Overcoming addiction and bad habits: a perpetual battle is raging inside of troubled individuals: sweet acceptance versus bitter resistance. Which one wins is up to you.

• Author: Sacco, Peter Andrew
• Position: Psychology

HOW MANY TIMES have you tried to quit cigarette smoking in the last year? Twice? Five times? Perhaps even 10 times? Do you or someone you know struggle with alcohol problems? Perhaps it is sex, drugs, gambling, or pornography that is your vice. Maybe you have bitten off more than you can chew, first believing you could quit any of the above once you started, and speaking of chewing, if you are an overeater and addicted to food, this is for you, too. Are you finally are ready to kick the habit, turn over a new leaf, and make the best of a new opportunity?

I have worked in the mental health and addictions field for nearly 20 years, and it is the feedback from clients and students that has taught me the most. I have learned that no one style fits everyone. Basically, in the world of addiction and mental health, too many times square pegs are squeezed into circular openings, and it simply does not work.

Many counselors in the field of addictions like to look at addictions from a holistic approach. This means they like to treat the problem using a bio-psycho-social model. Rather than looking at the individual from one frame of reference--people merely are "biological" creatures; or a person exists in the "psychological" domain only; or he or she is a "social" being who mimics what society wants--they look at all three aspects of the individual's being.

By focusing on all areas, you provide an optimal treatment plan, concentrating on the individual as a symmetrical being. Spiritualism is becoming more widely accepted in the helping profession; it finally is being seen as a great influence in the world of addictions. As the bridged gap between science and religion draws closer, those in the helping profession are recognizing the influence of spiritualism in the healing process.

How many people function each and every day with self-destructive mentalities? Furthermore, how many individuals five to cut off their own noses just to spite their faces? Are you one of those people?

Some say nothing makes a person feel more alive than to be angry--at other people, the world, or themselves. This anger gives them a sense of control--well, at least a distorted, dysfunctional, and disjointed sense of control. Ironically, the only thing you can control in this scenario are the thoughts you think that lead to the feelings you feel. Most people despise feeling angry, bitter, or resentful, but cannot seem to stop themselves.

I have identified 12 different types...