I'm noticing more and more posts by users about how they are a recovering addict of some kind.  Whatever your vice, or how addicted you believe yourself to be, are you here on Steemit at least partially because you want more control over your vices?  Maybe you didn't notice it at all until you asked yourself that question.

I have a few myself.  I've acknowledged them and have struggled with them.  I came across a video not too long ago that I thought was very insightful and something of a game changer in taking control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg&t=84s

I am a competitive person.  When I want to kick something for a few days, a week, or a few months, I can apply my willpower, stare the demon in the face, and be free.  As soon as I've felt I've proven it to myself and the other people around me, I find I run into a different problem.  I rediscover the reasons my vices existed.

The addict-behavior is on hold.  That wasn't the root of the problem though, that was a method of coping.  If I've got a few days off in a row, it's not hard to drink responsibly.  When I work 3 double shifts in a row, I'm picking up a few bottles of wine after each shift.  And then people tell you it's the alcohol's fault.  That's why you're not healthy, depressed, and so strung out.  My response is this:  Yes, I'm tired, sweating, exhausted.  Don't blame all the running, jumping and climbing.  Blame the giant bear that I was running from.  Telling me I need to stop running is telling me I need to face the bear.  Yeah, that's what I did the first time, I'll never forget it. Here are the scars where they had to stitch me back together.  It's why I run now, everytime.

Changing gears, but staying on the same topic(I promise).  I've waited tables for some time.  I came across an interesting article, and have actually corresponded with the author a little.  I wanted to do what he was doing; SEO, affiliate marketing, making websites and automating my income.  The idea of working from my laptop on a different beach every month instead of trudging into the same building and living week to week off of my tips is a very sexy notion. 

http://elitedaily.com/life/why-waiting-tables-is-the-worst-possible-job-for-generation-y/

Following him and researching him I realized that he is an addict too.  His addiction is "success."  His appearance and life-style, at first, made me think that he was superficial, really into himself, and ultimately insincere.  "Just another cog in the machine that doesn't care about anything except financial stability.  Some people just worship money and don't give a shit about real positive change."  I'm a writer too though, and I can tell a lot about who someone is on the inside by their style.  The idea that he was a shallow individual quickly changed.  He had chosen his addiction, one that is good for his health, his wallet, and his life.

There's a bit in the article about what happens to a waiter psychologically when he sees his tip.  It's like getting a pay check at the end of the pay period but on a smaller level.  It's constantly happening throughout the shift, 10-20 tables a shift, good tips, bad tips, it's a roller coaster emotionally.  Even after you learn not to pay so much attention to each tip and just look at the weekly income, it's undeniable.  Seeing a $20 tip on a $50 tab makes you feel good.  Seeing a $20 tip on a $200 tab makes you want to slash someone's tires.  You're programming yourself to a higher level of instant gratification.  I've often heard of waiters who have done everything to get out of the service industry.  A miracle happens and they land a job outside of the service industry.  They can't stop smiling as we say good bye and wish them the best.  A month or so later and they are, regretfully, back in uniform.  It's not that uncommon.  It's a job with a pulse and they can't seem to deny their programming.

To continue my point I have another article to share.  

https://www.livescience.com/49585-facebook-addiction-viewed-brain.html

New avenues for addiction are being manufactured as technology.  This is nothing you haven't heard before and probably are tired of hearing it.  Sometimes we just stare at our smart phone.  There's no new email or text message, but we check anyway.  Yep sure enough, no new messages of any kind.  *Keeps staring*.  Where's my dopamine release?  Social media is addictive.  As the video above explained, it's the lack of meaningful connection that drives addiction more than anything.  We search for these connections, but how meaningful are these social media connections.  How many of your Facebook friends do you actually have any sort of bond with?  How many of them could die today and would be missed?  What is a "like" really worth?  It's not worthless on the psychological level, that's apparent.  What is it really doing for you, your life, your well-being?

On Steemit, it's doing something.  Unlike Facebook where posting deteriorates into dreck(whining, name calling, petty squabbling, and endless sea of duck faces.) Steemit has a powerful psychological reward system.  There's more to gain here than "likes," or popularity.  Steemit is proving itself to be a tool for us to prosper.  There's a future.  A method of steering our addictions from cigarettes, alcohol, sex, gambline, drugs, or whatever your favorite bad habit is to something that can help you change your daily life and morph your future into something you're interested in actually experiencing.

Thanks for reading.  Please resteem if you know of someone who might appreciate this.