How to Quit Any Addiction

I just finished reading an excellent blog post about how meditation has been proven to be an amazing cure for addiction. The benefits of meditation have been studied somewhat extensively, and proven through research.

According to Paul Saintilan, a spokesman for the Buddhist Recovery Network, over 500 studies have shown that meditation increases serotonin levels, the “happy brain chemical” that is deficient in addicts.

Meditation Casts a Bright Light on the Darkness of Addiction

Click here to read this excellent article about meditations ability to cure addiction. Very well done. I encourage you to read it and start practicing meditation to prevent and cure any addiction you may have.

You may have a compulsive way of thinking or acting, rather than a full blown addiction, but meditation will help you control your thoughts and prevent irrational and compulsive behavior by providing insight into your behavior and thought patterns. Have you ever said to yourself “Why do I do that!?!?!” about some recurring behavior or thought that does not suit you or is self-destructive? Meditate and stop the behavior in its tracks!

One of the most powerful aspects of meditation is it give you breathing room between you and your thoughts.

You are not your thoughts!

But this is something we deny and have trouble accepting since our culture has been fetishizing rational thought ever since Copernicus, and rational thought is the emphasis in our schools (SAT’s?…seriously? Come on!). A great mantra I often repeat to myself is

• “My body is not me, but mine. I am the master of my body and mind”.

When we identify our entire being with our rational thoughts, we start to become imbalanced and unhappy. Meditation gives one the ability to take a distance and choose a different way of being and thinking.

Of course reading and math are great, but neither can teach you to be happy. Isn’t meditation a smart thing to teach our children in conjunction with their usual studies? Won’t they be happier, healthier, and more focused?

Your Brain is Like a Forest

In addition to meditation, cardiovascular exercise has been PROVEN be highly effective at curing addiction because it creates new neurons in the brain; these new neurons can be utilized to create new pathways in the survival areas of the brain, which is the area that addiction affects.

The old “addiction” pathway will remain, but the more you exercise, the more you can create a new path. The more you walk down that new path, the stronger the path will become, like a well used path in a forest. The old “addiction” path in your brain will start to become overgrown with shrubs, just like an old path in a forest, making it harder to use.

This research has drastic and profound implication for our prison system, rehabilitation centers, and education system.

If you are interested in the research about exercise induced neurogenesis (new neuron creation), I highly recommend this book. It is a great read and very enlightening and empowering:

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

Exercise and Mediation Cure Addiction

“Exercise and Meditation are like two pillars that form a bridge to support you, keeping you balanced, elevated, and happy despite the hectic world we live in.

Forget all the drugs. Exercise and meditate. When the average personal understands this, we will not have a health care crisis. Remember, for any drug to work in your body/brain, you must already have a receptor for that drug. And if you have a receptor for that drug, it is because your body produces that drug, that why it has that receptor. So any and ALL MEDICATION is just mimicking what you already have the ability to create inside yourself.

Then the question becomes, “why am I low on any particular chemical in my body? And how can I create it?”

Exercise and meditation, that is how! If we all believe that we can actually physically change our bodies through the choices we make (exercise and diet), why is it so hard to accept that fact that we can change our minds and brain by the activities we engage in and the way we use our mind?

I hope this inspires you to take control of any unhealthy behaviors you may have. There are many kinds of meditation; don’t be intimidated, just give it a shot and suspend judgment. Believe in yourself!

Meditation in nature is great, but not necessary! You can meditate anywhere by using your focus.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments below and I will get right back to you. How long did it take you to learn to meditate? Who do you know that could use this information? What challenges do your face toward meditating and exercising every day? Questions in the comments will be answered and appreciated!

Take care, stay fit, and be present

Johnny Fitness

Jonathan Angelilli aka Johnny Fitness has worked as a full time trainer for over 8 years, has completed 9 certifications, trains several celebrities, and is currently the Training Director of Dynamic Results, an upscale fitness and lifestyle company in NYC. He witnessed the power of meditation to transform his life at an early age, and enjoys helping others discover this transformative healing practice.