How Oldies Can Be Addicts

Addiction is one of the biggest challenges facingallareas of society.Despite what the media seems to record, most addictions are not of the substance type - alcohol, drugs, food, consumer stuff. Process addictions - patterns of thinking and reacting - are far more prevalent. And it's most likely that those who've lived the longest have more of these addictions than the younger brigade.So, while it might take some admitting, the majority of us are addicts of some kind. We have an intense resistance to change: we like predictability. And as we age, we tend to become pretty set in our ways and see no real need to movetoward any new way of thinking. We usually change only when we're forced to, and that usuallytakes a crisis of some kind for us to reconsider our stance.In the past, I attributed my process addiction to myupbringing. And that blame game usually included parents, teachers, and others who influenced my life. It's only now, possibly with the benefit of growing older, that I realise that the challenge for me is to change the way I operate on a day-to-day basis. I've found that contemplative practices such as meditation and prayer, have helped to break down this unhelpful either-or-thinking, black-or white, dualist kind of thinking. Too bad that these practices seem to deal with what could be the tip of the iceberg.A more successful approach to overcoming a fairly common form of process addiction could be exemplified as follows. Suppose someone would like to become more positive than negative. The crisis necessitating this change may be ill health, friends abandoning him or her, or whatever. They probably know they would not become more positive by saying to him- or herself, 'Be positive!' They'd actually become more positive by noticing when they arenotbeing positive and, therefore, adopt a different approach or response. (Easier said than done, of course.)My type of process addiction will not cause hardening of the arteries (Arteriosclerosis), a common condition associated with ageing. It could, however, result in Psychosclerosis (hardening of the attitude), and, if left unchecked, could lead to paradigm paralysis. It's time for me to take some positive action, methinks!The words of John Henry (Cardinal) Newman (1801-1890) might help me and my condition. He said, 'To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often'.You can find out more about Neil Flanagan when you visithttp://www.neil.com.auand while you'rethere you can have your say about anything mentioned in this article and you can download a free copy of one of Neil's many bestselling books BLINK! The Speed of Life (How to add years to your life and life to your years).Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr_Neil_Flanagan/238005