10 Things That Make You Happy

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.

The blame for addiction stretches for miles.

It covers everything from depression and tough times to a little something to help you sleep and a little something to help you stay awake. But any way you’d care to look at it, addiction is a killer, a beast that lives within the addicted person and calls to them for attention. And what it craves will eventually put them in an early grave.

This beast will tell an addict things – things they may or may not want to hear – just to get them to succumb to the urge to “use.” When we examine this phenomenon a little closer, the root of the problem is clear: addiction is a direct result of being unhappy or having negative thoughts and fears of rejection.

Think about it. Would you have ever had a beer if someone didn’t first coax you into drinking it?

So the addict would never have taken that first drink, pill, puff of marijuana, line of cocaine, shot of opiate, or whatever else. This is an example of fear of rejection.

Also, the drug of choice has a much-desired ability to mask negative thoughts and temporarily bring the user happiness. Once the drug has worn off, the addicted person is then forced to deal with reality again and might turn to another “dose” for relief.

The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. Not you or anyone you care about needs to face addiction – even if they are already abusing substances.

Why?

Because when we understand the root cause, we can effectively address it and work toward making the change that safely, naturally, and healthily brings happiness, drowns fears, and silences negative thoughts spewed by the parasitic beast whose only mission is to kill its host.

You may be thinking that addictions such as alcoholism are inherited. Truth is, only the root cause of the addiction is inherited and this creates vulnerability. It is vulnerability that feeds the beast and deepens the problem. To level the ground and simplify the treatment process, understand that treating this disease must always begin at the root cause. That is the common factor in all addictions.

Therefore, in order to overcome the reliance on unhealthy substances, it is important to first get happy.

Laugh in the face of the beast to shut him up for good.

Laughter is therapeutic on many levels. It can instantly crush depression, bring on a natural state of euphoria, and help defeat addiction. Doing things that are out of the ordinary and make you feel good is a great place to start.

Something as simple as a new haircut could bring rock-solid confidence and deep feelings of joy and excitement.

This thought leads to the top 10 addiction-busting ideas for a stronger, healthier life.

1. Give yourself a make-over.

Simply picking up some new clothes, adopting a new hair-style, even washing your car can work miracles for your state of mind.

2. Change your routine whenever possible.

If you like to write, pick up a great new pen that flows smoothly and sets the ink to paper in a crisp, ultra-clear fashion. If you cook, pick up a new, professional chef’s knife. If you drive a lot, stop listening to talk shows or traffic reports – pop in a CD of your favorite music and enjoy the commute. Throw a fresh coat of paint on some walls in your house and de-clutter. This is one of the best ways to make yourself feel great!

3. If you don’t use it – lose it.

Things collect around the house easily and quickly. A good way to keep the frowns off your face is to get rid of things you don’t need. So take inventory – if there are items around the house that bring you down or that you don’t use anymore, chuck them, give them to Goodwill or at least stick them in a storage unit. The most important thing is to get them out of your sight.

4. Turn off the negative internal dialogue.

There’s probably a tape loop running in your head. What it plays is entirely up to you. If constant negative messages or hurtful, bad thoughts are making you feel lousy – work on replacing that tape with positively-charged words of encouragement, pleasantries, and supportive ideas of Health Wealth.

5. Go green and grow health rich.

Switch to paperless bills, fix energy sucking defects in your home, recycle, repair a leaky faucet, and turn off lights and appliances when you aren’t using them. Even if you’re not an environmentalist, this admittedly simple idea will still make you feel good just knowing you’ll be saving money!

6. Give blood – knowing that you’re doing something to save lives is a natural peace booster…

You could even save someone you know or love.

7. Set a positive tone to every day in just 10 minutes.

Peaceful, kind, and gentle thoughts for 10 minutes in the morning will clear your mind and set your day in motion up the road to happiness.

8. Embrace the important things in life.

Sit down with a piece of paper (and your new pen) and write down all the important things in your life. Use whatever comes to mind to start: fortifying your spouse, hugging your children, painting or repairing something around the house that’s been causing you unrest. As you visit this list, keep adding to it. The act of writing it down causes you to visualize the important things in life which in turn tells your brain to engage and act on them.

9. A sense of community is good for the soul.

Give to charity whenever you can. It’ll make you feel good and supports your desire to belong. If you listen to public radio, give a few bucks when they do their fund raising drives and BAM – you’re instantly invited to the party!

10. Get out, network, and meet new people.

Just saying “Hi” to strangers is a good way to get your confidence built up so you can eventually present thoughtful ideas to new groups of people. You never know what can come of it. It might bring a great new career, you might find a product or service you never knew you needed, you could even meet your soul – mate just because you smiled and said “hello” to a handful of people on the street. Plus, unless they’re miserable, zombified, drones (and you don’t want them in your life anyway – they’re energy suckers and downers) they’ll smile back. It’s a win-win where everybody feels good.

Take control of your life again – you never needed drugs or alcohol when you were a kid.

When you were a child, the days were longer, there was fun to be had: playing barefoot on a summer lawn, riding bikes with your friends, making snow angels in the winter, and laughing when the butterflies were released in your stomach as you drove down a hill. You seemed to have it all – everything you needed to have a happy, natural and fun life. The one thing you didn’t have was substance addiction. Ask yourself, “Did I need drugs and alcohol back then?” Well you don’t need them now either.

What you’re effectively doing by practicing (and eventually becoming an expert at) these 10 specific ideas is talking back to the beast.

You don’t need the rotten, disease-causing garbage he forces you to take. Again, you’re fixing the root of the problem. Eventually, as you become more involved in your life again the voice of the beast will fade; he’ll realize that he no longer has control over you and what you put into your body. He has failed to take you down. Then, he will die. He cannot survive without your complete cooperation. Once that’s gone, so is the beast.

The 10 steps above are more than just ways to distract you from the beast; they offer you the chance to shift your paradigm. To look at life for what it is: a journey, not a destination.

But don’t take it one day at a time…this is a major cause of relapse.

By saying, “I won’t use today, but maybe tomorrow,” this keeps the beast alive, just waiting to talk you into it the next day. But if you say to yourself, “I’m NEVER, EVER going to use again!” Stick to it, and the beast will become terrified, confused, and sick. Then you’ve won the battle and it is you who will be waiting — waiting for him to die.

Talk about this new approach to life with your friends and family. They will happily sign on to help you accomplish all of your goals to stay healthy, mentally sound, happy, and drug – and alcohol – free.