Okay, I know the economy is in bad shape.  I hear it all the time on the news, and see it in the papers.  The fearmongers are filing their horns as they spread words that incite fear, dread and much anxiety, like "recession", "depression", which our psyches translate to "starvation", "homeless", "destitute"... more on that.

But, now hold on! Stop! Take a look at your pantry.  Is it jammed packed with food and supplies?  Have you over the last week or so shopped for more stuff than usual?  Buying and consuming more?  Okay, maybe it is stuff that you need, but are you buying more of it?  I've noticed that in my own household we've been buying more of what we normally use, but treating ourselves to extra stuff.  You know, the treats that throw your grocery bills beyond the number where you would normally find acceptable.  For us, it's ice cream, gourmet spreads never before tried, premium coffee beans (that's mine), etc.  Let me be clear here... we don't normally buy these things.  When we want them, we just go out and get them at any one of our favorite restaurants/eateries/coffee shops.  Otherwise, our lists consist of simple, fresh, and real food (refrigeration necessary).  We've even recently treated ourselves to a couple of Tropical Smoothies from the franchise that just opened in our neighborhood.   Yes, they contain lots of sugar and artificial flavors... so against my religion - and, they're not cheap!  Yet, I somehow justified having two in one weekend.  What is going on?

If you're trying to manage an addiction, I suspect you're having a really hard time right now.

YOU JUST DON'T LISTEN
We had just finished hearing over the radio, "right now would be a good time to save for a rainy day, because the forecast for the next few months looks very wet'... or something like that.  Then we nodded in agreement in that same way you nod after your mom tells you to be careful while driving.  You know deep inside you're going to keep driving the way you always have, yet on the outside you agree because you also know it's really good advice.

Your ability to act on habit (however destructive) overrides a danger that hasn't manifested and so you have a hard time imagining it as "real".  Your bad habits helped your mind/body find a reward over and over again for months... years.  The ill effects of something that may happen haven't yet overwritten the rewards that you've already felt.  Until...  Ever hear of "hitting rock bottom".  Your threshold for suffering/pain is much different than someone else's.  Learning mind-body techniques can help you be mindful of your actions so that you won't ever need to it rock bottom and cause yourself unnecessary harm.  Example: the cancer patient who smokes; the former heart attack patient who stresses easily; the overweight diabetic. 

A THREATENED BODY
I suspect the issue here is that the fear of losing something (job, home, freedom, control) is igniting a primal of fear that threatens our survival.  The body doesn't distinguish one fear from another.  Fear is fear.  Something is working on a subconscious level to have us behave as if we have to gather and hoard stuff before it's all gone.  The same thing happens when you're trying to control your obsessive compulsive behavior.  Your mind's present state is working on a much deeper level to protect what it already knows... leading you do whatever necessary to keep that food/alcohol/stuff coming.  This applies to you, to me, to every human being that has tried to change a habit,  simply because your mind (and body) has a fear of loss, and translates that to a very real threat to your survival.  Something has to change with the messages your brain gives to your body - only at that deep level can you change your habits.   Hey, that's just how it works -  you have to get to the source.  Your body is just not convinced that stopping that destructive habit is ultimately good for your overall health and wellbeing.  It's comfortable right now and that fear of survival thing (that habit creates) is much too strong for you to try overriding it with willpower, discipline, or promises of being a better person when you stop.

STOP THE MADNESS
Overconsumption of anything, stuff, food, drinks, is not a disease.  It is a mental state that we have collectively put ourselves into as a society of having lots and wanting more .   The solution is changing your thought pattern (at the brain level) to realize your needs from your wants.  Hypnosis is the tool.  Why? Because it works to accomplish just that... change synaptic patterns of the brain (from craving food/alcohol...) and redirect them to create different patterns (... to reading/walking, etc).   How? Through imagery.  If you can see it, feel it, hear it, you can be it... whatever you want to accomplish, you can if you are able to clearly imagine it.  The more senses you can employ to experience your goal, the closer you are to achieving it.  It takes practice, and it's possible.  No more feelings of loss, fear, deprivation, or survival. 

Most importantly, you will look forward to experiencing vibrant health - just like any other habit, that feeling will be stronger and stronger every day.