Addiction Exercise: The Golden Ladder

Close your eyes. Breathe out evenly and regularly. Let your out breathes be longer and slower than the in breaths. Breathe out through the mouth and in through the nose. After several of these cycles, on the next long out breathe: 

Imagine a golden ladder (not a painter’s ladder) standing erect in the middle of a field of fresh grass. It has ten rungs. Start at the bottom rung. Notice what you are wearing and have with you the addictive substance in your hand(s).

Begin the climb slowly until you reach the third rung. There look around, up and down to survey the environment. Then look at how you are dressed. Then look at the substance to see how it looks and note how you feel. Breathe out one time and climb slowly to the fifth rung.

Look around, up and down, and see how you are dressed. Then look at the substance and note how you feel. Breathe out one time and climb slowly to the eighth rung and repeat the process.

Climb slowly to the ninth rung and repeat the process. Climb slowly to the tenth rung. At the tenth rung, note what the substance looks like. Take what you are now holding and through it BEHIND you. Do not look at it.

Then slide down the ladder, quickly, after seeing how you look, including what you’re wearing, and how you feel. At the base again, see how you look, feel, and are dressed.

Know that you are freeing yourself from the addiction and get that new feeling. Come back to the chair, breathe out and open your eyes.

Do this exercise, every morning for 21 days (or less if the addiction clears up). Remember less is more; the exercise should take only one to two minutes.