Skittles

This story is a contributed piece regarding the desire to keep unhealthy things that enable our addictions and the process of giving them up.

Skittles - by Michelle:

For the sake of this, I'm going to say that eating Skittles makes me sick. I love eating them, but I know that eating even just one will make me ill. The more I eat, the sicker I get. I used to keep Skittles in my pockets. Because they were there, I would be constantly snacking on them so needless to say, I felt horrible all the time. I've tried to stop eating them by just "white knuckling" it but I found I always went back. Sometimes I'd take out most of the Skittles so that I'd stop eating them, but I'd leave a few in there just in case I was craving them. I'd end up crying most days because I wanted to stop eating them but I didn't know how. It was very frustrating.

Finally, one day it dawned on me--if I don't have any Skittles, I won't eat them.  I found this to be easier said than done though. That day I decided to start cleaning out my pockets. It took a long time and it was hard to get rid of them all. In a way, I didn't want to get rid of all of them because they were so good but I did it anyway. I let go of it all. I threw out anything in my pockets, or drawers, or any other hiding place I had been keeping them. I even got rid of the ones that were in my couch cushions that I never thought I would eat, just so I wouldn’t be tempted. I tried so hard to stop thinking about them and I avoided even getting near where they were kept when I went to the store. I even got a friend to remind me how sick the Skittles made me and if I ever got a single one, I’d hand it over to Him immediately.  He helped me avoid them as if it were the plague. So far, it's working. I no longer crave them. Sure I occasionally think about them but I quickly chase out the thought. For me now, the joy of not feeling sick is so much better then the taste of the Skittles. I feel so happy now and I feel free to live my life.