and the mind dependent on a substance. Taking in nicotine is closer to nail-biting. It is about the habit of the motions.

For example: Only a small percentage of the population is addicted to alcohol. Even heavy drinkers just have the habit of drinking a lot every day. It’s about the glass in the hand, hanging out with like thinkers, and sometimes just forgetting the world. Likewise, the smoking habit is often mostly about putting something in your mouth, feeling the comfort of a weight in your shirt pocket, and refusing to let others dominate your personal lifestyle. Americans have the habit of driving wherever and whenever they feel like. Thoughts about gas guzzling vehicles have not control over that habit. Likewise, gamblers have the habit of ruining their lives to varying degrees.

Heroin is addicting. Nicotine is not. Heroin addicts have violent physical reactions when deprived. True alcoholics have severe reactions, too. Heavy drinkers can go without a drink and not react physically. Cigarette smokers do not get sick when they run out of cigarettes. Drivers may complain but don’t get sick when forced to stay home. Gamblers just get bored.

Recognizing this distinction, enables habitual people to see where hypnosis can help cure for any type of habit. We just need to have a want to change. Habits, bad or good, tend to develop early in life. They come in as compensation for the things we perceive as a lack in personality, life, or even other substances. They, and the reasons for them, get buried in our subconscious minds.

As a one -time smoker, I took up the habit before reaching my early teens. Dad did it. My brother did it. So did I. It made me feel cool, outside of the norm, special in my own right. But mostly, it help reduce those anxious feelings that routinely run through my genes. Know something else: Smoking never once reduced the habit of biting my nails.

Thankfully, and regretfully, going to prison enabled me to give up smoking. When something costs $30 per pack and will get you in even more trouble if caught in your possession, that is incentive. When that something would cost you three phone calls home at $10 each, the incentive always wins.

Distinctions Between Habit and Addiction — Why Hypnosis Works For Habits

Hypnosis enables humans better access to the subconscious mind, Hypnosis also acts as a key to reprogramming our habitual nature. It even helps us change our self-perception. Hypnosis works for weight loss, smoking, nail-biting and other habits. Overweight people seldom crave to be overweight. However, for many reasons people are driven to overeat. Wanting to lose weight seldom works if our subconscious mind says “no-way”. Thus diets fail, and the food companies get richer.

One student in a local hypnosis class, discovered through hypnosis that she wore her extra pounds to prevent men from “hitting her up”. Lacking skills in how to respond to flirtation, motivated her subconscious mind to push her toward ways that could avoid relationships all altogether. Once she released the guilt feelings about her past sexual responses to men, she began losing weight without dieting. Now she is at her normal weigh.

Hypnosis Helps People Create New Habits

Giving up old habits is one thing. Replacing the bad with something new and better is another. If you’re in debt and sinking further, you can develop a daily habit of recording your income and expenditures. If you keep losing things you need, like your car keys, you can hypnotize yourself into placing them in one spot every day. If you eat too much bad food, why not develop a habit that leans into good foods.

Some people fear hypnosis because they don’t know how safe it is. Some don’t know any practicing hypnotists they’d trust or can afford. Answer: Self-hypnosis.

Do you go mute every time you need speak for myself? Are you great with written words, but at a loss for what to say in a public situation. Stop letting your mind would go blank. Self-hypnosis can help you learn how to talk as well as you write.

Using audio discs helps, and you only need listen when the mood strikes. Try:

• “Break the Habit”
• “Talking to Win”
• And “Peak Performance.”

These are great tools, and they work. But maybe you would rather relax to Alpha waves. That works too. The thing is, habits are stored in the subconscious mind. Hypnosis lets you talk to your subconscious, eliminate old habits and create new ones. With self-hypnosis it takes about 30 days to re-program your subconscious mind. It’s far easier than you’d expect.

And slip in some easy things.

• Cruise the freeways for Sunday recreation
• Go skateboarding or walking
• Play some casual chess
• Read the bible.

Raymondmichaelharrington here with handling the distinctions between habits and addictions. Thanks for reading.