This is part of a series shared ecumenically with members to whom I was assigned; the goal was to start conversation and deep thought, and many of these messages led to great conversations.
Activity or Addiction
Original Publication Date: 17 March 2025
I hope you’ve been enjoying this warm weather and getting to see and enjoy New Mexico and the surrounding areas. I finally made it to Carlsbad Caverns and learned there is a Stone Henge replica in Odessa Texas; it’s not quite a destination, but if you’re in the area it’s worth stopping to see and contemplate.
As we move into warmer months it’s an unfortunate fact that Air Force wide Airmen will get themselves into trouble. Sometimes this is because of a one-time mistake, but usually it’s the culmination of many lesser behaviors that come to a culminating event. Often this reveals addictions we may not have even realized we had.
So the first question to ask is, “How do I know if I am enjoying something or I’m addicted to it?” The Mayo clinic gives these signs of an addiction (not all inclusive):
- Activity causes financial or legal trouble
- Inability to stop
- Increased tolerance – always needing/wanting more
- Activity causes loss of self-control
- Activity causes neglecting responsibilities or relationships
- Hiding activity from others
The summary of an addiction is that you’re not control anymore, but something is in control of you. In my faith tradition we say, “Whatever overcomes a person owns that person.” One of the best ways to tell if you own your activities/hobbies or they own you is to take a short break from them. We’ve all heard, “I can quit anytime I want!” Prove it: quit for a predetermined amount of time; 24 hours, a week, a month, maybe forever depending on the costs and/or benefits.
If you can’t stop of your own accord, Dr. Heath Lambert, a recognized expert on breaking addictions, says you need three things to indulge in an addiction, and removing any one of them will help:
- The opportunity
- The time
- The desire
If you remove any one of those, you not only won’t—you can’t—indulge an addiction. Let’s say the addiction is alcohol, if you don’t have any alcohol, you won’t over imbibe. If you do have access, but you don’t have time, you can’t indulge.
But the most important aspect of an addiction is the desire. Without a desire it doesn’t matter how much access or time you have: you won’t do it.
Breaking a desire is where the spiritual pillar shines. Wherever you get strength to improve yourself and others is the best option to fight addiction. Whether that’s in a deity or faith/community group or personal conviction or something else, someone’s personal spirituality is where I take people when helping them break their addictive habits, and I’ll bear testimony that I’ve seen wonderful results. Maybe your spirituality is strong enough to help you without someone else’s intervention, or may it’s something worth talking about with an MFLAC, or personal mentor, or your chaplain or Religious Affairs Airman, or someone else you trust.
There are great things in this world to enjoy and help you press towards bigger and better things, but almost all of those things can overcome us and take us places we didn’t want to go, cost us more than we wanted to pay, and keep us longer than we ever wanted to stay. Let me encourage you today to take a moment to consider who is in control of your life and how it will turn out: Is it you or some activity or substance?
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