“Give careful thought to your ways. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill” (Haggai 1:5-6).
Addiction seeks the next thrill, the next hit, the next high. But it is never enough. To that way of thinking, George Orwell said, “Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”
Adam Sicinski addressed this issue with his article, “Do You Struggle with Instant Gratification?” He suggests that we answer four simple questions.
- What do I want to achieve?
- How will I achieve this?
- Why do I want this?
- Why is it important to work toward this vision?
It is when we reduce life to the things that really matter that the bright colors of addiction fade into the background.
Recovery Step: You have chased the next high for long enough. It’s time to move from gratification to gratitude, from what stimulates to what satisfies.