Addiction

Today as I sat waiting for the bus home from work I saw a man come up the street. He discreetly checked the ash tray in the bus shelter near me then went to the one on the other side. there he found half a cigarette. He lit it and began puffing on it like it was the very air he needed to live. As he finished his last drag I saw his eyes bulge! He bent over and picked up a whole cigarette off the ground near the ash tray. He very carefully wrapped it in a piece of old notebook paper and stowed it in his shirt pocket. He then wandered on up the street looking next in a trash can. Soon after he was around the corner and out of site.

After he left I sat wondering about the power of addiction. This man was willing to go through trash and ashtrays to feed one of the hardest addictions to break. So many things can become addictions. Most often we think of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Yet other things can also become addicting. Caffeine, sugar, chocolate, and fast food can also become a habit then an addiction. I know people who are addicted to video games. One of my patients wife would leave her husband in my care and hurry to the library computer so she could play her facebook game.

So what dose this have to do with provident living. Addictions take away your money, your time and often destroy your life. Hundreds and thousands of dollars a year go into addictions. Millions of hours are robed from our lives by video games and TV programs.

You can save so much cash by not becoming addicted to drugs, alcohol and tobacco. You can have so many more productive hours when you take the time to do something other than watch your TV programs or seek the high score on our video game. You will live much more providently if you avoid addictions.

Now the prepper part. Things people need to have, have the most value in hard times. Some people will triad away what they need most for things they crave or have a desire for. So if you are going to store one commodity, store sugar. In hard times the price of sugar and other sweets will go up. Some people also store things to meet the needs of people with addictions(alcohol, tobacco etc.). The plan is to have the supply and make the addict your slave if they are to feed their addiction. However, if you run out of the addict fix they will not believe you are out and may turn on you seeking the fix. I advise you to not become the source of a fix for addictive materials. You should have some luxury items like sugar, candy and honey for bartering.

Most important of all for today is to evaluate yourself. Is there anything you have become addicted to? This is anything that takes up your time, money or energy and serves no real useful purpose. If you have an addiction do what ever is needed to break it. Then stay away from it. Fine more productive ways to use your time and assets