You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh I wish I could stop drinking soda” or want to cut back on your Starbucks spending, so you can use that money elsewhere. Back in early April 2021, I stopped my addiction. It may not be an obvious one, but I was addicted to gum for four and a half years, specifically 5 Gum Wintermint Ascent Sugarfree Gum. I constantly had to have something in my mouth whether that was food, ice, or gum all hours of the day I was awake. For those four and a half years, I was consuming a pack of gum a day, and always chewed two sticks at the same time. While my addiction went on longer than it should have, I was able to stop it. Here’s some ways you can stop or limit your addiction.
- The most effective method that I used was to cut it out like cold turkey. I had no intention of giving up my gum addiction, but back in April a few friends of mine and I went to the beach, and I didn’t have a single piece of gum for those few days. I decided to continue to not have any gum once I came back to campus for the last few weeks of class, and four and a half months later I still have not had a single piece of gum!
- If the cold turkey method seems too extreme, try having less of whatever you are trying to cut down on. Instead of having two sodas a day, have one. Go to Starbucks twice a week instead of every day.
- Tell your loved ones you are trying your best to change your old habits. By letting others know what you are doing, that then lets them know not to give you or feed into the addiction. In my case, once I got home from college I told my parents, and they stopped buying me gum. They wanted me to succeed and were going to help me in any way they could.
- Talk to others about what you are going through. Chances are, they also have something they like to indulge in more than they should and can relate to how you feel. By talking about your journey, it may even convince them to start their own!
Stopping an addiction is not easy and takes time. You mentally have to be tough enough to say no and not give into peer pressure. It may seem like a daunting challenge, which it is, but it is also so rewarding. The first step is admitting that you have an addiction, and then you can figure out how to stop it. I am so proud of myself for giving up my gum addiction and not caving in. You are strong enough to do the same and persevere.