Millions of cigarettes are lit with the ashy smoke filling the atmosphere in this place we call home.  Millions of people are burning their lives away one puff at a time.  There are so many studies that point their finger at cigarettes to be very brutal towards your lungs yet this never ending cycle of self harm continues but it creates the question “why does it feel so good?” This dilemma could be applied to many things and it really makes you wonder the answer.  Bad things create this rush and feeling of ecstasy in which we respond positively to it.  Little do we know that, this is only the beginning to a terrible downfall of our well being.

“Permanent Solution for a temporary problem” this saying has been said by many to describe  Drinking, smoking, gambling, sex, drugs etc..  Our mind likes to keep this cycle of receiving dopamine in which makes us happy but,when it’s gone, what do we do? Confusion and anger start to replace joy and bliss. It affects the others around us and tears down relationships.  Our brain will start to rely on this activity as a method of happiness and that’s where addiction is thrown on the table.  This journey of being addicted is a very steep downhill path where everything you used to see becomes an enigma and it constantly angers you.  Without this thing, you feel like nothing, no reason to go forward in life, no reason to wake up in the morning.  Sunday breakfast and errands start to feel like Sunday gloom and chores.  You feel like an overwhelming fog is shrouding you and you feel lost.  But, others are there to help you, you must reach out and accept the truth.  In the book “Siddhartha,” the main protagonist is seen trying to prevent this exact situation where he strips himself of his desires by fasting and meditating.  He then describes that this is the true way to reach nirvana, to be free of all your material desires.

Moving on, this theme of looking out for your future could very well be a major cause to overcoming whatever addiction you have.  Sometimes people go cold turkey but everyone has a different encounter with their problems.  You should always practice a way of slowly limiting your use of the item you are addicted to.  This will gradually lessen the dependence you have on your addiction and there will be many improvements to your quality of life as well.  Many of the unseen benefits to you may be seen to others, many will want to approach you more after quitting smoking and your demeanor and mood are more stable.  But beware, you could easily relapse and this whole entire train of thought will repeat itself.  “When you think you’re safe is precisely when you’re most vulnerable.” A quote by the head samurai in the movie ”The Seven Samurai.”’ This pictures exactly how some can fall back to rock bottom so fast when recovering from addiction.  You feel good but sometimes your mindset could change instantly causing you to rationalize the thought of relapsing.  You must stay vigilant and eliminate all the things that could lead to you going back to square one.

Some might argue, “why live a life with no thrill and high?”, in the long run all drugs and addiction will do is spiral you down a dark path of depression and sadness.  An ideology which could be used in this situation would be Stoicism.  This thought of withstanding hardships could help you realize that you can find happiness in other things that are good for you and the people around you.  Some things that you would never experience if you let your addiction take over could make your life a whole lot better.   This same exact feeling of joy could be replicated when doing them. Gardening, working out, woodworking, and just socializing with others are great examples of hobbies that could ease your mind and distract you from addiction.

To sum it all up, many leisurely activities such as alcohol, tabacoo, sex are many common ways poeople become trapped in this sticky web of addiction.  It may look very appealing at first but, this will harshly impact your future and could lead to things that you would never do.  You have to persevere through relapses and temptations. At the end of the day, we are all human.  If you truly want to power through this addiction, you must realize that failing is just part of the process of recovering.  Great things will come in the future if you just put your foot down.