Q: Dear Todd, I was a minimalist when I was using cannabis every day, and later drinking and smoking cigarettes every day. I felt satisfied with those escapes plus daily meditation and exercise. Then I stopped drinking and within a year started collecting toys. It's an addiction replacement. I get a high from making the purchases, but honestly, having the toys gives me little to no joy. Once in a…
Q: Dear Todd, I view smoking and vaping as negative habits and don’t want to be around people who do that, and don’t want to view them positively. I find these habits trigger me and make me pull away. Any suggestions?Todd Answers: That is very understandable. It's always difficult to see our loved ones or people we care about doing something harmful whether it's vaping or doing even more harmful…
Q: Dear Todd, I have many bad habits. How can I transform myself?Todd Answers: My best advice for you, as someone who used to have many addictions, is to be patient and start with the addiction that is most disruptive (it was alcohol for me). Then work your way down from there one at a time. Trying all at once can often be impossible. If you fail, keep trying and…
Ever since I was a teenager, smoking and drinking were the perfect things to take me away from the pressure, stress, and angst of growing up in a small town with not much else to do. Only years later would I discover how to quit drinking and smoking with meditation.But back then, drinking and smoking were the only things that could quiet my racing mind. They got me out of…
Q: Dear Todd, Is Smoking Addiction Because Of Oral Fixation?TODD ANSWERS: If oral fixation is the problem, switching to gum would be an easy task. But, there is much more to smoking addiction than oral fixation. Oral fixation, which can have many causes, is always exacerbated by smoking.Smoking doesn't just reinforce the fixation either. It makes it stronger due to the nicotine withdrawal, which creates added stress and anxiety which…
“I thought my biggest fear was growing old and dying in prison. In truth, my biggest fear was growing old and not knowing myself.”
- Rick Smith, Albama inmate
Path to Peace - A newsletter not just for your mental health but also for your spiritual health.
