The deliciousness of cinnamon toast crunch in a cold bowl of milk after a long day of work is one of my favorite things. The problem is my inability to practice self control by eating simply one bowl. I've struggled with emotional eating and portion control with food in the past, but with cereal I find myself lost in the habit of one bowl, after another, after another. (The fact that I have the appetite of a man doesn't help either) But there's an underlying problem behind the lack of control. My addiction to cereal is an addiction. There's no sugar coating it. No pun intended...for once.
An addiction, is an addiction, is an addiction. Society, overall, judges those who are addicted to alcohol and drugs; but we overlook the more simple addictions we each have. If we hear through the grapevine that our next door neighbor is going through AA or rehab the whispers and dirty looks seem to arise at the sight of a person who is simply reaching out for help. Mine, being cereal, is no where near the severity of a 15 year alcoholic; but in the eyes of God, we are two of the same.
I'm sure by now, you may have started to think of something you may have grown accustom to spending to much time with or doing. Maybe it's an addiction to drinking soda, or watching too much TV. Or something I know many of my peers struggle with; an addiction to the Internet and gossiping. No matter what the addiction is, they are all equal according to Him. I wish I could find it, and if I do I'll update this post, but there is a verse in the good 'ol B-I-B-L-E meaning just that. Unfortunately I can't find the book that I read it in, not my Bible it's right here beside me, but this awesome book I read called "Made To Crave". Google it. And maybe I'll blog on it one day.
Anywho, the thing about an addiction is, the way we let it consume our time, thoughts, day, etc. Not that I sit around and chomp at the bits to get home to my cereal, but it does have an array of affects on me. I'm generally a healthy eater, but the day after a cereal binge I feel sluggish and guilty about my indulgence. This in turn makes me lazier and less productive. A snowball of negative impacts on my daily routine. Without this habit, I'd have a better overall feeling of myself and wouldn't lose the amount of energy I gain from my healthier choices. That all-day fulfilling energy seems much nicer than the unfortunate highs and lows of processed sugars. The above mentioned is a scenario from my point of view dealing with my personal issues, but I'm sure there is one in relation to yours as well.
Since there are no CA (cereal anonymous) meetings, or 5 week programs to curb my habit, I suppose I'm quitting cold turkey. One of the most important facets in a walk with Christ is that of accountability. It wasn't until earlier this summer that I realized how important this key aspect was, but now I understand it fully. In order to maintain accountable, I hope to write a blog on my success with the elimination of late night binges due to an addiction as seemingly silly as cereal. My goal is by the time school starts to have kicked my habit. If any of you reading this are struggling with an addiction, no matter if it's even sillier than cereal, or something much more serious, I encourage you to say a prayer for yourself. The power of prayer isn't attainable by any program you could go through here on Earth.
I can't help but think of the High School Musical song when I talk about "the start of something new" but I'm no longer 16 and crushing on the star of the basketball team, I'm 19 and writing a blog about addiction...to cereal. But the main and serious point to this, is that nothing in life should have power over you, well unless of course it's The Man. For anyone struggling with anything, today could be the day to start over. Stop making excuses in order to prolong quitting or starting something. Take the initiative and act upon it today. Better yet, this very minute. Decide in your head what you're going to do, a reasonable goal, and the time span between now and that goal. As I caught myself eating far too much Special K this morning, that's when all this hit me. I took the bag, walked to the trash, and threw it in. That was the moment I decided...don't let yours pass you up.
There is always Food Addicts Anonymous.
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