How Watching TV Taught Me To Delay Instant Gratification
This is going to sound bizarre but I realized that watching TV has taught me how to delay instant gratification.
In a world where everything is available NOW, it's no wonder that we grow to expect things right now. That includes our gratification.
What I realized this morning while I was thinking about my absolute most favorite show of all time, Lost, is that even the way I watch TV has changed since entering addiction recovery. So let me tell you how TV has taught me to delay instant gratification.
Attending Narcotics Anonymous Meetings?
The answer to that is no. I have not been going to any Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I know, I know...it's bad. I have been successfully talking myself out it. I can be very persuasive when I want to be. So where does this leave me?
Twenty-four Hours A Day
I already explained a little bit in my story that after I was released from my in-patient stay in a lock down psychiatric ward to detox, I attended an out-patient program. The out-patient program taught me one of the fundamentals of addiction recovery...stay in the day.
Here is My Cymbalta, Where is My Libido?
Cymbalta has effected my libido...negatively effected my libido. I had previously talked about the fact that I thought my Cymbalta for depression wasn't cutting it for me. I have discovered that I am having a negative side effect from Cymbalta: sexual dysfunction, low libido, lack of sex drive. Whatever you want to call it, I have it.
Go After Addiction Recovery Like A Newcomer
Do you remember what it was like when you were a newcomer to addiction recovery? If you were anything like me, you pursued recovery. You went after it, you studied it and you spent a lot of time building up your addiction recovery fundamental skills.
As time goes on, you feel a little more comfortable in your addiction recovery. You feel that you can take on some new things that aren't directly related to addiction recovery. You have begun to develop some of your life and coping skills and maybe the fire that you had in your belly when you first entered into addiction recovery has dwindled a little.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Is this just a way of tricking yourself into thinking you don't need to put as much work into your addiction recovery as you once did or are you now truly benefiting from all of the initial hard work that you did put into your recovery?
Being Present: The Importance Of Staying In The Moment
If you are familiar with addiction recovery, you know that living life one day at a time is a major part of a successful recovery.
I'm here to say that in order to be happy, healthy, and have a little peace of mind in life you need to not only live one day at a time...you need to begin being present. Learn to stay in the moment.
Addiction Recovery: The Relationship Aftermath
I had written a post about dealing with the consequences of addiction and it occurred to me that I never wrote about what consequences addiction recovery has on relationships. We know first hand what consequences substance abuse has on our relationships but what about addiction recovery?
Some Myths About the Dreaded Relapse
More thank likely, at some point in your recovery you will have a relapse. Of course it is your goal in life not to relapse, that is really the whole point to all of the work we are doing. But mistakes will happen. The most important thing to do is learn from your mistakes. No one is perfect, everyone f's up from time to time, but a relapse can be a learning experience if you choose to make it one.
Addictive Thinking: People Watching Is Your Mind Projecting
Have you ever caught yourself judging people that you are seeing for the first time, say in a crowd. While you are people watching you are actually projecting yourself, good or bad, onto others. When you have doubts about yourself or things that you don't like about yourself...you see the same in others. This is because the doubts in yourself are actually based upon guilt and projection is a way for your ego to cast your guilt onto others.
Goodbye George Carlin… You Will Be Missed
My absolute favorite comedian, George Carlin, passed away yesterday at the age of 71. I just wanted to acknowledge his passing and say that he will be missed.
George was a brilliant comedian with a passion for language that shined through in his act. For those that didn't pay close attention to him, they may have thought of him as just a filthy minded comedian who used vulgar language for shock value. They would be wrong.
George Carlin had such an honest view of human beings (including himself) that everything he said resonated with his viewers. He knew exactly how to use human language to convey his ideas to us perfectly.
To quote the great George Carlin from his 1984 Carlin on Campus HBO special:
"Rat shit
Bat shit
Dirty old twat
69 assholes tied in a knot
Hoooooray
Lizard shit
Fuck!"
It seems that George Carlin was battling with recovery for most of his adult life. You would hear the announcement here and there that he had entered into rehab for this or for that. The most recent being a prescription pill addiction.
I guess that's just another reason why I felt so connected to this guy. He knew real life and wasn't afraid to talk about it openly, honestly, and in a funny way.
I really am saddened by his passing.
Recent Posts
- Mother’s Day
- Maybe I’m Not Really an Addict
- Change Is Inevitable
- Are You Still Keeping Secrets In Your Recovery?
- One of THOSE Days…Getting Through Tough Days In Recovery
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