BAH (Bingeing, Addictions and Habits)
Having read Steve’s interesting blog regarding a binge drinker, I was about to add my own comments when I found that several ideas and questions kept interrupting me.
I began to realise that I was becoming confused with regard to the term “binge”. It was by now late Friday afternoon and my work for the week was finished – or so I thought. That was when I turned on my PC and started to surf the web. Then the mental work really started.
I found that most authorities agree that binging is “… involuntary over consumption of food or drink”.
So I asked myself, “Is the over consumption due to an addiction to the food or drink?”
More surfing gave the general consensus that addiction is “… a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity”.
“That’s almost the same – just less specific”, I thought. “Perhaps they have got into the habit of doing something to excess”.
Yet more surfing provided the explanation that habits are “… automatic routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, without thinking”.
“Now, isn’t that just like binging, or am I confusing myself with so much high powered thought a the end of a busy week?”
I decided to look a little closer at this, despite the lateness of the day and the part of me that believed it was time to pack in.
Anyway, it is apparent that these three different behaviours have partially interchangeable definitions. After all, an involuntary recurring compulsion to repeatedly over consume alcohol would seem to be the problem which Steve described, whilst at the same time fitting into any or all of the above categories.
In practice, my clients agree with that sentiment. I know this because they randomly interchange the use of these three terms.
For example, I have worked with one person who claimed to be a “habitual liar”, whilst another claimed to be “addicted to telling untruths”. One young lady claimed to have control over her nail-biting until she became stressed, and then she “binged on them until they bled”. Some do not even bother with the ‘name’ of the condition, they prefer instead to use part of the description: “I am a compulsive eater!”
Even more interesting is the fact that an addict can easily be convinced that he actually has a habit; and whilst we all know that addictions are difficult to break, habits are easy to get rid of – at least that’s what they say.
In the same way, most chocoholics (who claim to have an addiction to chocolate) can be convinced that they are really binging on chocolate – it’s just a bad habit they have gotten into.
The circle can be completed by realising that it is not hard to convince a habitual nail biter that they are addicted to the taste of their nails!
The common denominator with all of these people is that they are doing something they want to stop doing – and the number of labels we can apply to that unwanted behaviour will not alter that simple fact. They want to stop doing something no matter what it is called.
Indeed, in many cases I find that the approach which worked for binging last week, works just as well with getting rid of an unwanted habit this week. Next week it possibly will not, and I will find another way to help that particular client. After all, each and every client is unique and deserves a therapy best suited to them.
Allow me to repeat this fundamental fact: it does not matter what label is used to name the unwanted behaviour. What matters is acknowledging that there is an unwanted behaviour, deciding to do something about it, and then doing something about it.
If you realise that you have ‘plogetted’ for too long, or want to stop ‘glunapacifying’, a good NLP practitioner and/or hypnotherapist will help you to achieve that aim, even though he or she will not have a clue what you are talking about. The important thing is that you know what you are talking about.
You will not even have to say it is a case of binging, an addiction, or a bad habit - unless you want to.
You already know where to find a good NLP practitioner and/or hypnotherapist because you have already read about Just Be Well, haven’t you?
So, if you feel that you want to say “BAH”, what the Dickens? You may as well complete the sentence and say “humbug” as well.
“Bah humbug!” It’s as simple as that.
And then give one of us a call. There is no need to wait until Christmas to make those changes in your life.
I began to realise that I was becoming confused with regard to the term “binge”. It was by now late Friday afternoon and my work for the week was finished – or so I thought. That was when I turned on my PC and started to surf the web. Then the mental work really started.
I found that most authorities agree that binging is “… involuntary over consumption of food or drink”.
So I asked myself, “Is the over consumption due to an addiction to the food or drink?”
More surfing gave the general consensus that addiction is “… a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity”.
“That’s almost the same – just less specific”, I thought. “Perhaps they have got into the habit of doing something to excess”.
Yet more surfing provided the explanation that habits are “… automatic routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, without thinking”.
“Now, isn’t that just like binging, or am I confusing myself with so much high powered thought a the end of a busy week?”
I decided to look a little closer at this, despite the lateness of the day and the part of me that believed it was time to pack in.
Anyway, it is apparent that these three different behaviours have partially interchangeable definitions. After all, an involuntary recurring compulsion to repeatedly over consume alcohol would seem to be the problem which Steve described, whilst at the same time fitting into any or all of the above categories.
In practice, my clients agree with that sentiment. I know this because they randomly interchange the use of these three terms.
For example, I have worked with one person who claimed to be a “habitual liar”, whilst another claimed to be “addicted to telling untruths”. One young lady claimed to have control over her nail-biting until she became stressed, and then she “binged on them until they bled”. Some do not even bother with the ‘name’ of the condition, they prefer instead to use part of the description: “I am a compulsive eater!”
Even more interesting is the fact that an addict can easily be convinced that he actually has a habit; and whilst we all know that addictions are difficult to break, habits are easy to get rid of – at least that’s what they say.
In the same way, most chocoholics (who claim to have an addiction to chocolate) can be convinced that they are really binging on chocolate – it’s just a bad habit they have gotten into.
The circle can be completed by realising that it is not hard to convince a habitual nail biter that they are addicted to the taste of their nails!
The common denominator with all of these people is that they are doing something they want to stop doing – and the number of labels we can apply to that unwanted behaviour will not alter that simple fact. They want to stop doing something no matter what it is called.
Indeed, in many cases I find that the approach which worked for binging last week, works just as well with getting rid of an unwanted habit this week. Next week it possibly will not, and I will find another way to help that particular client. After all, each and every client is unique and deserves a therapy best suited to them.
Allow me to repeat this fundamental fact: it does not matter what label is used to name the unwanted behaviour. What matters is acknowledging that there is an unwanted behaviour, deciding to do something about it, and then doing something about it.
If you realise that you have ‘plogetted’ for too long, or want to stop ‘glunapacifying’, a good NLP practitioner and/or hypnotherapist will help you to achieve that aim, even though he or she will not have a clue what you are talking about. The important thing is that you know what you are talking about.
You will not even have to say it is a case of binging, an addiction, or a bad habit - unless you want to.
You already know where to find a good NLP practitioner and/or hypnotherapist because you have already read about Just Be Well, haven’t you?
So, if you feel that you want to say “BAH”, what the Dickens? You may as well complete the sentence and say “humbug” as well.
“Bah humbug!” It’s as simple as that.
And then give one of us a call. There is no need to wait until Christmas to make those changes in your life.
Labels: addictions, binging, habits, hypnotherapy, nlp
posted by Denis Niblettat
08:35
2 Comments
