THE NON-HABIT FORMING HOAX
Have you ever read the back of your over-the-counter medicine bottles or prescription medications and discovered the popular phrase “This is non-habit forming”. Sometimes it’s even in the commercials and advertisements of popular easy-fixes.
I’ve been on a long quest for sleep. Most nights my eye-lids and I don’t speak to each other. The people at the Nyquil company must have received a great amount of requests to make a sleep-aid. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one sipping at the cold/flu medicine to catch some Z’s! Their commercial for the new sleep-aid, ZzzQuil, states “non-habit forming”. Here’s what I’ve discovered.
A little less than a month ago, I gave ZzzQuil a try. It worked! I figured I wouldn’t use it every night. The following night, wanting to have another great night of sleep, I gave in and took it again. After about 2 weeks, the bottle was empty. I visited the store again and purchased a double pack of the sleep-aid.
A number of nights ago, I was running low but remembered that I did indeed buy the 2 bottles and went searching for the second one. It may come as a surprise to you (as it did me) that I found that the nearly empty bottle, on my nightstand, WAS THE SECOND BOTTLE!
After some deep thought over it, I came to the conclusion that if something gives you a desired effect, it IS habit forming because you will keep using it, doing it, or taking it to reach the state of bliss that you are seeking.
If that’s the case, perhaps anything, not just medicine, can be habit-forming.
After all, isn’t that how both good and bad habits start?
After all, isn’t that how both good and bad habits start?
As I pondered this, I started to question if more experimenting was necessary.
I decided to experiment with coffee. A lot of people seem to be addicted to it. I know my husband HAS to have his cup of coffee in the morning or the day won’t be productive.
My mother is the same way.
My mother is the same way.
Personally, I could do quite well without it but for the sake of science I started the last 3 mornings drinking down the beloved bitter drink. It didn’t become interesting until the fourth morning; this morning. I had awakened to a terrible headache and I felt incredibly sluggish. I ate a bowl of cereal in hopes that it would rid me of the headache and give me some energy to do what needed to be done. It didn’t help.
I fixed myself a cup of coffee.
By the time I made it to the bottom of the cup, my headache was gone and I was ready to run a marathon!
By the time I made it to the bottom of the cup, my headache was gone and I was ready to run a marathon!
In just THREE days my body had gotten so use to the caffeine that by the FOURTH day my body was expecting it. Habit-forming!
Coffee’s not a “bad” habit to have. There are much worse things to be addicted to. In fact, latest research has found great heath benefits from drinking coffee daily. There are tens of thousands of people who “need” it every morning.
Dunkin Donuts has a slogan that says “America runs on Dunkin“ but technically it runs off of caffeine. Truthfully, Starbucks coffee has 9 more milligrams of caffeine than Dunkin Donuts! So, does that mean they are false advertising?
As I’m sitting here typing up this blog, it has occurred to me that if I stuck to this routine, I’d need coffee to get me going in the morning and ZzzQuil to get to sleep at night! That’s a bit screwy, eh? I can’t live like that. So, I’m backing off the both of them. Coffee is just going to be a treat (like how it was before) and ZzzQuil is only going to be purchased one bottle at a time and kept in the medicine cabinet rather than on my nightstand (out of sight, out of mind). I’m going to just embrace my sleepless nights, as they tend to bring me my most creative ideas.
My challenge to you is to acknowledge that you have something in your life that has formed into a habit. If you can’t think of one, ask your spouse or best friend; they will let you know! If it’s a good habit, praise to you! If it’s a bad habit, keep in mind that the first step to recovery is acknowledgement. Now, what do you plan to do about it?
Stephanie “Steppie” Royes is a survivor; dealing with challenges from an 18 wheeler accident to going though Hurricane Katrina/Rita, Gustav & Issac and everything in-between. She makes a living as an entertainer (face-painting clown, party games, magician’s assistant and tarot card reader) and when given the chance she does background extra work in the movies. A lot of her time is spent volunteering at the Audubon Zoo and pursuing hobbies such as searching for extraterrestrial life in our universe and working with arts and crafts. She lives in Metairie Louisiana with her husband Irwin -The World’s Smallest Magician.