Destructive Habits and How to (maybe) Deal with Them.

All have them, addictions/bad habits — and some of us feel a guilt for one time after another falling for the same old trap; sugar, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, sex — yeah, whatever that makes our hearts tick a little bit extra. It’s easy all these things can take over, control our lives and our behavior and they’re seen as something “bad” and destructive. They can be, but they can also be a lot of help.

I remember during a very intensive shroom trip how dark chocolate helped me to be grounded, to keep calm and just go through it. When everything calmed down I took a walk around the house smoking a cigarillo, and the nicotine was there for me also. It felt like was communicated with them.

The thing is; when it comes to bad habits, like nicotine, sugar or any other substance, I don’t see it as an addiction but as a spirit. The tobacco spirit, the sugar spirit etc. It made me treat them more gently and with less desperation, like I’m respecting the space they need from me. I don’t see anything as bad or good. It is what it is, and if I respect its privacy it will respect me. Yeah, I know, it’s a bit far out, but that’s how it works for me.

‪I’m giving the addiction a personality — a character, and let it manifest itself as its own being. That spirit can be helpful, but but also destructive if you don’t treat it right. ‬But as I see these spirits as neutral in their existence they will also treat me they way I treat them, and if I step over the line and disrespect their gift they will abuse me back. But if I respect them and try to be moderate they’ll do the same to me. This can be a esoteric way of thinking or just a way to structure your relationship with them with rational thinking.

The addiction/bad habit can be your own personal psychic vampire, but I believe the issue lies in that we’re psychic vampires back to them also. The abusive relationship heightens when both are at war. It’s our responsibility to step back, when we do that the spirit do the same. Sugar is something I’m still wrestles with, but recently it’s been a much calmer relationship — like we’ve made a peace treaty with each other. It respects me somehow, as long as I don’t step over the line.

Fred Andersson is a Swedish author, individualist, satanist and freelancing editor-in-chief and story producer. He’s written two books on the subject, Homo Satanis: How I Learned to Love Satan and other Insights from my Childhood and Homo Satanis 2: The Devil Made Me Do It, and is currently working on the third and last part. He lives outside Stockholm with his photographer husband Grzegorz, two cats and thousands of books and films.