Skip to main content

Not-So-Obvious Addictions

When we think of addiction, we think of drugs, alcohol, pornography, and gambling. While these addictions may be the most severe and evil, they are not the only ones that can control our lives. Elder M. Russell Ballard said in Conference of October 2010, "Remember, brothers and sisters, any kind of addiction is to surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent. Thus, video-gaming and texting on cell phones need to be added to the list." These activities are only two on a long list of not-so-obvious addictions:
  • Facebook, blogs, and any other online activity that monopolizes your time
  • Work
  • Shopping
  • Food
  • Exercise and dieting
  • TV and movies
  • Dating and romance
  • Games on your phone, iPod, tablet, or computer
  • Music
Anything can become an addiction if it takes over your time and willpower; it does not have to be overtly sinful, like drugs. Remember, there is opposition in all things, meaning everything can be good or evil depending on how you use it. Be aware of Satan's sneaky traps to get you to turn something harmless into something harmful.

Challenge: Assess your activities to see if there are any hidden addictions in your life and get rid of them!
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
facebook and internet- music and ready mormonlight and nishimono letter- and food- my addictions-DAD
January 15, 2012 at 9:59 PM
Amy said…
While alcohol and drug addiction are more severe and can dramatically effect ones health, addictions to things like the internet, shopping, work, etc should not be ignored. They are just as serious addictions. I personally was addicted to shopping and because of this I accumulated a lot of debt. I have since learned to manage my addiction. The website http://onlineceucredit.com/edu/social-work-ceus-cs offers great advice for controlling spending. I have slowly begun to pay off my credit card debt. I guess my point is that even though it may not seem like that big of a problem because it is not a heavy addiction like drugs, you should still seek help for your addiction.
March 22, 2012 at 3:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New URL Coming Soon To Avoid Using "Mormon"

photo by ilker In light of President Nelson's talk in October 2018 general conference , I will be changing the title and address of this blog very soon to eliminate the use of the word "Mormon." Because I won't be buying a domain name, I don't know what the new URL and blog name will be yet. I'm not very literate in the website world, so please bear with me as I roll out these changes. I'm trying to learn as much as I can quickly to reduce broken links and errors. Thank you, and I hope you keep reading my blog!
Post a Comment
Read more

Little Girls No More

Read this article . And we wonder why girls as young as eleven are losing their virginity and why there are so many sexual predators out there. The company argues the padding is for modesty. On the one hand, that is understandable. My little sister went through puberty very early, and my mom had a hard time finding a little-girl bathing suit that covered my sister completely. On the other hand, if parents are so worried about modesty, why are they letting their little girls wear bikinis, especially if they are starting to blossom at a young age? Why can't little girls just be little girls? They'll have the rest of their lives to be grown women. Childhood lasts only for a brief moment. And once it's over, most everyone wishes at some time or other that they could go back. I apologize this isn't actually a doctrinal post. But this problem of sexualizing our little girls really bothers me. As members of the Church, we must set the example and dress our children modestly fr...
2 comments
Read more

"Be Thou an Example of the Believers" at Home

Today, my husband and I spoke in sacrament meeting. Here is the first part of my talk ( read Part 2  and Part 3 ): “The effect of our words and acts is tremendous in this world. Every moment of life you are changing to a degree the lives of the whole world.” Those are the words of President David O. McKay.* If we have such an astounding influence over the world, we need to be examples of righteousness. As Paul counseled, “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. . . . Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in so doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). The Lord said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12). So to be an example of the believers is to do what the Lord has done so that we can “save [ourselves], and them that hear [us].” We usually apply this principle to missionary work, but it also e...
3 comments
Read more