Even though,
I have suffered from hangovers hundreds of times,
I always end up telling myself in the morning:
“I will never binge again”.
Because the pain is unbearable!

But in the evening, when I start feeling melancholy,
I conveniently forget the promise, I made to myself,
And eventually, I breakdown and give-in to my habits.
At first, I tell myself:
“There is no guilt, there is no shame,
If you only indulge in one, and then, don’t do it again.”

But just like eating potato chips, I can’t have just one.
My brain begins to tell me:
“Have another, just one more”,
And swears to me:
That ‘tomorrow’s hangover’, this time, won’t be so bad!
But hides from me, the reality,
That ‘tomorrow’s good day’, isn’t guaranteed.

By: ElRoyPoet © 2018

Commentary: “Desire for pleasure is much more powerful, than the memory of pain.” When we’re feeling exhausted and our resistance levels are down, we can deceive ourselves into believing that we deserve a little illicit fun in our lives. But there’s a reason, why it’s called a guilty pleasure; you will be punished for it; it could be immediately or become a long-term addiction that haunts you and your loved ones.

While we can’t control the feelings and thoughts that pop into our heads, we can control what we do with them. Bricker’s work using acceptance and commitment therapy in smoking cessation programs suggests we shouldn’t keep telling ourselves to stop thinking about an urge; instead, we must learn better ways to cope. The same applies to other distractions like checking our phones too much, eating junk food, or excessive shopping. Rather than trying to fight the urge, we need new methods to handle intrusive thoughts.
Use this 4-step method to handle unwanted thoughts that can derail your focus.
Step 1: Look for the Discomfort That Precedes the Distraction, Focusing In on the Internal Trigger
Step 2: Write Down the Trigger
Step 3: Explore Your Sensations
Step 4: Beware of Liminal Moments
Excerpt from How to Disarm Internal Triggers of Distractions

“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.” By: Oscar Wilde

“’JUST SAY NO’ to taboo experimentation, because just like illicit drugs, after you try it for the first time, you might like it, but by then it’s too late to go back, because you’re already addicted.” By: B. Bondsman