Why Willpower Isn’t a Solution to Addiction Video by Recovery Daily Dose
When I was trying to quit smoking cigarettes, I can’t count the number of non-smokers who told me, “Quitting is easy: just don’t pick up the next cigarette.” They viewed the inability to quit as a lack of willpower. But if anything, those of us with alcohol- and drug-use disorders often have willpower to spare, and willpower isn’t the solution to our problems–it often gets us into those problems in the first place. Our solution has to involve action to counterbalance the incredible willpower we have to keep engaging in risky drug- or alcohol-related activities in spite of the negative consequences. In today’s video, I talk about my failures with trying to use only willpower to quit, and how I found success once I began employing a plan of action as my solution instead.
