It's essential for your wellbeing to sort out what influences in your life are nourishing and which are depleting. This is not as easy as it seems in a society where it's considered normal for people to eat unhealthy food for the sake of eating, have relationships for the sake of relationships, and purchase many things that they don't need and barely even want. Since that is the cultural standard, it's necessary to take the time to figure out whether something you take in—be it food, entertainment, information, family influences, or emotional contact—actually sustains you. It would be worthwhile to consider this question in the context of any sexual influence as well. I think the concept of "addiction" is overused and misunderstood, but it begins to have meaning when there is the quality of some influence potentially controlling your life. If during the next few weeks you find yourself at a full stop, or feel like you can no longer effectively negotiate with yourself, that's the time to take some time and inquire about the issue of control. There is often an associated issue about whether you want the responsibility implied by self-determination. The most common reason I've seen people abandon their power is because it seems to offer liberation from the consequences of their own mistakes. That's one form of liberation that will never serve you.
