The Soft Addiction Solution: The Soft Addiction Solution: Break Free of the Seemingly Harmless Habits That Keep You from the Life You Want

by Judith Wright

Book Overview

Have you ever wondered how you might carve more meaning and purpose out of your crowded days? The answer is simple: cut out the "soft addictions." As Judith Wright reveals in this revised and expanded edition of her classic self-help book There Must Be More Than This, many of us are addicted to seemingly harmless and socially sanctioned habits such as shopping, watching TV, and gossiping-robbing us of our time, clouding our clarity of mind,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158542532X
• ISBN13: 9781585425327
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The real deal

Judith Wright has such a forgiving and refreshing approach to bad habits. The way she talks about "soft addictions" makes me feel so much self acceptance and understanding for myself and why I do the things I do. Instead of hating and indicting myself, I feel compassion and insight. I realize I am looking for something more meaningful and nourishing and that I can decide to do something different and have a completely different experience. Judith's "math of more" is a brilliant way to think about making incremental positive changes that add up over time. Instead of trying to quit something cold turkey, Wright recommends identifying what I am really emotionally hungry for and finding a better way to really satisfy that hunger. The other night, I was on a business trip and was starting to surf the channels on the TV, killing time and staying up too late. I caught myself and realized that I was searching kind of aimlessly for something that would interest me, excite me or somehow make me feel connected with something. I realized that I was longing for personal contact, so I turned off the TV, called my wife, talked to her for a few minutes and went to bed. I felt a little happier and slept better and longer. This seemed like a really small thing, but made me feel much better the next day. Wright combines her compassionate approach to life with a logical and very effective set of methods for making lasting positive change. This is the real deal - not just good ideas, but very practical, useful stuff, grounded in real life experience.

powerful conceptual framework and tools for self-improvement

Judith offers a valuable framework for identifying self-defeating behaviors. She guides the reader to discover the underlying emotions and thought patterns behind undesirable habits. The comprehensive checklist of addictions that undermine me - was useful and I could identify more systemically how various behaviors interrelate. Knowing my system of soft addictions, the book provides a useful system and guide to plan ways to replace my bad patterns, by fulfilling the deeper hungers with more nourishing and satisfying actions. Using the "math of more," I'm able to spend my time and energy more wisely, bit by bit, to become more satisfied. I've added more dance, social activities, satisfying work projects, and it's helping me to limit my indulgences in food or laziness. I've found the book and training with Judith to be of immeasurable value.

I love the "Math of More"!

I've read other books about stopping my soft addictions, but this is the first one that had me add something to replace them. It's making all the difference! I never thought I was indulging my soft addictions because I was missing something deeper in my life. I find myself asking my husband to take time to connect with me when I feel the urge to go shopping. I've been able to consistently get to work on time, when I've been a chronically tardy person. A little bit at a time, I am eliminating the clutter in my house. This book is very effective in helping me make more out of my life and my relationships!

A prescription for a more satisfying life

Judith Wright's book is a must for anyone who's been looking for a way to add more "good stuff" (like time, money, and love) to their life while getting rid of the bad habits (like overeating, procrastinating, too much TV) that get in the way of them. I've personally discovered how much time I've wasted playing computer games and sitting in front of the TV. Not to mention the unconscious eating I've done. I've lost 35 pounds without trying just by paying attention to what goes in my mouth rather than mindlessly munching. And it's not about deprivation - it's about adding things that are more nourishing than computer solitaire or too much food. So I feel more satisfied rather than less and filled up rather than overstuffed. As a physician, I see the effects of our Soft Addictions all day, every day. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Create The Life You Really Want

Judith Wright's book helped me realize how much of my life and money I have wasted on my soft addictions. She showed me how to replace my soft addictions with the things I have always wanted to have in my life (more connection, more adventure, more creativity, more meaning). This book has helped me to begin to create the kind of life I've always wanted. I highly recommend this book.