In the past 12 months, I was able to quit cigarettes, alcohol, prescription painkillers and heroin. I'll tell you what worked for me:
-Maybe stop hanging out with your using friends who could negatively influence you while you work on quitting or moderation. You need to eliminate distractions.
-Make a list of the reasons you want to quit, then meditate on this list every day, and visualize yourself as the person you want to be,
as if it's in the present.
-You need not only strong intention to stop addictions,
but also emotional energy. Over-indulging in food, sex/masturbation, gambling, or any other addictive activity needs to stop. They will drain your emotional energy and sabotage your efforts. Save, store, and re-direct the energy into positive thought-patterns and activities.
-Temporarily stop addictive things/activities, one after another, starting with the least energy-draining behavior, then the next one, and the next one, etc.
“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
-Carlos Castaneda
You see, once you're deep into your addictions/indulgences, it's very difficult to moderate (limit) them. You need to reset yourself and start fresh. Once you have systematically eliminated your addictions, keep yourself busy with hobbies and healthy activities:
-Detoxify your body and your mind by reducing your meat, dairy, processed and junk food intake.
-Eat lots of organic fruits and mostly raw vegetables, drink lots of pure, unfluoridated water (spring or distilled) If distilled, be sure to add electrolytes.
-Exercise. Aerobic exercise can boost your body's natural endorphins and speed up the detoxification process. See my thread
HERE for a fun way to exercise without going anywhere.8)
-Try
cold showers to help stimulate endorphins and possibly relieve depression and boost immune function, as well as many other (potential) benefits.
-Connect to your Spirit or Higher Self by meditating and spending time in nature. Go for walks, read books, work on hobbies, spend time with family, pets, whatever brings you inner joy.
-Learn to love yourself. You can't give away what you don't have.
-Eliminate environmental distractions by staying away form negative-influencing people, and cleaning your living space.
-To prevent "relapse" into old ways when you're bored, work on Gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful tool to use against boredom. When we are "bored" we basically have just temporarily forgotten to appreciate the simple things in life. Make a
Gratitude List and write down everything you feel thankful for. Make it as detailed as possible and read it every night before you go to bed and every morning after you wake up. Maybe try to add one new thing every day. It's not necessary to thank anyone specifically, just be thankful.
“You have little time left, and none of it for crap. A fine state. I would say that the best of us always comes out when we are against the wall, when we feel the sword dangling overhead. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way."
-Carlos Castaneda
You will feel like crap for a while, but it gets better!
Then, after you have reset your mind and body, detoxed, eliminated distractions, saved up and redirected emotional energy, and connected to yourself spiritually, you can decide if you want to have a little alcohol or weed in moderation. Now you are strong and have the available emotional energy to spend in small amounts if you choose to. But you may find at this point that you no longer have the desire to indulge in some of the things that brought you temporary/ego-based pleasure in the past.
"Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within."
-Eckhart Tolle
You don't have to live the life of a nun or monk, but it helps to understand the process of energy saving, know and love yourself (your Self), and become at peace with your Self before you can "moderate" or "limit" addictions/indulgences after you're already deep into it. Tap lightly from life.
Again, this is what has worked for me, and is what I believe, but only you know your own body and mind. Listen to the quiet, inner voice of intuition.