The average person’s life is full of indulgences. An indulgence is like a little treat that we award ourselves during each day. Most individuals don’t stop to think about them very much, but if you suddenly cut yourself off, you’d be aware of it very quickly. Let’s speak about a few indulgences that people frequently enjoy and how harmful it is. We’ll also talk about what each one can do to you.
Table of Contents
Caffeine
Caffeine powers much of the world. It’s a chemical that you find in your morning coffee unless you get decaf. You can also find it in most teas, many soft drinks, energy shots, and even certain desserts.
Caffeine is highly addictive. If you use it every day, and you suddenly stop, your body is going to tell you almost immediately that something is wrong. If you quit cold turkey, you might feel jittery, irritable, and you may also feel exhausted in the mornings at the time when you usually have that first eye-opener.
Caffeine is usually okay in small doses. Yes, it’s addictive, but there’s also never any shortage of it. You can get some readily whenever you need it, but virtually any doctor is going to tell you to limit your consumption.
One cup of morning coffee is okay, but you should try to limit yourself to one or two cups per day. If you find that you need three, four, or five caffeinated drinks throughout the morning and afternoon to keep you alert, you’re probably overdoing it.
If your coffee distracts you so much that you find yourself groping for your Starbucks while in heavy traffic, you know you’ve got to cut back. Trying to retrieve your coffee while on the highway can cause an accident. Then, the next thing you know, you might have to sue for neck injuries if you stop abruptly, and another vehicle hits you.
Sugar
Sugar is another extremely addictive substance, yet most people don’t stop to think about how dangerous it is. You can get your sugar fix in all kinds of ways. A donut might be your preferred delivery method, or a Snickers bar, or an espresso from your local coffee shop.
In fact, enormous coffee drinks are so popular because they deliver both caffeine and sugar at one time. Is it any wonder you feel like you’re ready to tackle any project after you guzzle one down?
If you consume too much sugar, you’ll often gain weight. You can develop diabetes or a prediabetic condition, which can be a serious problem as you get older.
Like caffeine, you should try to limit your sugar intake if you’re starting to experience health problems. Also, watch out for withdrawal symptoms if you cut off your sugar suddenly. If you’re jittery and can’t stop thinking about grabbing yourself a candy bar, you can tell you’re in worse shape than you might have imagined.
Smoking or Vaping
Smoking or vaping are arguably worse than either sugar or caffeine. You can smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipe tobacco. You can vape using a vape pen or chew tobacco.
The tobacco industry tried to conceal how bad cigarettes were for many years, but at this point, it’s common knowledge how harmful they are. Smoking often gives you cancer if you do it for long enough. Most heavy smokers don’t live beyond their sixties.
For a while, vape pen creators tried to say that it wasn’t unhealthy or that it wasn’t as bad as tobacco smoking. At this juncture, medical science has debunked that theory. Doctors will tell you quite readily that vaping is just as bad as smoking, as it can damage your lungs, heart, and other organs.
While indulging in a little sugar or caffeine is not the worst thing in the world, if you do vape or smoke, it’s best if you can quit that entirely. There are patches and gums that can help you. You can talk to either a doctor or a behaviorist if you want further advice on how to get away from these highly addictive behaviors.
There are plenty of other addictive substances and behaviors in which people regularly indulge. Alcohol is addictive, and alcoholism can be a serious problem. Sex addiction exists, and some people struggle with opioid addiction as well.
The real takeaway is that hardly anyone has no bad habits whatsoever. One of life’s keys is to enjoy milder indulgences rather than the more harmful ones and to only use them sparingly.
